A few weeks ago, I attended an Aramba gathering (Arabic Zumba), and it was a lived experience of shared rhythm, but so much more than just a fitness activity. It’s a monthly social gathering for the community. There is dancing, and food, conversation, and on this occasion, some Irish dance. The purpose of my attendance was connected to collaborating on an upcoming event in March, but being there was an experience in shared rhythm. Through everything, I was smiling because the joy of experiencing music and movement together was bubbling out of me. It was delightful to struggle through dance elements unfamiliar to my body. It was inspiring to watch people dig in and learn some Irish jig steps. It was freeing to do a circle dance all together, sharing the rhythm and patterns of the dance. The evening was a perfect example of how dance is more than just fitness; it is a shared activity with a community.
When I was a child, singing was interwoven through life. We sang in the car, around the house, pretty much anywhere. As I learn more about the neural benefits of music and rhythm, I am grateful for these early experiences. Research shows us that infants as young as two-months old can discriminate between changing tempos and variations in simple rhythm patterns.[1] This discernment of rhythm continues throughout the life, even if a person is unable to explain what they are hearing or what the changes are. Even if a person wouldn’t consider themselves a dancer, people are wired for rhythmic synchronicity: when we walk, we will synchronise our movements. And while it takes time for children to develop skill in matching an external beat of music or a metronome, a task adults find relatively easy, children as young a 2.5-years, with human support, can match their partner.[2]
This is why shared experiences of music and dance need to be intergenerational: children learn by doing WITH people. There were two children at the Aramba gathering; a three-year-old, and a seven-year-old. Both participated in all of the dance activities, and the most delightful thing to watch was the three-year-old following their parents. The seven-year-old was keen to learn and emulate the adults, continuing to practice after the “formal” dancing had ended. Both of these children saw the adults dancing and mirrored them. Had we been singing or clapping, I suspect the result would have been the same, emulation. What benefits might those children gain by ongoing opportunities for engagement with rhythm and music? And, what benefits do adults gain by participating, even “badly,” in music and dance?
Historically, music and dance have been integral elements of religious and ritualistic ceremonies. They were integrated into social and other gatherings, including weddings, funerals, and even as part of military training. Research demonstrates that these synchronous behaviours are considered ‘prosocial,’ which increases group cohesion.[3]
Neurobiologist Nina Kraus talks about how sound connects us to the world, and how our sonic choices shape not only our minds, but our interactions with the world. For example, what happens when music, whose purpose is connection becomes “a pervasive background feature?”[4] How can we connect with each other in prosocial ways if we have trained our minds to tune out music. If tapping a beat together is part of interpersonal connection, it’s reasonable to say that movement is also a form of personal connection. I argue that it is a type of social glue. Music and movement were central to our time at Aramba and I experienced a connection with the others that I hadn’t before. After we danced, there was an openness. What had previously been a friendly welcome of a stranger shifted to something different. By sharing in music and dance, we moved beyond surface social graces into something more meaningful. On top of that, by dancing together, my mood was lifted and there was no keeping it in!
The formalization of dance into a competitive and commercial endeavour is the loss of it as a human behaviour, resulting in a loss of community connection. What the Aramba gathering offered was a chance to connect with other people outside of our differences. We shared the joy of movement that led to a deeper connection that allowed us to BE together. It was lifegiving to watch the smiles and laughter, the coaching and care that came out of the dancing. It was a way of dancing that we can all encounter. In the midst of my own distress over the political climate and the oppression that persists in our world, shared rhythm helps to keep me grounded. I wish that for you as well. Together, let’s keep dancing, partaking together in the great mystery that is our collective humanity.
One way you could partake is through the IRL Festival and Waterloo Region Friends of Palestine’s upcoming Ties That Bind: Ireland & Palestine event on March 27. That was the impetus for being at Aramba, but what has come from it is so much more!
Tickets are available on the IRL Festival website.