Dance (Why People Dance)

Have you ever heard a song that made your toes start tapping all by themselves? Or maybe you felt so happy that you just had to jump up and down and spin around in a big, joyful circle? That little wiggle in your fingers, that jiggle in your legs, that feeling of pure excitement that makes your whole body want to move—that’s me. I’m the reason you sway when you hear a fun beat and the reason you leap when you score a goal. I don’t use words, but I can tell a whole story just by moving. I can be fast and bouncy like a popcorn kernel popping, or slow and graceful like a feather floating down from the sky. I live inside everyone, just waiting for the music to start or for a happy feeling to bubble up. Hello there, it’s so nice to meet you. I am Dance.

I have been around for a very, very long time, longer than almost any story you’ve ever heard. People have known me since the beginning of time. Thousands of years ago, long before there were cities with tall buildings or cars that zoomed down the street, people discovered me. In a place now called India, some of the very first people drew pictures of me on the rocky walls of caves. Those amazing paintings are 9,000 years old. They show figures holding hands, jumping, and moving all together in a line. A long, long time ago in ancient Egypt, people also loved me. Around the year 3300 BCE, they painted beautiful pictures of me on the walls inside their tombs, which are special buildings for people who have passed away. They wanted to remember all the special celebrations and stories I helped them tell. You see, for the first humans, I was super important. I wasn't just for fun, though I was a lot of fun. I was their special language. I was a way to tell stories about great hunts or brave heroes before they had books. I was a way to celebrate when the fruits and vegetables grew tall after a long season of planting. This big party was called a harvest. People would dance together to ask their gods for rain to help their plants grow, or to thank them for the warm sunshine. I helped bring everyone in the village together, making them feel connected, like one big, happy family moving to the same beat.

As time twirled on, I changed and grew, just like people did. I traveled all over the world and learned lots of new moves. Today, I come in so many different styles. There’s ballet, where dancers leap and spin on their tiptoes so gracefully. There are traditional folk dances, where people in colorful costumes stomp and clap to celebrate their culture and history. And there’s hip-hop, where you can pop, lock, and slide to cool, modern beats. I can be anything you want me to be. I am a universal language, which means everyone in the world can understand me, no matter what words they speak. You can use me to show you’re happy, sad, excited, or even a little bit silly. I am a wonderful way to have fun, stay healthy, and make new friends. So the next time you feel a wiggle or a jiggle, don’t hold it in. Let me out. Turn on some music, move your body, and show the world how you feel. Because everyone has a dancer inside them, just waiting for a chance to shine.