Dance as a Universal Language

Dance is an expression of who we are and who we want to be. It’s attached to culture which, in turn, shows to the world who we are, what we want, and just how we are going to do it,” said Vanessa Guerrero, an ELI foreign exchange student from Venezuela.

Guerrero continues, “Dance and culture coexist together, one can’t survive without the other. The human being will always want to express themselves through movements and will always want to preserve what they are. Everything is connected.”

For Guerrero, coming to the University of Delaware as a foreign exchange student was a struggle. She joined Isodynamic Dance Crew this past semester and expressed how she couldn’t understand any of her dance members’ conversations. “I couldn’t understand a single word, but I could understand the movements and the feelings,” she said. “I became a part of them not because of words but because of the love of dance.”

At the University of Delaware, there are several dance groups on campus representing different types of cultures and welcoming people from all backgrounds. The Korean Dance and Culture Club (KoDACC) represents Korean culture while performing K-pop choreography around campus. Isodynamic Dance Crew represents Hip-Hop culture and performs around campus while hosting House of Hip-Hop, an annual all-styles competition. Dragonfly Dance Club focuses on Chinese traditional dancing whereas, Delaware Kamaal represents Indian culture by performing Indian fusion dances which is a mix of Bollywood and Hip-Hop.

These dance crews, that aren’t race-inclusive, offer an outlet for dancers of different cultures to come together. A dancer is someone who expresses their emotions and tells a story through the movements of their body. They are athletes, constantly training to perfect their craft and technique in order to showcase high-quality performances.

Dancing, no matter what form, requires a lot of discipline and perseverance. I’ve been dancing for twelve years, classically trained in Ballet and now Hip-Hop but I’m constantly learning. Every single time I step into the studio, I’m perfecting and growing my techniques. When I dance, I’m happy- it’s an escape from all of the cluttered and chaotic thoughts in my mind.  Although I do speak English, dance still allows me to translate to others my inner thoughts and feelings. 

“Dance was my outlet for when life was dark and when I wanted to share my passion with the world. It’s truly become a fundamental part of who I am as a person and I wouldn’t be half the person I am now without it,” says Jordan Jones Jr., current Junior and member of Isodynamic Dance Crew. He continues, “It’s amazing how much we communicate through dance, it can be understood by anyone.”

A lot of the lessons people learn in dance correlate with actual life-lessons. For instance, on top of discipline and perseverance, people also learn from their own members by collaborating and learning through their different styles. Dance teaches patience, growth, communication, and empathy. “My diligence that I put towards my academics is still present when I dance, and I might even say it has strengthened this characteristic as I tackle new dance feats for myself,” says Kai Dinh, a current freshmen and member of KoDACC.

In a world so chaotic, dance has provided an outlet that anyone can escape to- no matter where they come from. Dance has connected many people from different cultural backgrounds and has been able to help them grow as individuals working together to help better their team. Dance as a universal language breaks any language barriers by bringing people together through movement, expression, and style.