Dance is an outward art in which dancers convey their enlightenment and inspiration to the audience, expressing emotions through movement and allowing the audience to gain new experiences and perceptions through this process.
Like other art forms, dance is an outward-looking activity in that it expects a response. In other words, dancers create their works with the intention of communicating their enlightenment to the audience and sharing the inspiration they have experienced. In this way, dance becomes a profound artistic expression rather than a mere sequence of movements. Dancers use their bodies as a tool to convey emotions that cannot be expressed in words, and artistic communication takes place in the process. Dance is an art that transcends the limitations of language and expresses the common emotions and experiences of humanity through visual language. This is one of the reasons why dance is loved all over the world, transcending cultural and language barriers.
How is this communication achieved? A dancer on stage shows the audience the physical movements he or she has created. The movements must contain emotional meaning and life experience. However, the life experience is not portrayed realistically. For example, when a dancer expresses the pain of a breakup, he or she does not show the exact movements of waving, shedding tears, or hugging an imaginary object. Instead, the movements are shown in the form of abstracted gestures. These abstracted movements stimulate the audience’s imagination and allow for different interpretations based on each individual’s experience. In addition, the physical expression of the dancer can convey complex emotions beyond simple sadness, reflecting the complexity of the emotion. This is one of the unique attractions of dance.
The dancer expects the audience to participate in the movements unfolding before them, rather than to be a passive audience. Although they may appear to be sitting quietly in their chairs, they believe that they are dancing together, using all of their muscle tissue in an integrated manner. The expectation is that the audience will also be able to recall the emotional associations that first moved the dancer. When the audience expresses and shares their emotions in response to the dancer’s movements, dance is completed as a true art of communication. This interaction makes each moment of dance more special and allows the audience and the dancer to experience becoming one.
However, the dancer’s goal is not simply to stimulate the audience’s emotions. He strives to change the audience’s existing feelings about an object, expand their experience, and help them escape from habitual reactions. In doing so, he enables them to gain a new perception and experience of reality. To achieve these goals, dancers will use most of their movements, but they will also use elements that can evoke emotional associations in the audience, such as stage backdrops and music. Lighting and costumes are also important elements that add depth to the message the dancer wants to convey. The dancer’s costume is so intimately connected that it sometimes feels like part of the movement, and it is an important element that completes the overall aesthetic of the dance.
How should the audience respond to the expectations and efforts of these dancers? When encountering a work of art, most audiences have expectations of the work. They predict what the work will be based on previous aesthetic experiences, knowledge, and information about the artist and the work. In the case of dance, however, these expectations often prevent the audience from enjoying the work. This is because the audience cannot fully immerse itself in the movements of the dancers. Some audience members may only pay attention to one aspect of the dance, such as the shapes drawn by the dancers’ arms or the music that accompanies them. Of course, in this case the audience is using their senses of sight and hearing, but they cannot be said to be watching the dance in its entirety.
So how can we see the dance as a whole? In a word, by becoming a dancer. In this regard, there is a short story about a farmer. The farmer lost his horse. As a result, he was able to find his horse. If you use the same method as this farmer, the audience will surely be able to find what the dancer is trying to say. Only by approaching dance in this way will we be able to correctly perceive dance as an art. It is also necessary to continuously learn and understand how to look at dance. By studying the intentions of the dancers and the background of the work, and by experiencing different dance works, we can deepen our appreciation of dance. Studying the history of dance and experiencing different styles of dance are also important parts of the process. This provides an opportunity for the audience to understand and enjoy dance more deeply.
Dance is an art closely related to our daily lives. Every movement expressed by a dancer contains human nature, emotions and philosophy of life. Therefore, appreciating dance is more than just watching it; it is also a process of reflecting and understanding our lives. When audiences experience dance through this process, it goes beyond mere artistic expression and becomes deeply rooted in our lives. Dance also gives the audience the opportunity to explore their inner selves and discover new emotions. This is one of the unique aspects that distinguishes dance from other art forms. Dance is not just a series of movements, but is born at the intersection of life and art.
