Dancing And Having Rhythm

Learning to dance is fun - and it is easy. In a sense it isThis is regrettable, for all of us have a sense of
like learning a new language - a language in whichrhythm. Rhythm is one of the governing laws that
moods and emotions are expressed in movement; amake for order in the universe. Rhythm appears in
language of rhythm, grace and harmony. It is new - butmany phases. The competent typist has rhythm; the
in a very real sense it is the oldest language in thepublic speaker, the musician, the author all make use of
world, for dancing is the oldest form of art.rhythm in the practice of their arts. Even the engine in
We know people danced as far back as the beginningour automobile has rhythm - it must fire in perfect time
of recorded history. The dance appeared in variousto operate successfully.
forms in ancient Egypt, Greece and Rome.Even after learning a few of the simpler steps, some
Dancing gives expression to a deeply rooted emotionpeople are still afraid to relax and keep time to the
in man so profound as to border on reverence. This isaccompanying music because they fear they will
evidenced by the fact that some early dances were amake a mistake and be ridiculed. This fear of criticism
part of religious rites. The Bible mentions dancing inand ridicule can be so overpowering as to cause
numerous places - one of the most frequently quotedcertain persons to become immobile. If the desire to
verses being that taken from the 150th Psalm: "Praisedance is thwarted often enough, a psychological block
ye the Lord in all your songs and dances."can be set up in the nervous system which leads to
There is an instinctive urge in all of us to expressdiscouragement and a desire to stop trying, and these
rhythm. Primitive men satisfy this urge by beatingfolks say, "I have no sense of rhythm."
drums and dancing around a campfire until they dropDancing has been described as poetry in motion. By
from sheer exhaustion. We, of the civilized world,observing the similarity between the rhythm of speech,
satisfy this same instinctive urge in a more culturedparticularly as applied to poetry, and the rhythm of
way. We dance in a conventional manner to rhythmicmotion, as applied to dancing, anyone who can recite a
music and conform to certain set patterns. Wesimple jingle in rhythm can learn to dance.
observe the rules of conduct that society has set forOccasionally a person will come to our studio and insist
us.that he absolutely has no rhythm. We frequently ask
Dancing is a wholesome, natural outlet for thesuch persons to read: "Mary Had a Little Lamb." After
emotions. It develops grace and poise, timing andpointing out to them that they do have a sense of
balance. Men take pride in their ability to lead theirrhythm, or they could not have recited this poem in
partners with assurance and poise. Girls enjoy theperfect meter, they develop confidence enough to
ability to follow their partners smoothly, expertly andapply themselves to learning rhythm of movement.
correctly. The ability to dance develops personality, andI have never met a person who could speak, who
above all - it is fun.could not recite poetry rhythmically. Reciting poetry,
Unfortunately, however, many persons miss out on thisnaturally, is easier for most people than moving the
fun because they do not dance well. Girls arebody in perfect rhythm. Some people learn to
apprehensive that they will not be able to follow theircoordinate more easily than others, but with practice it
partners. Men are worried about stepping on theircan be learned, and it is simply not true that you, or
partner's toes. Many persons are reluctant to try toanyone else, cannot learn to dance because you do
learn to dance, because they believe they do not havenot have a sense of rhythm.
a sense of rhythm.