The Philosophy of Dance: Is It Dance?

What makes dance…dance? In last month’s column, we explored one possible definition by philosopher and dance critic, Monroe C. Beardsley, from his article, “What Is Going on in a Dance?” (1982), published in Dance Research Journal, summed up here: For something to be dance, it must contain “a motion, or sequence of motions, [that do] not generate practical actions, and [are] intended to give pleasure through perception of rhythmic order,” and also an “overflow or superfluity of expressiveness to mark it as belonging to its own domain of dance” (35). Beardsley labels such actions that have the character of dance as “movings” (32).

At first glance, Beardsley’s definition of what is dance appears valid if not sound. It is hard to imagine a dance having a “practical purpose,” i.e., solving a physical problem or doing a useful job (Merriam-Webster). By “useful job,” one means an action that effects a change in the physical world, what Beardsley calls “workings” (34). For example, snow shoveling is a practical use of movement that produces a physical effect on the environment. Dancers may mimic snow shoveling, but such mimicry is an abstraction of the actual working of snow shoveling, and one imagines that there is a deeper meaning to such movings than the simple communication of clearing snow.

If not to produce a physical effect on the world, then the benefits of dance are completely psychological. For both dancer and viewer, the criteria of non-practical expressiveness that is obedient to rhythm and meter can produce deep, pleasurable feelings, often shared by people in communal settings replete with their own rituals and expected behaviors—otherwise known as a numinous experience. While the practical applications of dance appear to be nil, the psychological benefits of doing or watching dance are numerous.

Questions abound. Is Beardsley correct? Or can dance have practical, physical applications, e.g., would construction workers erecting an edifice while timing their movements to a piece of music be considered dance? Must dance be obedient to rhythm, even if only felt internally by the performer(s), or is it possible for a dance to lack rhythm entirely? An admittedly unlikely scenario, would a work of dance that elicits no pleasure in the choreographer, viewer, or performer still be considered dance? What about “task dances,” where performers act out and accomplish mundane chores, like constructing a bed frame or carrying a sofa across a stage, i.e., that do produce a physical effect on the world and contain no superfluity of expressiveness or sense of rhythm and meter, be considered dance? Pushback to Beardsley’s definition are many and will be the subject of next months column.

In the meantime, we would like to hear from YOU about what makes dance “dance.” Please send your thoughts to Editor@SeeChicagoDance.com to engage with the topic (and possibly see your comments published in a future SYGS article).

Test your theories by scrolling down and selecting a performance from a curated list gathered from our online calendar. In order to define dance in Chicago, one must first See Chicago Dance!

– Managing Editor, Tristan Bruns

Shows You Gotta See

“Dance for Life” returns to The Auditorium Aug. 22; Photo by Todd Rosenberg

Chicago Dance Health Fund presents “Dance for Life’s 35th Anniversary,” Aug. 22 at The Auditorium

“Chicago Dance Health Fund presents Chicago’s biggest dance event of the year, celebrating 35 years of supporting healthcare and critical medical needs of Chicago dance industry professionals. This one-night-only event showcases the city’s variety of dance traditions and styles by assembling a diverse lineup of professional dance companies and dancers from throughout Chicago, who unite to support their peers by generously donating their time, energy, and artistry.”

“The lineup includes prominent Chicago dance companies and celebrated Chicago choreographers: Ballet 5:8, Chicago Dance Crash, Deeply Rooted Dance Theater, Ensemble Español Spanish Dance Theater, Giordano Dance Chicago, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, The Joffrey Ballet, Robyn Mineko Williams and Artists, Trinity Irish Dance Company, and Visceral Dance Chicago. Also on the program is Red, Black & White by Jeremy Plummer and Harrison McEldowney, a returning work featuring dancers from throughout the Chicago community.”

“Choreographer Randy Duncan is creating a world premiere finale with Chicago-area dancers from the participating companies and beyond, as he has for most of the past 35 years. Chicago Dance Health Fund is honoring Duncan for his contributions at this event!”

To read a review of last year’s “Dance for Life” by SCD Editor Emeritus, Lynn Colburn Shapiro, click the link HERE.

For more information about “Dance for Life’s 35th Anniversary,” check out the event page by clicking HERE.

Maggie Vannucci & Dancers present “Grit,” Aug. 24-31 at Steppenwolf’s 1700 Theatre

“Grit is an evening-length experimental dance work directed by Maggie Vannucci and created in collaboration with four femme artists —Laura Baumeister, Rahila Coats, Kate Laughlin, and Hannah Marcus. The piece examines the underbelly of achievement by exploring the isolating costs of competitive natures. Rooted in collective authorship and group process, Grit asks- what does it cost to keep pushing? What becomes possible when we focus on collectivism? The piece resists polish in favor of immediacy, presence, and lived decision-making. The dancers individually pass through tension-filled cycles of movement that transform into playful, amorphous structures. Repetition becomes a compositional force, slowly eroding individual dominance and revealing relational dependencies that arise in moments of exhaustion. Grit is both a performance and a practice — a space where bodies test the limits of effort and discover what remains when force is no longer sustainable. It is a work that unfolds through friction and failure, inviting performers and audiences into a shared experience of negotiation, vulnerability, and becoming.”

To learn more about Maggie Vanucci, check out their website by clicking HERE.

For more information about “Grit,” check out the event page by clicking HERE.

Michelle Haskell & Dancers present “Empty Are My Hands,” Aug. 28-29 at The Dance Center of Columbia College Chicago

“Empty Are My Hands is a contemporary and tap dance show combining styles to bring communities together. With live music by Chien-An Yuan to guide, concepts such as childlike wonder, abuse, resilience, sacrifice and responsibility will be explored throughout. The show will be 1 hour and 15 minutes long including intermission. There will be a raffle in the lobby with some goodies and experiences from local businesses. We hope you will come join Michelle Haskell and her collaborators for her first independent dance creation!

To learn more about Michelle Haskell, check out their Instagram by clicking HERE.

For more information about “Empty Are My Hands,” check out the event page by clicking HERE.

Chicago Black Dance Legacy Project presents “Dancing the Archives: Embodied Histories, Collective Powers,” Aug. 28 at Harris Theater for Music and Dance

“Building on last year’s sold-out engagement, Chicago Black Dance Legacy Project (CBDLP) returns to the Harris stage for their annual cohort performance, featuring ten of Chicago’s most exciting companies. With diverse artistic genres including African, contemporary, jazz, tap, and many more, this performance honors Chicago’s Black cultural, social, political, and artistic architects through movement, imagination, and lineage.”

“The program, Dancing the Archive: Embodied Histories, Collective Power, realizes a living, embodied archive — honoring Chicago’s Black cultural, social, political, and artistic architects through movement, imagination, and lineage rather than literal representation. This performance is not a catalog of biographies. It is a civic ritual — where dance carries memory, interrogates power, celebrates ingenuity, and imagines forward. Legacy is understood not as a fixed past, but as a continuum, shaped collectively across generations. Grounded in the understanding that movement holds lived experience, CBDLP approaches dance as both archive and act, uniting life, memory, and imagination.”

To read a review of Chicago Black Dance Legacy Project’s “Unbound: Shattered Frames, Endless Visions” (2025) by SCD Managing Editor, Tristan Bruns, click the link HERE.

For more information about “Dancing the Archives: Embodied Histories, Collective Powers,” check out the event page by clicking HERE.

Summer Festivals

Chicago Human Rhythm Project presents “Rhythm World 36” Aug. 4-9; Photo by Philamonjaro

Montrose International ScreenDance Festival. Aug. 1, Facets Theater

“The Montrose International Screendance Festival is a Chicago-based film dance festival that is committed to fostering and strengthening the Chicago screendance community while celebrating the vibrancy of the global field. Through the art of dance on film, we create space for meaningful connection, collaboration, and exchange among dance film creatives.”

“The festival will celebrate dozens of film entries, shown in different sessions 10:00 – 3:00pm with a special feature of Through Memory by Tobin del Cuore, a film that explores the rich dance heritage of the 92nd Street Y (92NY) while chronicling acclaimed choreographer Aszure Barton’s creative process with Limón Dance Company as they bring the new work “Join”—a collaboration between Barton and composer Ambrose Akinmusire, commissioned by 92NY-to life.”

Read an article about the 2025 premiere of the Montrose International ScreenDance Festival by staff writer Maureen Janson by clicking HERE.

For tickets and more information, check out the event page by clicking HERE.

Chicago Human Rhythm Project presents “Rhythm World 36,” Aug. 4-9, The Dance Center of Columbia College Chicago

“Chicago’s International Festival of American Tap celebrates its 36th Anniversary with a week of rhythm bending concerts and classes by three generations of extraordinary artists.”

Festival Showcase, Aug. 5

“Often an audience favorite! Enjoy young artists from around the world as they share their rhythms, passion and in many cases, blistering technical prowess.”

For more information, check out the event page HERE.

Gala! JUBALEE, Aug. 6

“Join us for Rhythm World’s 36th Anniversary Gala! JUBALEE, featuring performances by Cartier Williams, Lane Alexander, Sam Weber, Demi Remick and more.”

For more information, check out the event page HERE.

FACULTY SHOWCASE, Aug. 7

“‘Hoofing’ rules at Rhythm World . . . showcasing generations of virtuosos and fresh rhythms from every corner of the country. Explosive soloists, accompanied by the Eric Hochberg Trio will include Christina Carminucci, Cartier Williams, Brinae Ali Bradley, Jeremy Arnold, Jumaane Taylor, Sam Weber, Nicholas Young and Jason Janas.

For more information, check out the event page HERE.

Grand Finale – PLATFORM Premieres, Aug. 8

“‘Hoofing’ takes the spotlight once again at the Rhythm World Grand Finale . . . bringing together 4 masterful tap artists and their platform students from across the nation.”

For more information, check out the event page by clicking HERE.

Bodies of Water presents “Fluid Expressions Artists Festival,” Aug 8-9, The Den Theatre

“Fluid Expressions is a celebration of movement and creativity, showcasing a dynamic lineup of emerging and established choreographers from across Chicago and beyond. Each piece offers a fresh perspective and a bold voice, making this festival a must-see for dance lovers and curious audiences alike.”

Get to know the dancers of Bodies of Water on their Instagram by clicking HERE.

For tickets and more information about Fluid Expressions, check out the event page by clicking HERE.

And More…

Claudia Pizarro performs at the upcoming “Flamenco Night” at Sabor a Café in Niles

“Flamenco Nights” at Sabor a Café in Niles, July 31

“‘Flamenco Nights’ is an intimate evening of live flamenco featuring Casa Triana Flamenco. Experience the passion and artistry of this celebrated Spanish tradition through powerful dance, live guitar, singing, and percussion in the warm setting of Sabor a Café. Perfect for both first-time audience members and longtime flamenco enthusiasts, this performance offers an authentic and unforgettable experience filled with rhythm, emotion, and connection.”

The evening features flamenco dancer, Claudia Pizarro, and the Casa Triana Dancers, accompanied by Olivia Rojas (singer), Ricardo Sanchez (guitar), and Javier Saume-Mazzei (percussion).

For more information and directions, check out the event page by clicking HERE.

Synapse Arts presents “Inclusive Dance Lab,” Aug. 1-2, Loyola Park

“Looking for some welcoming movement this summer? This is your chance to dance! Join Chicago’s inclusive community for dancers with and without disabilities.”

“Learn from our experienced teachers and create a weekend that fits your body, mind, schedule, and interests. This lab will include classes on creative movement, contemporary technique, choreographic practice, and improvisational skills. This is a great opportunity to move in community while choosing your level of challenge.”

“No matter your age or skill level, we have an offering for you! Sunday morning, join us for a 12 and under creative movement class. Adult movers, select to join an individual workshop (morning or afternoon) or join us for the full lab on Saturday and Sunday. At the end of the weekend, we will have an improvisation jam in the park! Those who are registered in the final workshop can participate, but all are welcomed to come watch!”

For more information, check out the event page by clicking HERE.

Hedwig Dances’ Request for Proposals from Choreographers, Cutoff Date: Aug. 14

“Throughout its five-decade history, Chicago-based Hedwig Dances has built vibrant, novel, and at times, startling visual and aural environments that cast the dancers in an altered, yet specific, time and place. The intersection of movement and visual environments – most specifically with objects, but also via integration of video, projections, set, and costume – has been a signature of the Company.”

“This year Hedwig Dances seeks proposals from choreographers working in the genre of contemporary, modern, and experimental dance to create an approximately 8–12-minute interdisciplinary work which merges dance within a visual environment, specifically with “things” or objects, and to explore the transformation of the object(s) with the moving human body. Selected choreographers will work with Hedwig Dances’ company members to create the new work.”

For more information, including criteria for proposals, check out the event page by clicking HERE.

AUDITIONS: Joel Hall Dancers and Center Trainee Program + Noumenon Dance Ensemble

“The Joel Hall Dancers Trainee Prorgam and Noumenon Dance Ensemble (artist-in-residence at JHDC) will hold a joint audition on Sunday, August 30, 2026. The JHDC Trainee Program provides training for dancers ages 18+ interested in pursuing a career in dance. Dancers train in the Joel Hall Jazz Method (Ballet, Modern, Jazz) with a specific emphasis on the style and content performed by the Joel Hall Dancers.”

“Noumenon Dance Ensemble seeks dancers of diverse gender identities, ethnic backgrounds, and body types for its 2026–2027 Company Season. Applicants should demonstrate strong proficiency in Horton, Graham, and Ballet techniques, as well as the ability to communicate narrative, emotion, and artistic intention through movement and performance.”

For more information, check out the event page by clicking HERE.

JOIN THE CELEBRATION!

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August 2026: Shows You Gotta See (And More...)