If you’re looking for quotes about dance that will inspire you, then you’ve come to the right place! In this post, we’ve collected some inspiring contemporary dance quotes from some of the world’s most renowned professionals. From dancers to choreographers, these quotes are sure to help you get into the groove and reach your creative potential. So what are you waiting for? Scroll down and start quoting your social media posts today!
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Contemporary Dance Quotes

These contemporary dance quotes will inspire you to keep moving your dancing hobby forward, while keeping your dance photos trending. From dance pioneers like Martha Graham to modern dancers like Sasha Waltz, these quotes are sure to brighten your day and remind you why you do what you do. So go ahead put on your dancing shoes and start living your best life.
- “Dancers come and go in the twinkling of an eye, but the dance lives on.” — Michael Jackson
- “Great artists are people who find the way to be themselves in their art.” — Margot Fonteyn
- “Dance is your pulse, your heartbeat, your breathing. It’s the rhythm of your life. It’s the expression in time and movement, in happiness, joy, sadness and envy.” — Jacques d’Amboise
- “There’s nothing wrong with fear; the only mistake is to let it stop you in your tracks.” — Twyla Tharp
- “Great dancers are not great because of their technique, they are great because of their passion.” — Martha Graham
- “You were once wild here. Don’t let them tame you.” — Isadora Duncan
- “Learn the craft of knowing how to open your heart and to turn on your creativity. There’s a light inside of you.” — Judith Jamison
- “You have to love dancing to stick to it. It gives you nothing back, no manuscripts to store away, no paintings to show on walls and maybe hang in museums, no poems to be printed and sold, nothing but that fleeting moment when you feel alive. It is not for unsteady souls.” — Merce Cunningham
- “The truest expression of a people is in its dance and its music. Bodies never lie.” — Agnes de Mille
- “I do not try to dance better than anyone else. I only try to dance better than myself.” — Mikhail Baryshnikov
- “The moment is everything. Don’t think about tomorrow; don’t think about yesterday: think about exactly what you’re doing right now and live it and dance it and breath it and be it.” — Wendy Whelan
- “I may not be there yet, but I am closer than I was yesterday.” — Misty Copeland
- “I have no desire to prove anything by dancing…I just dance.” — Fred Astaire
- “To follow, without halt, one aim: There’s the secret of success.” — Anna Pavlova
- “Those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music.” — Friedrich Nietzsche
Short Contemporary Dance Quotes

- “The job of feet is walking, but their hobby is dancing.” — Amit Kalantri
- “He who cannot dance puts the blame on the floor.” — Hindu Proverb
- “Dancing is silent poetry.” — Simonides
- “Dance every performance as if it were your last.” — Erik Bruhn
- “To watch us dance is to hear our hearts speak.” — Indian Proverb
- “The body says what words cannot.” — Martha Graham
- “There are shortcuts to happiness, and dancing is one of them.” — Vicki Baum
- “Dance first. Think later. It’s the natural order.” — Samuel Beckett
- “Dance for yourself. If someone understands, good. If not, no matter.” — Louis Horst
- “Do it big, do it right, and do it with style.” — Fred Astaire
- “To be fond of dancing was a certain step towards falling in love.” — Jane Austen
- “Dancing is the poetry of the foot.” — John Dryden
- “When you dance, you can enjoy the luxury of being you.” — Paulo Coelho
- “The most essential thing in dance discipline is devotion.” — Merce Cunningham
- “Dancing is like dreaming with your feet!” — Constanze Mozart
Funny Contemporary Dance Quotes
- “We can’t choose the music that life gives us, but we can choose how to dance to it.” — Unknown
- “Dancers are the athletes of God.” — Albert Einstein
- “Follow your passion. Find that something that makes you want to work at it. Work hard. Nothing comes without hard work.” — Tomas Schramek
- “Dance is art; paint your dream and follow it.” — Steven Thompson
- “To dance is to be out of yourself. Larger, more beautiful, more powerful. This is power, it is glory on earth and it is yours for the taking.” — Agnes de Mille
- “Dancing is surely the most basic and relevant of all forms of expression. Nothing else can so effectively give outward form to an inner experience.” — Lyall Watson
- “I don’t want people who want to dance, I want people who have to dance.” — George Balanchine
- “Those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music.” — Friedrich Nietzsche
- “You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.” — C.S. Lewis
- “Dancing with the feet is one thing, but dancing with the heart is another.” — Unknown
- “All I ever needed was the music and the mirror.” — A Chorus Line
- “Dance enables you to find yourself and lose yourself at the same time.” — Unknown
- “Even today when I rehearse, I give it everything that I’ve got. If I’m in a performance and the lights go out, I glow in the dark. When you’re working before an audience, you have to make them feel like they can touch you. That’s the dancer within, reaching out.” — Mitzi Gaynor
- “Hand in hand, on the edge of the sand, they danced by the light of the moon.” — Edward Lear
- “The dance can reveal everything mysterious that is hidden in music, and it has the additional merit of being human and palpable. Dancing is poetry with arms and legs.” — Charles Baudelaire
- “In a society that worships love, freedom and beauty, dance is sacred. It is a prayer for the future, a remembrance of the past and a joyful exclamation of thanks for the present.” — Amelia Atwater-Rhodes
- “You have to love dancing to stick to it. It gives you nothing back, no manuscripts to store away, no paintings to show on walls and maybe hang in museums, no poems to be printed and sold, nothing but that fleeting moment when you feel alive. It is not for unsteady souls.” — Merce Cunningham
- “The truest expression of a people is in its dance and its music. Bodies never lie.” — Agnes de Mille
- “I do not try to dance better than anyone else. I only try to dance better than myself.” — Mikhail Baryshnikov
- “Dancers come and go in the twinkling of an eye, but the dance lives on.” — Michael Jackson
Inspirational Contemporary Dance Quotes
- “Even today when I rehearse, I give it everything that I’ve got. If I’m in a performance and the lights go out, I glow in the dark. When you’re working before an audience, you have to make them feel like they can touch you. That’s the dancer within, reaching out.” — Mitzi Gaynor
- “You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.” — C.S. Lewis
- “Dancing with the feet is one thing, but dancing with the heart is another.” — Unknown
- “All I ever needed was the music and the mirror.” — A Chorus Line
- “Dance is art; paint your dream and follow it.” — Steven Thompson
- “Hand in hand, on the edge of the sand, they danced by the light of the moon.” — Edward Lear
- “I don’t want people who want to dance, I want people who have to dance.” — George Balanchine
- “Follow your passion. Find that something that makes you want to work at it. Work hard. Nothing comes without hard work.” — Tomas Schramek
- “To dance is to be out of yourself. Larger, more beautiful, more powerful. This is power, it is glory on earth and it is yours for the taking.” — Agnes de Mille
- “The dance can reveal everything mysterious that is hidden in music, and it has the additional merit of being human and palpable. Dancing is poetry with arms and legs.” — Charles Baudelaire
- “Dancers are the athletes of God.” — Albert Einstein
- “We can’t choose the music that life gives us, but we can choose how to dance to it.” — Unknown
- “In a society that worships love, freedom and beauty, dance is sacred. It is a prayer for the future, a remembrance of the past and a joyful exclamation of thanks for the present.” — Amelia Atwater-Rhodes
- “Dance enables you to find yourself and lose yourself at the same time.” — Unknown
- “Dancing is surely the most basic and relevant of all forms of expression. Nothing else can so effectively give outward form to an inner experience.” — Lyall Watson
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Conclusion
As you can see, these quotes will make the perfect addition to your photos. Dance has been a part of our culture for centuries and it seems like it is finally gaining the attention it deserves in today’s world. Do share with your friends and comment below!