The Importance of Dance to Society

It seems that society never fails to applaud technological advances - the top news story is more likely to be about the newly released iPhone as opposed to an interview with an emerging artist. Everyone knows that Neil Armstrong was the first man on the moon, but many people do not recognize the name of modern dance pioneer Isadora Duncan. Although there is no doubt that science has greatly benefited the world, the art forms should also gain recognition as pivotal elements of society.
 Nathan Andary is a dance professor at the University of Maryland who truly understands the importance of the arts.

As Mr. Andary says, movement is an inherent part of living. If movement is inhibited, then mass chaos will follow. Dance allows for the most natural kind of expression; whereas verbal communication is human-made, dance is a universal language. Human beings have invented different definitions, connotations, and sentence structures that create language barriers and inhibit people from fully expressing themselves. Dance has no such barrier.
Mr. Andary not only appreciates the importance of dance, but also has an insightful perspective on the relationship between the arts and sciences.

Mr. Andary also points out how the arts and sciences are intertwined - the biology of the body influences how the body moves. After first pursuing the pre-medical track, Mr. Andary decided to follow his passion for dance instead. After all, through kinesiology, he has the best of both worlds: investigating the systems of the body while simultaneously exploring how the body moves. The arts and sciences should be valued equally, as one discipline cannot be explored without the other. Science must examine the movement of the body in order to understand the biological systems, and vice versa.


Dance and other art forms are undervalued in society compared with science and technology. The advent of computers, the internet, television, and video games brings more incentives for human beings to remain stationary. By inhibiting the body's natural desire to move, mass frustration results, and "that resonates within the public sphere," says Mr. Andary. If art is given the recognition it deserves, society will improve - less frustration, less chaos, and more movement.