Dancing

In order to communicate an idea or feeling, let off steam, or just to enjoy the movement itself, people engage in dance, which is the rhythmic movement of their bodies, usually to music and in a specific place.

Although the want to dance is a strong one, the art of dance is when that urge is skillfully directed by performers into something that is extremely expressive and that may even enthrall onlookers who have no desire to dance themselves. These two notions of dance—dancing as a strong impulse and dance as a finely organized art done mostly by a professional few—are the two most crucial unifying principles resonating across any discussion of the topic. Unlike in certain other disciplines, where there is a weaker relationship between the two ideas, in dance neither can exist without the other. 

Although the aforementioned broad definition encompasses all art forms, philosophers and critics have offered several definitions of dance throughout history that have amounted to little more than descriptions the most recognizable type of dancing to each writer. Aristotle's claim in The Poetics that dance is rhythmic movement with the intent "to represent men's characters as well as what they do and suffer" alludes to the crucial part that dance played in classical Greek theater, where the chorus' movements during lyrical interludes acted out the drama's themes.