Why do you love to dance?

Many people cannot articulate why they love to dance when asked - often the feeling that they love is indescribable, removing them from everyday life and creating an escape into a private world individual to each dancer. If anyone asks why you dance, you may also have a hard time answering, “because I have to" is usually the most natural and used response. For many dancers - and performers in general - it is the power of performing that takes over your entire being as an integral part of life, and the devotion of the artists to the art form. We all have our own reasons for loving dance and loving to dance; for some it is all about transformation and creating an illusion on stage, for others it is about the imaginary world where new characters or narratives are inhabited. Sometimes it is simply the physical emotions through dance. For others the driving force is the physical freedom dance allows them in the release of performing, or they see dance and performing as the best way to express their feelings. In December The Huffington Post asked 39 dancers across the United States of America to answer “I dance because…” on a piece of paper, then photograph themselves holding their responses. Dancers from American Ballet Theatre, San Francisco Ballet, Ballet San Jose, Nashville Ballet, Kansas City Ballet, Dance Theatre of Harlem and more took part to explain why they devote their lives to dance. The answers varied hugely and ranged in complexity, however it was apparent that passion is prevalent in driving them to dance. Why do you dance?