Abstract

Living beings naturally seek cultural fulfilment and social empowerment rather than the mere continuance of living; in this way, even the most apolitical movements of artistic expression involve tensions that can be repurposed for liberation. This being understood, it is no surprise that — throughout history — many jurisdictions have sought to legislate on dance (in all forms) and its acceptable limitations and participants. This paper considers the place of justice as a ‘pas de deux’ between ethics and politics — where the interplay between law and its subjects is likened to a duet; within, the movement of bodies is guided or restrained by the dance’s leader (the law and its makers). Through the lens of this analogy, legal prohibitions against dance serve to restrict and regulate not only the literal movements of communities but also work to restrain cultural or social movements that make their rhythms independent of the majority. Adopting a critical legal studies lens, this analysis of historical dance bans reveals a clear trend of political misuse — where those with means would abuse the law to assert cultural control, codifying biases against already marginalised and vulnerable communities. By tracing the drafting history and social impacts of dance prohibition internationally, this paper broadly calls for the serious scrutiny of lawmaking that seeks to control which kinds of community are ‘worthy’ of access to leisure and art. While there is some literature on the connection between dance and justice, there is little so far on the legal implications of this, particularly as it results in dance prohibition. This contribution would seek to fill that gap.

How to Cite:

Baker, P. E., (2026) “Pas de Deux and Prohibition: Historical Dance Bans, Dance as Justice and Dance as a Tool of Control”, Law Text Culture 29(1), 142–157.