Dance seems like such a natural thing, a good beat comes on and you can’t help it, you might find yourself bobbing, even the rhythmically impaired might find themselves tapping their fingers along to the music and it starts early - one study has shown that babies as young as 5 months engage in rhythmic movements.
Every culture on earth dances and yet look around at the rest of the animal kingdom… besides birds, can we say that other animals dance? Paleoanthropologist Ella Al-Shamahi asks why do we dance?

Dance seems like such a natural thing, a good beat comes on and you can’t help it, you might find yourself bobbing, even the rhythmically impaired might find themselves tapping their fingers along to the music and it starts early - one study has shown that babies as young as 5 months engage in rhythmic movements. Every culture on earth dances and yet look around at the rest of the animal kingdom… besides birds, can we say that other animals dance? Paleoanthropologist Ella Al-Shamahi asks why do we dance?

10. Why do we dance?

Why Do We Do That? An anthropologist's guide to the modern world.There are lots of everyday things which, when you think about them, are pretty weird. Like kissing, doomscrolling and sitting down to go to the loo. Social media may tell you to blame the latest influencer who went viral. Your therapist might tell you to blame your parents. But palaeoanthropologist Ella Al-Shamahi is here to tell you to blame your great, great, great, great, great, etc. grandparents. For some stuff at least. In this series, Ella is joined by some wonderful guests to dive into the cultural, historical and evolutionary story of everyday human habits and behaviour.Photo: Sarah Cresswell / The Times / News Licensing

Science

Why Do We Do That? An anthropologist's guide to the modern world. There are lots of everyday things which, when you think about them, are pretty weird. Like kissing, doomscrolling and sitting down to go to the loo. Social media may tell you to blame the latest influencer who went viral. Your therapist might tell you to blame your parents. But palaeoanthropologist Ella Al-Shamahi is here to tell you to blame your great, great, great, great, great, etc. grandparents. For some stuff at least. In this series, Ella is joined by some wonderful guests to dive into the cultural, historical and evolutionary story of everyday human habits and behaviour. Photo: Sarah Cresswell / The Times / News Licensing

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10. Why do we dance?

10. Why do we dance?

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