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This question made me remember a question of my own.

I was told several times (even by girls who claimed they were musicians) that my dancing is very musical.

Now, I am not a specialist about music, or a dedicated dancer or anything. I am just a regular guy doing my best - as an occasional hobby. I am sure that just being on the beat is not musicality - but maybe just the first stone in the foundation of musicality.

So, long story short, what is musicality when evaluating a person's dancing?

Note: the way I understand it, musicality is different from playfulness, being unexpected, creative... But maybe it intersects with them?

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  • Not sure we can answer questions about dancing here. To me musicality in music is putting expression into every note, as opposed to just playing the right note at the right time at the right volume.
    – Todd Wilcox
    Mar 22 at 12:16
  • To paraphrase somebody, the "musicality" of dancing is like the "danceability" of architecture. ;-) You might have to ask the commenters to explain, since they could be using "musicality" as a sort of metaphor, to mean that your dancing is very expressive. But more likely they simply mean that you show a good awareness of, or even aesthetically pleasing interpretation of, the music.
    – Andy Bonner
    Mar 22 at 12:29
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    Meanwhile, I’m voting to close this question because it isn't really about the topics covered here. Feel free to read up on them, stick around, and ask other questions!
    – Andy Bonner
    Mar 22 at 12:30
  • @AndyBonner: I knew that quote, but I did not associate it with my question until you made it obvious :)) Very good one. The problem is that I asked what they meant, but none of them was able to explain :(
    – virolino
    Mar 22 at 12:32
  • @AndyBonner: The topic is definitely NOT on the forbidden topics. It is still about music (and feeling the music), even if at the edge of the subject.
    – virolino
    Mar 22 at 12:34

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Musicality may refer both to the ability to express music as well as the ability to understand and feel music (measured by some aesthetic metric). In terms of dancing of course the first meaning is void, but less so the other two: Musicality in dancing refers to the ability to understand and feel music and to translate or express that understanding and feeling into and through body motion. It is very much a vague term, linked to many social assumptions and aesthetics. If you want to get more involved, this is a topic in music and music psychological research, so you can familiarize yourself with common models and theories. But there is no simple true answer to that question.

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  • Thank you for your answer. I am not looking for an absolute truth, I just want to understand better the feedback that I occasionally receive.
    – virolino
    Mar 23 at 6:18

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