The Power of Social Dance as Social Defiance: Liberation, Identity, and Cohesion

There is nothing like music and dance to bring people together. However, social dance venues have been criticized for housing socially defiant behavior alongside this group performance. My research project examines the relationship between social defiance and social cohesion as one that is complementary rather than contradictory. Previous research on this topic generally consists of two opposing voices: one argues that these spaces are sites of danger and health risk (e.g. Sanders 2016), and the other argues for their social and cultural importance (e.g. Kavanaugh & Anderson 2008, Hickling & Hutchinson 2012). I uncover a third perspective, arguing that socially divergent behavior increases these events’ capacity to have positive social and cultural impacts. Through extensive bibliographic research, I discovered that when members of an oppressive group engage in socially defiant behavior alongside group performance within social dance spaces, it allows for personal liberation and the construction of individual and group identities. In my presentation for Inquiry@Queen’s, I will reveal this through three case studies: raves (1990s-2000s), Jamaican dancehall (1970s-1980s), and speakeasies (1920s). I selected these case studies because they exemplify “heterotopia spaces” (Foucault 1986) where socially oppressed groups can engage in behavior outside of social norms. In spite of seeming deviant, such contexts offer opportunities for personal liberation from social oppression. Removing the negative lens will expand our view of dance as a powerful tool for social cohesion.