Dance, Dance Evolution

By Jamie Chen
As eras pass and generations change, so does the perception of dance and the advancement of women in power. Three years have gone by since the debut of THIMUN-Singapore and the number of women in powerful officer positions has also changed with the time. Although the THIMUN-Singapore dance has remained an annual event, the acceptance and formality that dancing once had has evolved along with transitory centuries and rising female clout.The modern world, with a shallow mask of superficial worries and insignificant queries, has clouded the perception of the ancient art of dancing. Ritual dances performed in past cultures entailed intensive premeditation, which also confirmed the intended impression that it was to leave on its respective audience. While many dances had the intent of honoring the beauty and worth of the female body, actual respect and authority for the female as an individual was not considered. The idea of treating males and females as equals was far too avant-garde and unreasonable an idea for it to be taken into consideration.With an outrageous connotation, the South Asian population during the reign of the Mughal Empire saw dance as an act of courtesans—women who exchanged morality for a salary. Eventually, the terms ‘dance’ and ‘prostitution’ became interchangeable. Under British rule, the performance of public dance was banned in order to maintain the virginal reputations of inexperienced young women. Early Greeks had a different perception of dance, but also thought of virginity as the essence of a woman’s worth. In eighth century B.C., Greeks reserved the inauguration of sacred occasions to temple virgins, who would dance in celebration. Women who were without sexual experience were viewed as unadulterated and pure, while those who had lost their virginity were viewed as valueless and unworthy of the Greek gods. Without sexual purity, a woman would be left without her only dispensable source of currency and thus, her source of power.As women generally dominate the dance floor today, it’s clear that many things have changed in this day and age. Not only are dancing and dances seen as socially acceptable in most cultures, they are viewed as entertaining and appropriate for multiple occasions and many groups of people. Due to the unexpected female and male distribution this year and the looming pressure of a THIMUN dance, many had different predictions for the events of the night. Although the amount of boys and girls present is not equal at the conference, Cecile Gros stated that, “[At least] the boys [would] be happy” with the dominating presence of girls. Tabitha Ankoviak agreed that the boys would have a “good night” and predicted that a few would be “flirty” and enter the dance with “a girl on each arm.” By the end of day three, boys and girls both came to the general consensus that girls will need to take initiative at the dance and that it would be “a great opportunity” to have some fun.Along with the suitability of dancing and its encompassing events, the role a woman plays in society and her ability to obtain a position of power have also altered; THIMUN-Singapore 2007 is a prime example. With an entire female assemblage of Deputy Secretary Generals (DSGs) and Sanam Kader as the Secretary General this year, the popularized saying, “Girl power,” has never been more appropriate and accurate. At the first THIMUN-Singapore, seeing more than a few girls at a time was rare, much less seeing a girl in an officer position; the ratio of female to male delegates was twenty percent to eighty percent. Now, the ratio of delegates in 2007 is sixty percent female and forty percent male.The opinions differ from delegate to delegate about the completely female ensemble of executive officers; Alfred Wall of the Advisory Panel to the Question of Kashmir (APQK) is fine with the outcome of the executive officer positions because he believes that “It’s still a man’s world” and that “the guys do the talking.” Yet, the majority sees eye to eye with Delegate Lu Yongquan of the Advisory Panel and are also “in admiration of the competence displayed by the female [executive officers].” Yongquan believes that “‘gender equality’ is exemplified by their work, [which proves] that females can work as well as, if not better than males.” The increasing authority that women continue to receive is symbolic of the rising equality of women’s rights. Perpetual progression is inevitable as evident by the attending delegates and the appointed executive officers of THIMUN-Singapore 2007. One can only hope that the year’s theme will bring the much-needed attention to gender equality and instigate a sense of responsibility in each of the attending delegates.