Danceability

Danceability

Ian McKenzie -

I just checked my Macquarie dictionary. “Danceability”, is not listed. Also it came up underlined in red on my spell checker.

The Macquarie dictionary is the authority on the use of Australian English. A perusal of their editorial staff, gives a really extensive and impressive list of Professors and Associate Professors of linguistics. They should know what they are talking about when it comes to the use of Australian English.

I use “Australian English” as the default setting on my computer. It underlines “danceability” in red, indicating that these experts, (they are probably the same guys even), don't consider “danceability” to be a word also.

But, “danceability” should be a word, so I have just introduced it into our lexicon.

Let me give you a brief background or maybe an insight as to why I think it should be there.

Among my early studies in academe was Physical Education. This was later to become known as Human Movement Studies. It seems that we have some sort of innate need to keep changing the names of things which are essentially the same.

Anyhow, for several years I worked as a Health and Physical Education teacher in both Primary schools and High schools. In those roles I taught dance amongst many other physical activities. In Primary schools I taught Folk Dances, Round Dances and more regularly Square Dances. In the High schools it was Ballroom dancing and Square dancing.

In the early 1970's I left the Education Department and worked in private enterprise. Among the roles I had were Physical Educator and Exercise Physiologist. I was with the YMCA organisation full-time for eight years, in roles ranging from Physical Education Director to Executive Director. Later I established my own adult Health and Fitness centres in Brisbane city and completed consultancy work for the National Heart Foundation, as Exercise Physiologist to their Fit-to-Live programs and Cardiac Rehabilitation programs. I also worked as Exercise Physiologist in Cardiac Rehabilitation programs for Divisions of General Practice and for a major Brisbane Public Hospital.

As you can see, I have always had much more than a passing interest in physical activities. Physical exercise is good for almost all of us regardless of our age, or any other attributes. Studies have in fact shown that children who have a reasonable level of physical activity are much more likely to do well academically than those who don't.

And, believe it or not, up until Exhibition Wednesday 1987, I was superbly fit myself. There is another story here that has to do with people riding motor cycles on public roads, and young hoons who go through stop signs at speed in their panel vans with no regard for others on the road. But, as I said, that is another story!

I want to talk about danceability. But, before I do, I shall mention a few things about ability in any physical activity whatsoever.

Studies have shown that there is a very strong correlation between success in sports and other physical activities and success in other aspects of one's life. Now, someone is going to ask me for my sources. Please don't. Exercise Physiology is no longer a major component of my current career interests, and I have not kept up to date with the latest research, but I am sure I have somewhere read studies regarding this strong correlation.

Even if you don't have especially great abilities in any particular sport or other physical activity, if you remain fairly physically active, you will be more healthy than if you don't. And, from a health point of view, this level of daily physical activity does not have to be great.

But why have I wanted to coin the word “danceability”, and not “cricketability” or “athleticsability” or whatever?

The answer is that “DANCE” is very special.

Here are ten reasons why:

· Dance is physical. Regular dance will improve your cardio-vascular fitness
· Dance is social. Well, OK so is Cricket and Netball, but they usually involve socialising with members of the same gender.
· Dance involves physical contact. In what other activity is it socially acceptable for a guy or a gal to hold a member of the opposite sex and whirl around in time to music?
· Dance is cognitive. Have you heard the saying, “if you don't use it you will lose it”? Well, that saying applies to that grey matter up there in your cranium, as well as perhaps to some other of your anatomical features. With dance you will need to think about moves, sequences, signals, what you are doing, what your partner is doing, in addition to what the other dancers out there on the floor are doing. And ladies, men who have “danceability” prove beyond any doubt, that men are capable of doing more than one thing at a time.
· Dance has variety. There are many different genres of dance to choose from.
· Dance is a whole of life activity. Very young children can and should dance, and should keep dancing right up into old, old age. (Perhaps with a few changes of dance genres as the years progress) Compare this with other sports such as football, or hockey or whatever.
· Dance is fun. Dancing releases those “feel-gooders” in the brain called endorphins. Yes, by dancing you can get on a high without taking dangerous drugs.
· Dance relieves stress. Any physical exercise can help counter the distress caused to many of us from the pressures of modern living. Dance is right up there at or near the top of the list of these physical activities.
· Dance is for just about everyone. Some years ago I taught a class of young wheel-chair bound Spina Bifida students to Square Dance..., And, they loved it! I did have to make a few modifications to the dance of course, but it was well worth it. Now, I don't know what your personal situation is as reader of this article. But, I reckon it would be a fairly safe bet that 99.9% of you are more able to dance than those ten and eleven year olds in wheel chairs, who were wheeling their chairs around each other to “She'll be coming around the Mountain”.
· Dance is good for for your physical, mental, social, emotional and spiritual health. Yep! That is a pretty broad statement to make, but it is true. And, the more that you dance and read about dance, the more likely you are to accept that it is true. Read my articles on “Dance and Communication” and “Hopping at the Savoy”, and Tomas Dietz's article on “Flamenco” dance.

We all have reasons why we do, or do not do certain things.

I have coined this new word “danceability”, because I have accumulated a significant amount of empirical evidence as to why some people dance, and other do not.

Based on this evidence I have formulated hypotheses regarding danceability. I reckon this would be an ideal research area for some young, keen Masters of Human Movement Studies graduate with an interest in dance, to complete a PhD thesis.

Let me share just a little of this evidence I have with you. Yesterday I had a meeting across the other side of town. I knew an old school mate Peter lived in the suburb where I was, so after my meeting I called him and we had a chat and a cup of tea together. In our discussions regarding what we are doing now, I mentioned that I had started running a regular Saturday night dance, and suggested that he and his wife should come along one night. As youngsters, Peter, and some other friends and I used to regularly go dancing. One of these dance venues was the O'Connor Boat House which was on the banks of the Brisbane river in Brisbane city. It was actually at this particular venue that Peter and his wife Jocelyn met. Peter responded to my suggestion with, ”that sounds good, but I have not danced for almost 40 years”.

Assumptions I have made from this are:

· Peter would like to go dancing again.
· Peter probably will not go to our Saturday night dance, because his perceived level of “danceability” is too low.

Here is some more evidence of a generic nature regarding my hypotheses on “danceability”.

If you go to almost any dance anywhere and ask any dancer who they like dancing with, the response will invariably be “a dancer who can dance as well as I can, if not better”.

So, the higher a person's “danceability”, the more preferred that person may be as a dance partner. Now, I know that there may well be other relevant factors here. But, “danceability” is very definitely a factor in choosing dance partners.

I could present yet more empirical evidence that I have collected in support of my “danceability” hypotheses, but you, the poor reader may get a bit tired of that. So I shall just present some of the conclusions I have made and I shall be brief.

Dancers like to dance because:

· Dance is physical.
· Dance is social.
· Dance involves physical contact.
· Dance is cognitive.
· Dance has variety.
· Dance is a whole of life activity.
· Dance is fun.
· Dance relieves stress.
· Dance is for just about everyone.
· Dance is good for for your physical, mental, social, emotional and spiritual health.

And for heaps of other reasons also.

Most dancers would like to improve their level of “danceability”.
Most people would like to dance.
Those who don't currently dance, either have never experienced the pleasure and feelings of well-being associated with dance, or their perceived level of “danceability” is too low.

One solution to each of the three scenarios listed above above is to attend dance workshops so that if your current danceability level is non-existent you will be able to get a danceability rating. If your current danceabilty is at a certain level, it can be upgraded to a higher level.

If you are reading this article and you live in Australia somewhere away from Brisbane, check out the Australian Dance Directory dot info web site. It lists directories of dance studios and teachers right across Australia that you can contact to improve your “danceability”. If you live elsewhere in the world, try Googling “dance” and the part of the world where you live, and see what you can find.

Good luck!

And, happy dancing.

Ian McKenzie*