“I’m Not a Dancer, I’m a Mover”

by Melody DeRogatis, Guest Editorial

Melody DeRogatis is a lifelong Chicago theatre artist specializing in directing, artistic administration, performance, and teaching artistry.

Over the past few years, the term mover has gained popularity amongst the musical theatre crowd, who can act and sing but may not be the best dancers. “Mover” is a term for someone who is comfortable in their body, moving around onstage, but can vary a lot beyond that.

A “mover” can be someone with strong physical comedy skills, someone who is pretty good at dancing but maybe can’t do a pirouette or even just someone who is emotive and has a lot of energy.

Essentially, “mover” is a term that was created to box ourselves in, to tell people on our resumes: “I’m not awkward; I’m just not an amazing dancer” (whatever that means).

The musical theatre canon is vast and commands a vast array of skills. While there are certainly Broadway shows that need a large cast of highly skilled chorus dancers, that definitely isn’t the case for all musicals, not even for all Broadway shows! The skills and abilities that certain shows call for can’t determine how good a dancer someone is.

For example, the most recent US tour of Love Never Dies had a bit where a character was required to jump from his knees to his feet, which is really hard!

If you can’t do that are you a bad dancer? No. Everyone is capable of doing different things with their bodies.

Dance is a beautiful, freeing art form. Everyone has the right to participate, and everybody deserves to have their body feel liberated and overjoyed; it just looks different to everyone. If a person can move, they can dance; if they can act and sing, they can be in musicals. Sure, some people are more graceful or flexible than others, but is there a specific cut-off when a “dancer” becomes a “mover”?

Where is the line? Is the difference between a “dancer” and a “mover” a triple pirouette versus a double pirouette or the ability to do a cartwheel? What if the dancer injures themself and can no longer meet the requirements to consider themselves a dancer? Is the “dancer” then relegated to the title of a “mover”?

I often hear people call themselves “movers” with a slight blush on their faces as if they’re apologizing for their bodies. Dance classes and dance calls are incredibly vulnerable environments; a person walks into movements that feel normal in another person’s body (the choreography), wearing tight, revealing clothing, moving in ways that their body might not naturally move. If a person can’t bend a certain way for a stretch in a class or do a certain move in a dance call, there is nothing wrong with that person; it is just their body’s physical limitations.

Unfortunately, some people have been conditioned to think that something is wrong with them. There are many supportive, wonderful schools where students can learn dance, as well as brilliant choreographers, who make their dance calls and rehearsal rooms healthy, happy, and safe spaces.

However, there are also unsafe environments for learning dance, where people become very self-conscious of their bodies and become obsessed with the idea of physical imperfection.

While a lot of the behind-the-scenes drama on Dance Moms is staged, the toxicity in the classroom environment does exist and can impact people in how they view themselves: as a dancer and human.  Some of these people might be amazing dancers, can learn choreography at the drop of a hat, and never miss a beat, but because their body isn’t built for a certain twist, or the choreography doesn’t look the same on them as it does on everybody else, they think that they can’t consider themselves a dancer.

But bodies are different; they can’t all do the same thing, and there’s nothing “wrong” with any of them.

That being said, if you’re physically able to work towards the flexibility or strength for certain physical tricks and choreography, you can condition yourself to work towards that goal, and that’s awesome! But, as you are, you are enough. Dancers don’t look a certain way and are not limited to certain types of choreography.

Yes, there’s a difference between a drunk person going on the dance floor at a club and a professional ballet dancer, but if you feel you’re a dancer, identify as a dancer!

Have you taken four years of dance classes?  Have you been Dance Captain on your last three shows? Are you amazing at modern dance but have no idea what you’re doing regarding tap, ballet, or jazz? Awesome, you are a dancer! Don’t let any credentials or petty expectations hold you back from that.

If you identify as a “mover,” that’s beautiful, too, but don’t use it as an apology. For many actors, “mover” is a good way to express strength in physicality, especially for people who don’t perform in musicals. But whatever you identify with, wear it loudly and proudly. You are a performer, someone who bears acts of bravery.

You put your heart and soul on stage and don’t care who sees.

So, “movers” of the world, let’s not just move the world; let’s shake it!