Gert Scholtz

6 years ago · 2 min. reading time · ~10 ·

Blogging
>
Gert blog
>
Why Do We Dance?

Why Do We Dance?

9783c57d.jpg

I don’t know what prompted this post.

Maybe a song on the radio on my way to work. Perhaps dropping my children at parties. Maybe the energy of tribal dancers. It could be this good post by Savvy Raj. Or the movie La La Land. Or Zorba the Greek. 

Or maybe just because I wonder why we dance.

Is it evolutionary?

According to some, dancing was a way for our prehistoric ancestors to bond and communicate, particularly during tough times. Researchers examined the DNA of a group of dancers and non-dancers and found that the dancers shared two genes associated with a predisposition for being good social communicators. The better you groove at the grotto ball, the better your chances of surviving all.

Does it relax us?

One study showed that dance, in particular, can decrease anxiety and boost mood more than other activities. Researchers assigned patients with anxiety disorders to spend time in one of four settings: a modern-dance class, an exercise class, a music class, or a math class (math - really?) The dance class significantly reduced anxiety – more so than the other activities. So they say when you sway your troubles melt away.

Is it a way of thinking?

Scientists had people dancing and then doing problem-solving. Different sorts of dancing helped with different sorts of problem-solving. People engage in improvised kinds of dance say it helps with divergent thinking – where there's multiple answers to a problem. When they engage in structured dance it helps their convergent thinking – trying to find the single answer to a problem. A case of embodied cognition - you engage the brain while dancing in the rain.

Do we need to dance?

Some say dance is essential to our survival as human beings. It serves as an adaptive response to our environment. Without the ability to notice, recreate, and become patterns of movement, without the impulse to move, humans would not be able to learn how to sense the sources of their wellbeing—to people, to ideas, to places. Dancing is essential to the rhythm of bodily becoming. We shake, rattle and roll into who we are.

What moves us to move?

Dance is a way we express ourselves when words are insufficient. Our exuberance in the moment, the joy we feel over love, our determination in the face of adversity, the passionate fire of our youth and the peacefulness of our more graceful years - all are expressed to the melody and rythm of a waltz, or a tango, or a jive. 

Maybe dancing is a celebration of life. 

Maybe dancing is a life of celebration. 

Maybe dancing is celebration. 

Maybe dancing is life. 

Let's dance!


a26aa248.jpg
""
#Greek #post #La La Land #Savvy Raj #Zorba
Comments

Proma Nautiyal

6 years ago #26

What a beautiful post, Gert Scholtz for this post. I truly mean it.

Gert Scholtz

6 years ago #25

Edward Lewellen Many thanks for reading and commenting, and I am glad you enjoyed the post.

Jim Murray

6 years ago #24

Nice piece, my friend. I have no rhythm, but I could watch Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers all day long.

Gert Scholtz

6 years ago #23

#23
Lisa Vanderburg "Dance is the melding of mind and soul" I could not say it better. Thanks for commenting and sharing Lisa.

Gert Scholtz

6 years ago #22

Lisa Vanderburg "Dance is the melding of mind and soul" I could not say it better. Thanks for sharing Lisa.

Lisa Vanderburg

6 years ago #21

Dance away...you're HUMAN!

Lisa Vanderburg

6 years ago #20

Beautiful and life-affirming, Gert Scholtz!! I stopped dancing...why? 'I won't dance, don't ask me. I [d]on't dance, don't ask me...' But I think I'll take it up again! Dance is the melding of mind and soul....ask an elephant to do it :)

Gert Scholtz

6 years ago #19

#11
Thanks for the “groovy” comment Fatima :) Keep on swaying and moving and keep the song in your head.

Paul Walters

6 years ago #18

Gert Scholtz one should dance even if one cannot. You reside in a country where the natural rhythm of the majority is perhaps 'inbuilt!"

Lyon Brave

6 years ago #17

I love to dance

Ken Boddie

6 years ago #16

#7
well, Gert Scholtz, perhaps you also need to throw in an Irishwoman, a Scotswoman, and a South African Woman?

Gert Scholtz

6 years ago #15

#9
Peter Altschuler Wow - what an interesting piece on the development of dance. Thanks very much for the extensive comment Peter. Here in SA I have been exposed to older forms of tribal dancing which has an earthy and very masculine quality - really something to see and experience.

Gert Scholtz

6 years ago #14

#9
Peter Altschuler Wow - what an interesting piece on the development of dance. Thanks very much for the extensive comment Peter. Here is SA I have been exposed to older forms of tribal dancing which has an earthy and very masculine quality - really something to see and experience.

Gert Scholtz

6 years ago #13

#12
Debasish Majumder Thank you Debasish - that is a very kind comment. May we both continue to "dance" in our beBee blogs. Thanks too for sharing the post.

Gert Scholtz

6 years ago #12

#13
Jerry Fletcher Very true Jerry - I didn't think of that. Thank you for the comment.

Jerry Fletcher

6 years ago #11

Watch a father or a mother with an infant in arms. Seldom if ever do they stop moving.

Debasish Majumder

6 years ago #10

bees dance to create or produce more more in exuberance being reflected in nature! your buzz will inspire more to dance, not literally, but rationally to produce honey. lovely buzz Gert Scholtz! enjoyed read and shared. thank you for the buzz.

🐝 Fatima G. Williams

6 years ago #9

Dancing is a great way to release any kind of emotion. The swaying and moving clears the mind and to me is it stress buster. Dancing is life and reading Savvy's buzz I feel I need to set aside time for dance, every day :) I guess I could dance just with a song in my head without the actual music! Thanks, Gert Scholtz for the groovy dance buzz I think you should have added a dance video of you for a classic finish :) Hope you're doing great and Gert now are you telling South Africans, have two left legs 😜😜😜😜😜😜😜😜

Pascal Derrien

6 years ago #8

#7
you have not seen my Irish gig moves Riverdance like league :-)

Gert Scholtz

6 years ago #7

Pascal Derrien Why is it that in my mind an Irishman, a Scotsman and a dance floor just don't go together? Especially so if you add a South African:)

Anabel Timor Tornero

6 years ago #6

#3
Me dijo una persona @Mª Eugenia de la Cruz Palacios. Nube Didáctica de RRHH que eso restaba valor a mi CV. Entiendo que no está relacionado con mi profesión y lógicamente no lo pongo, que no creo que reste nada, al contrario, para mi suma. Todas las experiencias vividas (buenas y malas) suman y añaden valor, desde mi punto de vista, claro. Lo de la imagen lo digo por eso precisamente.

Anabel Timor Tornero

6 years ago #5

#2
Así es @Ignacio Orna. Nunca se sabe que nos va a deparar el futuro. Yo siempre digo: si tengo tiempo y puedo, adelante...

Gert Scholtz

6 years ago #4

#2
Ali \ud83d\udc1d Anani, Brand Ambassador @beBee Thank you for the comment Ali. I guess one dances not only physically, but mentally as well.

Ken Boddie

6 years ago #3

And here was I , Gert, believing that dancing is a pre-mating ritual for those with no poetry in their soul. Personally, I gave up on dancing when I had a-bun-dance.

Ali Anani

6 years ago #2

We dance for different reasons Gert Scholtz. We dance for joy and we dance out of pain. Dancing is a pain reliever even though we are used to dancing during happy times. The type of dance may reflect societal prevailing conditions. Are we dancing the dance of romantic love or the dance of encouragement for depressed people? Nervous dancing may reveal the prevalence of nervous societies. I say may be.

Pascal Derrien

6 years ago #1

Anatomy in motion I was once told dance was but I much prefer your take on it :-) Gert Scholtz

Articles from Gert Scholtz

View blog
5 years ago · 1 min. reading time

Narrative

Once upon a time there was a narrative. It came along when we were born and neatly nestled itself in ...

5 years ago · 1 min. reading time

The Rock Concert

Sometimes I make an effort to give my children a unique experience – only to realize later I have ac ...

5 years ago · 2 min. reading time

Sweet History of Music Videos

This is the loudest post I have ever done on BeBee. · For some reason, I recalled some of my favorit ...

Related professionals

You may be interested in these jobs

  • Greys Personnel

    Financial Director

    Found in: Talent ZA 2A C2 - 18 hours ago

    Greys Personnel Durban, South Africa

    CA (SAICA) · 10 years in a Financial Leadeship role · Exposure to dealing with large numbers of annuity-based customers · Experience in:Financial management · Strategic planning · Financial Reporting and analysis · Risk management · Stakeholder management · Exposure to the Securi ...

  • beBee Professionals

    Writer and Content Specialist

    Found in: beBee Professionals ZA - 1 day ago

    Direct apply
    beBee Professionals Rustenburg, South Africa Technical Writers Freelance

    BeBee Professionals is looking for a Writer and Content Specialist to join our team in Rustenburg. · The successful candidate will be responsible for creating and managing content for our website, blog, and other digital channels. This includes researching, writing, editing, and ...

  • Telebest

    Associate: Development Debt

    Found in: Talent ZA C2 - 6 days ago

    Telebest Johannesburg, South Africa Full time

    Requirements: · B Com Accounting with post graduate degree/BSC Engineering · 4 year undergraduate qualification with finance experience. · CA (SA) would be an advantage · ...