Have you ever danced with a child at a wedding? Children who dance are wonderfully free in their movements and intuitive. They can mimic most non-complicated movements and they can feel rhythm.
When my daughter was a baby on my lap, she would flap her arms when she was happy or excited and when there was music on, I would hold them and try to guide the flapping in time. When my son was a toddler, he would sit on the floor while playing with toys and move his body back and forth to a song that he would hum to himself.
What happens between childhood dance freedom and the surly teen who declares “I don’t dance”? What has happened to their sense of safety in the world? What has happened to their soul?
Note: For a piece I wrote for The Conversation on why your kids should dance during a pandemic (my name was Aili Bresnahan then) see here: https://theconversation.com/a-philosopher-explains-why-dance-can-help-pandemic-proof-your-kids-138398