The Dancing Body in American Concert Dance as a Social Barometer of Change

Every culture utilizes dance in its own way. Since the beginning of time, dance has revealed the cultural values and beliefs systems of all people. This paper addresses the fact that dance is an indicator of social change. The paper investigates the dance/movement vocabulary of four major historical eras during the 20th century in America. This movement vocabulary is then compared to the dance traditions characteristic of West Africa and Europe. By charting what the dancing body reveals through a timeline, this paper shows how American culture has developed from the fusion of African and European cultures; from the beginning of the transatlantic slave trade, through the 20th century, and progression into the 21st century