What Is Dance?

🕐 4 min 38 sec 👦 Ages 4–5 🌍 English
Join Koko and Owlo as they explore the joy of dancing! Kids will learn that dancing is all about expressing themselves to music.
Understand that anyone can dance. Recognize different styles of dancing. Express emotions through movement.
📖 Story Script
                    Koko:
                    Owlo! Owlo! Look what I can do! I have been practicing all morning!
                
                    Owlo:
                    Koko, you look like you are having so much fun. What are you doing?
                
                    Koko:
                    I am moving my arms like this, and spinning around, and stomping my feet to the music. Is this dancing?
                
                    Owlo:
                    You know what, Koko? I think it absolutely is. Dancing is moving your body to music or a beat.
                
                    Koko:
                    So anyone can dance? Even if they do not know the steps?
                
                    Owlo:
                    Anyone can dance, yes. When music makes you want to move, and you let your body go, that is dancing.
                
                    Koko:
                    But I saw something on the big screen in the library. The dancers all moved the same way at the same time. Mine looks nothing like that.
                
                    Owlo:
                    That is a wonderful thing to notice. Some dancing is learned and practiced together, like a team. Other dancing is just your own free movement.
                
                    Koko:
                    Oh, like how sometimes I just wiggle because I feel happy?
                
                    Owlo:
                    Exactly like that. Dancing can show feelings. Happy, excited, sad, or even silly feelings can all come out through movement.
                
                    Koko:
                    So my body is like telling a story without any words?
                
                    Owlo:
                    That is a beautiful way to put it, Koko. Dance has been used to tell stories for thousands and thousands of years.
                
                    Koko:
                    Thousands of years? Even before TVs and books?
                
                    Owlo:
                    Even before all of that. Long before books, people danced to share stories, celebrate, and bring their communities together.
                
                    Koko:
                    Wow. So dancing is really, really old. I want to know more. Can we go look in the library?
                
                    Owlo:
                    I love that idea. Let us go find some pictures and books about dance from around the world.
                
                    Koko:
                    Owlo, look at this big book. There are so many different kinds of dancing. This one has people in bright, colorful dresses.
                
                    Owlo:
                    That style comes from a place called Spain. It is called Flamenco. The dancers stomp their feet very fast and move their arms in big sweeping shapes.
                
                    Koko:
                    And this one! Everyone is jumping really high and their clothes are so beautiful.
                
                    Owlo:
                    That is a traditional dance from the Maasai people in East Africa. Jumping high is a very important part of that dance.
                
                    Koko:
                    And look, this one has people moving really slowly and gently, like water.
                
                    Owlo:
                    That is a style of dance from East Asia. It uses very soft, flowing movements. Every finger and every step has a special meaning.
                
                    Koko:
                    So different places in the world have their very own dances. That is so cool.
                
                    Owlo:
                    Every culture has its own dances, and they are all special. Dance is one way people share who they are and where they come from.
                
                    Koko:
                    I never thought about dancing like that before. I just thought it was jumping around because a song is good.
                
                    Owlo:
                    Jumping around because a song is good is a perfectly wonderful reason to dance, Koko. That reason is just as real as any other.
                
                    Koko:
                    Owlo, is dancing good for you? Like, good for your body?
                
                    Owlo:
                    It really is. When you dance, your heart beats faster, your muscles get stronger, and your brain works hard to remember the movements.
                
                    Koko:
                    So it is like exercise but way more fun than running in circles.
                
                    Owlo:
                    For many people, yes, it feels much more fun. And because you are concentrating on the music and the movement, it can also make you feel calm and happy inside.
                
                    Koko:
                    My whole body feels good after I dance. Even my tail feels happy.
                
                    Owlo:
                    That feeling is real, Koko. Moving your body releases something inside you that makes you feel good. It is one of the best gifts dancing gives you.
                
                    Koko:
                    I think dance might be my favorite thing. Okay, Owlo, can I try to say back everything I learned today?
                
                    Koko:
                    Dancing is moving your body to music or a beat, and anyone can do it. It can show your feelings, like happiness or excitement, without using any words.
                
                    Koko:
                    People have been dancing for thousands of years, and every place in the world has its own special dances that tell stories about who they are.
                
                    Koko:
                    And dancing is also really good for your body and makes you feel happy inside. Next time I want to learn about one of those dances we saw in the book, maybe the one with all the stomping!
                
                    Owlo:
                    That is a perfect summary, Koko. And I think that stomping dance would suit you very well indeed.