The physical practice of dance and sport as cultural expression

Abstract

Dance and sport are both considered prehistoric forms of human physical activity. Cultural scholars agree that values and belief systems may be reflected through physical practice and the way individuals within a culture move. Given the current situation of globalization, in which various cultures mix with historically unprecedented regularity, the study of cultural dances and sport activities might inform us about those cultures. Perhaps, much in the same vein as de Coubertin attempted to use sport as a means to bridge cultural differences through the Olympic movement, the sharing of cultural dance and sport might encourage harmony among those with vastly differing cultural backgrounds. This manuscript explores ways in which connections between physical cultural practices of dance and sport have historically reflected cultural values, thereby providing an additional perspective for the importance of human physical activity as a means of studying and understanding human culture.