Sometimes, the passion for dance needs a little spark. Whether you’re feeling unmotivated, facing a challenge, or simply need a reminder of why you fell in love with dance in the first place, inspirational words can be incredibly powerful. This collection of dance quotes is designed to ignite your spirit and keep you moving, both on and off the dance floor.
Short Inspirational Dance Quotes
For a quick dose of motivation before class or a performance, these short and impactful quotes will get you in the zone.
- “Forget your troubles and dance.” – Bob Marley
- “Dance and you’ll feel better.” – James Brown
- “Ballet is a dance executed by the human soul.” – Alexander Pushkin
- “You dance love, and you dance joy, and you dance dreams.” – Gene Kelly
- “Dance every performance as if it were your last.” – Erik Bruhn
- “To watch us dance is to hear our hearts speak.” – Indian Proverb
- “Dance first. Think later. It’s the natural order.” – Samuel Beckett
- “The body says what words cannot.” – Martha Graham
- “When you dance, you can enjoy the luxury of being you.” – Paulo Coelho
- “Dancing is silent poetry.” – Simonides
- “When you feel like quitting, think about why you started.” – Unknown
- “Dancing is the poetry of the foot.” – John Dryden
- “Dance for yourself. If someone understands, good. If not, no matter.” – Louis Horst
- “There are shortcuts to happiness, and dancing is one of them.” – Vicki Baum
- “Dancing is like dreaming with your feet!” – Constanze Mozart
Inspirational Dance Quotes by Famous Dancers
Who better to inspire dancers than the legends who have dedicated their lives to the art form? These quotes from famous dancers offer wisdom, encouragement, and a glimpse into the dancer’s mindset.
- “Dance is a song of the body. Either of joy or pain.” – Martha Graham, iconic figure in modern dance
- “Dance is like wine; it matures with every performance.” – Alarmel Valli, renowned Indian classical dancer
- “Dance is the purest expression of every emotion, earthly and spiritual.” – Anna Pavlova, legendary Russian ballerina
- “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, pioneering modern dance choreographer
- “I do not try to dance better than anyone else. I only try to dance better than myself.” – Mikhail Baryshnikov, celebrated Russian-American ballet dancer and choreographer
- “I may not be there yet, but I am closer than I was yesterday.” – Misty Copeland, first African American female principal dancer with the American Ballet Theatre
- “The truest expression of a people is in its dance and its music. Bodies never lie.” – Agnes de Mille, influential American dancer and choreographer
- “Dancers come and go in the twinkling of an eye, but the dance lives on.” – Michael Jackson, the ‘King of Pop’ and iconic dancer
- “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, esteemed American ballet dancer and choreographer
- “Great dancers are not great because of their technique, they are great because of their passion.” – Martha Graham
- “I have no desire to prove anything by dancing…I just dance.” – Fred Astaire, legendary actor and dancer
- “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, prominent American ballet dancer
- “There’s nothing wrong with fear; the only mistake is to let it stop you in your tracks.” – Twyla Tharp, acclaimed dancer, choreographer, and author
- “Great artists are people who find the way to be themselves in their art.” – Margot Fonteyn, iconic English ballerina
- “To follow, without halt, one aim: There’s the secret of success.” – Anna Pavlova
- “If I could tell you what it meant, there would be no point in dancing it.” – Isadora Duncan, known as the ‘Mother of Modern Dance’
Inspirational Quotes about the Passion of Dance
Dance is more than just steps; it’s a deep passion that drives dancers to express themselves and connect with their art. These quotes capture the essence of that burning passion.
- “I dance because there’s no greater feeling in the world than moving a piece of music and letting the rest of the world disappear.” – Unknown
- “Dancing is creating a sculpture that is visible only for a moment.” – Erol Ozan
- “Dance enables you to find yourself and lose yourself at the same time.” – Unknown
- “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
- “Dancing with the feet is one thing, but dancing with the heart is another.” – Unknown
- “Even today when I rehearse, I give it everything that I’ve got… That’s the dancer within, reaching out.” – Mitzi Gaynor, actress and dancer
- “I don’t want people who want to dance, I want people who have to dance.” – George Balanchine, co-founder of the New York City Ballet
- “The dance is a poem of which each movement is a word.” – Mata Hari, exotic dancer
- “All I ever needed was the music and the mirror.” – A Chorus Line
Inspirational Dance Quotes about Perseverance
The journey of a dancer is filled with challenges and requires unwavering perseverance. These quotes offer encouragement to push through difficulties and stay committed to your dance dreams.
- “Don’t practice until you get it right. Practice until you can’t get it wrong.” – Unknown
- “We can’t choose the music that life gives us, but we can choose how to dance to it.” – Unknown
- “Follow your passion. Find that something that makes you want to work at it. Work hard. Nothing comes without hard work.” – Tomas Schramek
- “You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.” – C.S. Lewis, author
- “What seems so hard now will someday be your warm up.” – Unknown
- “Behind every dancer who believes in themselves is a teacher who believed in them first.” – Unknown
- “Don’t let people discourage you. Just fluff out your tutu and dance away.” – Unknown
Funny Inspirational Dance Quotes
Sometimes, a little humor is the best inspiration. These funny dance quotes remind us not to take ourselves too seriously and to find joy in the lighter side of dance.
- “Dancing is like a shower: one wrong turn and you’re in hot water!” – Mad Magazine
- “Dancing is the art of getting your feet out of the way faster than your partner can step on them.” – Unknown
- “After all, Ginger Rogers did everything that Fred Astaire did. She just did it backwards and in high heels.” – Ann Richards, former Governor of Texas
- “The one thing that can solve most of our problems is dancing.” – James Brown
- “’One more time’ is always a lie.” – Unknown
- “Trust me, you can dance.” – Vodka
- “Dance, even if you have nowhere to do it but the living room…” – Kurt Vonnegut, author
- “We’re fools whether we dance or not, so we might as well dance.” – Japanese Proverb
- “Dancing is like breathing — missing a day doing either is very bad.” – Vera Ellen, actress and dancer
Let these inspirational dance quotes be your companions on your dance journey. Keep them in mind when you need a boost of motivation, a reminder of your passion, or simply a moment of inspiration. Dance on!
