Dance

Articles, Films and practical Guides on dance, part of Psyche’s coverage of creativity and the arts.
Women laughing and dancing in a studio, all wearing pink tops and black leggings.
DANCE

How to start learning dance

Follow these steps to find a style of movement that will captivate you – even if you’ve never seen yourself as a dancer

by Dawn Davis Loring

People dancing closely in dim lighting. The focus is on movement and atmosphere at a night event.
SHAME AND GUILT

Footloose in Havana

In China, I was used to treating my body like a problem. In Cuba, everyone seemed at home in theirs

Syren Chan, as told to Lavender Au

A couple dancing on stage, the photo focusing on their feet and shadows, with dramatic lighting and a blue spotlight.
DANCE

Dance showed me the untapped power of our attention muscle

Through tango, I sharpened attentional skills that make any moment richer. But these can be honed on or off the dancefloor

by Sara Melzer

People dancing at an outdoor festival, colourful tents in background, clear blue sky overhead.
MUSIC

The beats that make us want to move

Some musical rhythms are built to get us bobbing, foot-tapping or dancing. Researchers show how rhythmic complexity matters

by Matt Huston

Illustration of a scoreboard at Barclays Center showing a man with raised arms, surrounded by an arena.
SPORTS AND GAMES

A dancing NBA superfan on the joy of spaces that let us go wild and get weird

Directed by Mickey Duzyj

A Nigerian ballerina in a white tutu dancing atop yellow minibuses in a crowded urban setting.
DANCE
3

Nigeria’s first ballet school brings tutus and joy to the streets of Lagos

Directed by Jacob Krupnick

Two people in a park performing a balancing act on white chairs and a wooden plank, surrounded by pine trees.
THEATRE AND PERFORMANCE
1

Two gravity-defying performances play with the physics of life on Earth

A film by Bastien Dausse

Illustration of a blue-colored woman balancing on one leg surrounded by plants, flowers, a crab, berries, mushrooms, and a turtle.
DANCE
1

Every culture dances. So why did humans evolve to get down?

Directed by Rosanna Wan and Andrew Khosravani

Photo of dancers in red lighting performing on stage before a crowd in a dimly lit venue.
DANCE

How dance taught me to embrace my deformity

In the raw style of Tanztheater, I found a way to take my poetry into the physical world and express myself authentically

by Billy Gigurtsis

A dancer in traditional Indian dress performs on stage against a black background
DANCE

Bharathanatyam dance is a living exploration of being human

With its origins in 16th-century India, Bharathanatyam remains hugely popular. Here’s a primer to kickstart your enjoyment

by Lakshmi Thiagarajan

Digital artwork of several topless figures in various poses on a black background, depicted in a glowing blue-green hue.
DANCE
1

Body heat illuminates a breathtaking dance of light, movement and humanity

Directed by Philippe Baylaucq

Silhouette of a person climbing a steep, diagonal staircase against a gradient sky in grayscale.
DANCE

A darkly playful dance of shadows, surreal visions and transformation

Directed by Douglas Bernardt

A person wearing a colourful patterned sweater, surrounded by numerous vibrant, vintage spinning tops on metal rods.
PAINTING AND SCULPTURE

The fantastical, wearable art of Nick Cave embodies a ‘spirituality of style’

Directed by Stephen J Grant and Stephan Knuesel

Abstract, surreal artwork featuring distorted shapes and figures in soft colours with a dreamlike, fluid appearance against a dark background.
CREATIVITY
2

Human and machine worlds converge into dizzying, dreamlike visual art

Directed by Robert Seidel

A woman in a black swimsuit is submerged underwater, with her head down and hair floating gently around her.
DANCE
3

Exquisite subaquatic choreography stretches the limits of mind and body

Directed by Julie Gautier