What dancing taught me about culture

My passion for dance began in front of a screen. When I was a little kid, I was obsessed with a dance TV show I'd watch everyday. I’d try to copy every move, jumping around the living room like I was on stage. I didn’t know it then, but that show lit a spark in me that’s still burning.

Over the years, that curiosity became commitment. I started training, and today I’m part of a dance school. Dance isn’t just a hobby anymore, but it’s a part of who I am and made me grow from the inside. I’ve learned discipline, rhythm, technique, and how to express emotion through movement. But what’s surprised me the most is how dance connects deeply to culture.

During my semester exchange in the U.S., that passion took a surprising turn: I got to be a cheerleader. At first, it felt completely new: the chants, the teamwork, the energy at games. But soon I realized it was just another way of dancing and communicating. Cheer wasn’t just about sharp moves and big smiles; it was a powerful mix of culture, school spirit, and physical expression.

Back in Italy, dancing has always been part of celebrations; weddings, parties, festivals, full of spontaneity and emotion. Abroad, I saw how movement could be just as meaningful, even when the steps were different. Whether it was cheerleading, dancing at school events, or learning traditional moves from another culture, dance became my bridge, something familiar that helped me feel at home in unfamiliar places.

That’s what dance does. It brings people together. Even when there’s no common language.

Anthropologists often study dance as more than just art, it’s a form of communication. It shows us how a culture celebrates, resists, or heals. It can be deeply personal and powerfully collective.

For me, dance is all of that. It started with a TV show, grew through training, and expanded across borders. Every time I dance I feel like I’m part of something bigger: a globa
l rhythm we all share in different ways.

Sofia Agostinelli.