The Symbolism of Dance in Collective Sports

_{By Mila Noyer, Charlotte Bourguignon et Anna Bouillot}

Have you ever noticed that some football players make a dance to celebrate their goal? Have you ever noticed the silence during Haka before starting a game of rugby? These dances are not insignificant. They have a specific meaning and an important place in sport, both for the country and for the international image.

In this article, we decided to understand the symbolism and the representation of dance in sport, particularly in football, rugby and during the Olympic Games. We decided to focus our topic on this question: to what extent does dance in collective sports represent cultural and political issues at an international level?

First of all we will talk about the cultural and political symbols and second we will study dance as a celebration.

The cultural and political symbol

The Cultural and Historical dimension of Haka

Haka is a dance executed by the All Blacks rugby players of the New Zealand team. It has always amazed us and aroused our curiosity before rugby matches. This dance is really known all over the world, almost more than the rugby rules themselves. At first, this impressive dance seems to show the strength and the power of the All Blacks and probably to disturb the opponent players. Except for the three islands Fiji, Samoa and Tonga located next to New Zealand, the All Blacks are the only ones to dance before beginning a game. It’s thus specific to their country.

What does this specific dance represent?

Actually, Haka expresses the strength and the courage of the players, but it also has a spiritual dimension. Indeed, the players call upon the God of war to help them win the battle. In reality, this dance constitutes an important part of the history and traditions of the indigenous people of New Zealand: the Māori. It’s really common to do this dance during important events like weddings, funerals or welcoming ceremonies to uphold Māori traditions and to symbolize the unity of their people.

Originally, Haka is a war dance used during colonial wars against the British Empire in the 19^th century. It was inspired by the story of a Maori leader, Te Rauparaha, who had been captured by his enemies but who managed to escape. As he was prosecuted, he repeated “Ka mate, Ka mate” and after escaping “Ka ora, Ka ora” which means “I may die, I may die” and “I see the sun, I’m alive”. He created the dance introduced into rugby in 1905. Today, it is connected to national identity and cultural pride.

Two Hakas are used in rugby: the “Ka mate” which is the most famous in the world and the “Kapa o Pango”, the most aggressive form of Haka which was written for and about the All Blacks by Derek Lardelli in 2005. This artist promotes the Māori culture. He maintains a strong commitment to the culture, language, and customs of his ancestors, always keeping connections with his land. We can highlight the artistic dimension because Derek Lardelli created a choreography for an audience. However, “Kapa o Pango” has been criticized because of the aggressive and violent gesture, specifically in the end, when the players mimic a throat slitting gesture. In consequence, it has been forbidden and today All Blacks only do the “Ka Mate”. It’s still interesting to listen to the Māori signification of this gesture. In a Youtube video, All Blacks players explain another meaning, that is more introspective and therapeutic:

“It means the breath of life. The section here, bringing it across the body is energizing the vital organs – the heart, the lungs, all those things that need to be functioning well for a game. So that means getting their energy back into the system before they start their game.”

Beyond the spiritual and the social aspect, the Haka is a real show: the players have a large audience composed of the opposing team, the spectators in the stadium and the television spectators. Everybody is excited about the magic moment which gives them the chills, they pay particular attention and respect during that quiet time.

Thus, the Haka born in the context of the Māori history and culture reflects a national identity for the All Blacks and has become a real show for the rest of the world.

The Political Dimension: the Example of the Olympic Games

Organizing the Olympic Games is an opportunity for the countries to show their power to other nations. The opening ceremony of the Olympics plays an important role in “soft power.” Soft power is the ability for a country to influence others with their opinions, culture, etc. It’s a way of attracting and convincing without the use of force.

Thereby, the opening ceremony of the Olympics is crucial. For the hosting country, the international visibility offered by this moment allows the sharing of its culture, history, and values. Openings are often astonishing and spectacular because it’s the first thing seen by other countries.

So, the opening scene of the Olympic Games sheds light on a particular culture, especially on art and dance.

To achieve this, many countries have asked for the help of famous artists, in particular dance choreographers. The first choreographer to create an opening ceremony was Philippe Decouflé in 1992 in Albertville. Decouflé is a contemporary dancer and choreographer. He revolutionized the history of Olympic openings by creating a monumental show, with circus, theater and, most importantly, dance. Decouflé wanted to place art and dance at the center of the ceremony.

https://www.radiofrance.fr/franceinter/en-images-il-y-a-30-ans-a-albertville-philippe-decoufle-revolutionnait-la-ceremonie-d-ouverture-des-jo-6643408

According to the scenographer of Albertville games, Jean Rabasse, dance and sport are connected: “We wanted to say: Look, gestures in sports have a meaning and they’re very close to dance”.[1] For example, one of the acts in the opening presented hundreds of skiers deconstructing the skiing motion in order to create a dance choreography.

After Decouflé, other countries were inspired by Albertville for their openings: Dimitri Papaioannou in Athens, Akram Khan in London, and even “Swan Lake” in Sochi. The idea now is to create a total artistic performance to show the culture and open-mindedness of the country to other nations.

_{Olympic Games 2014, Sotchi}(https://images.app.goo.gl/pm27C2BwZpUeH1yE6)

For these choreographers, dance and sports are interconnected. Akram Khan said, “In both, we desire to test the limits of what we are capable of. In sports, human endurance; in art, human imagination.”[2]

Dance as a celebration

The importance of celebration in football

To show the importance of dances in celebrations, we are going to take the example of football. Winning a game in sports is more than an individual victory. It is a collective achievement. For instance, scoring during the World Cup is more than just one player scoring – it is a country, a nation, a generation. Footballers have the power to draw attention to their country in front of thousands of viewers. It is a perfect moment to make an impression on others. It can create an identity, a kind of brand signature.
With the development of media and especially social media, some critics argue that dance-based goal celebration started during the 2010 World Cup with the South African team as they scored the opening goal while hosting the World Cup. That does not mean it was the very first time it happened, as there had been rhythmical celebrations prior to this one, such as Roger Milla’s celebration in the 1990 World Cup or even Papa Bouba Diop’s celebration in 2002. Still, Siphiwe Tshabalala’s goal for South Africa and the team’s synchronized dance remains an important event of football history.

*Three football players dancing after winning the game*

Nowadays, a lot of football players celebrate by dancing. For instance, Raphinha, a Brazilian player, made the following statement to a journalist during the last World Cup : “To tell you the truth, we’ve already come up with ten dances. They aren’t specific to one player. The first dance is for the first goal, the second dance for the second goal, there’s also for the third… we have dances up to the tenth goal. After ten? We will have to innovate and come up with something else. When the time comes, we will think of something”. In this quote we can see the dimension of these celebrations: they are something players reflect on and prepare for, especially when it comes to Brazilian players, as dancing and celebrating is a part of their culture.

Even though it is very popular, these celebrations are not consensual. Some people enjoy them, learn them and reproduce them. Others criticize them as they struggle to see the legitimacy of elaborating dances to celebrate. Some go as far as considering it humiliating. Roy Keane for instance, an extremely famous ex-footballer, criticized Brazilians for their comment on coming up with many dances when the team was eliminated from the World Cup. Some players have been heavily criticized for celebrating in this way and still most of them, if not all of them, keep doing it.

We can see that dance-based celebrations take a different dimension when they happen during an international competition. Still, there are a lot of players who celebrate when they play for their team in another country: Griezmann, Neymar, Pogba, Vinicius, Lingard, Paqueta… they have all done it. Whether it is in Spain, France or England, they convey their happiness after scoring through their dances and more often than not, their teams follow.

We can see that the celebration takes a different dimension according to the level of the competition. The celebrations of the World Cup have more importance than those of a small championship like the French Cup for example.

Dance-Based Celebrations and Marketing

Celebrations bring a lot of visibility to football players. And with social media, this phenomenon is amplified. Videos are massively being shared, so player celebrations become more and more famous. The advertisement industry has been quick to understand that footballers can symbolize victory and strength – like the ad for Puma starring Antoine Griezmann to put to the fore their new deodorant.

With this ad we can understand that ads use footballers for the brand’s image. Celebrations are very important because they define footballers and help them distinguish themselves.

Conclusion

The examples of the haka in rugby games, the opening ceremony of the Olympic games and the dance-based celebrations in football show that dance in collective sport can have political and cultural meanings. It contributes to highlighting a country, a team, a culture, or a person. The Discofoot event which was created by the CCN (Centre Chorégraphique National) in 2018 in the Lorraine region is a great example of an interesting and humorous association between dance and sport.