Howard Gardner’s theory of Multiple Intelligences proposes that intelligence is the ability to create something of value to one’s culture. He says there are many ways of being intelligent: The ability to play sports or music, dance and paint, reflect and introspect, emote and role-play, empathise and sympathise—are all different ways of being intelligent.
Take for instance this video with the music of the marvellous composer Astor Piazolla of a couple dancing the Tango (which, along with Bossa Nova, is one of the two great musical genres to come out of South America). My thoughts as I watched the video:
The dancers in the video tell a story—a tale of love, from the exhilarating flush of limerence to the solid bond of an abiding relationship. Note the initial distance and diffidence of the couple as they stand apart. Observe the hesitance as the man walks towards the girl and she steps back, uncertain, unsure, timorous, but still romantically interested. After she grapples with her initial doubt she walks towards him—but he walks gently away, she follows him, captivated… And as they begin to dance they hold on tight—jealously clinging to each other—their arms and shoulders close—almost touching—not daring to let go. But as they dance and twirl and pirouette in perfect synch, and as the relationship develops, the woman resigns herself to the man; he literally sweeps her off her feet as he lifts her into the air. They begin to grow in confidence and trust, and reach a point where the man feels he can let go and release her—firm and assured in the knowledge that she will come back to him. The dance ends with an intimate and serene pose, almost symbolic of a deep and enduring love, perhaps even the eternal embrace of death.
So, the question is:
Is being able to dance a talent or a type of intelligence? (Or is there no distinction between the two terms?)
21 comments:
To begin with, let me distinguish between the terms 'talent' and 'intelligence'
One way to look at the definition of intelligence is to have a certain grasp or knowledge about something, to excel in how much you know about a certain field. To have a talent, is simply to have the ability to DO something extraordinary regardless of what it may be.
One can have the 'intelligence' about dance; meaning he can have a full understanding of the concept of dance, he may have a knack for beats and rhythm and hence RELATE to it in every way. However, just because you can recognize the beauty of an art does not necessarily mean that you can perform the art yourself. To be able to dance, to be able to loosen up your body and apprehend choreography and form your moves gracefully is what makes someone talented, rather than intelligent in that particular area.
But then again, from that arises the question of whether with a talent one has the intelligence about it. There is no answer to such a question, however I go against it because I believe that just because someone has the inborn and then nurtured capability to do something does not mean that they are 'intelligent'(have the ability to comprehend) the full concept and science to that field.
Furthermore , just because one can't dance but instead can simply recognize the art of it does not make them any less than the performer, but instead makes them equal, like two sides of the same coin.
Talent requires a certain degree of intelligence to even exist, in my opinion. They're not interchangeable terms, of course, but intelligence requires talent and talent requires intelligence.
Now dancing. Dancing is a form of story telling, it's manipulating your physical being to portray emotions and themes and even color! It's an art, first and foremost, but it's an intelligence as well. Intelligence is manipulation. As is talent. Dancing is an extreme form of manipulation, so it follows that it would be an intelligence as well.
...however, I think that kinetic intelligence isn't something that can be simply dabbled in. You need to have an understanding of your body, with your body, its limitations and strengths and weaknesses. You can't simply go to a club, wiggle your hips and say you're a dancer. You need to feel music in your body, music that may not even exist at the time. It's about rhythm and feeling and momentum, sports AND dance AND acting, all.
It requires both an amount of talent and intelligence, both of which are linked but NOT the same.
Watching the video made me realize that, sadly, I've got two left feet. *sob*
Anyway.
There is definitely a distinction between the terms 'Talent' and 'Intelligence'.
As we discussed in class, 'Talent' is possessing a quality or ability in a certain field.
The broad definition of 'Intelligence' is having knowledge and understanding in a certain field.
As Neiha said, to be 'talented', you must have a certain level of understanding or intelligence in the specific field.
As far as dancing goes, I'd say that it would be a talent as well as an intelligence (Bodily-kinesthetic, according to Howard Gardner's theory of Multiple Intelligences). Though there is a distinct difference between the terms, they may sometimes overlap when applied to certain fields, such as dancing.
Even though some people are born with the natural ability of dancing, having their bodies being completely in sync with music, being able to tell a story and affect viewers with the emotions they are trying to portray, it still takes time to hone their talents and develop their skills. For this, a certain level of intelligence is acquired to be able to completely fulfil the role of a good dancer (For example, being taught different dance steps by experienced dancers)
There are different perspectives regarding the definition of what is talent and what is intelligence, and how can you tell them apart, if there is any particular distinction that one can identify between them. In general, the question of differentiating between the two is not easy to answer, nor are the terms that simple to define.
From my point of view, talent is not something one is exactly born with. Talent is a capability that one eventually acquires, after having been exposed to a particular field, long enough to grasp the skill, and artfully apply the knowledge that they have gained about it for one’s personal use or practice. Thus, it is a competence that is later picked up and developed.
Intelligence on the other-hand is something that I believe we are all born with. It can be perceived as one's mental ability which enables them to comprehend, communicate, and learn. Every individual has a varying ratio and proportion, of the amount of intelligence that they withhold about any particular field.
However, it seems like the modern and mainstream way of determining whether or not an individual is 'intelligent', is if they excel in every basic or common field that exists in the human society, and doesn’t get categorized or classed as an average or mediocre individual.
With all this said, I think dance in general, requires both the ‘intelligence’ of dance as a (academic-wise) 'subject', as well as the ‘talent’ to dance in 'practical', in order for one to actually be able to 'perform' a dance. Otherwise, the complete act of dancing would unlikely take place if one does not have the knowledge and application of the skill to begin with.
Talent and intelligence just like nature and nurture , have effect on one another and simply one can not exist without the other.
In some cases the talent or the intelligence comes from the persons GENES , an example could be Enrique Iglesias , his father is a talented singer and so is he.
In my opinion to have the intelligence you need to have the TALENT and without the talent you're left with useful intelligence that you CAN NOT use :(.
To me, I'd say talent is something that one posses when they are born, or at least known to them from a young age and eventually develops into something extraordinary. While on the other hand I'd say possessing an intelligence is something like a talent, something one nurtures to grow based on their passion, only on a wider scale and more vague in a sense.
For the example of dancing, I would say the ability to learn moves and steps in a quick and precise way are more of an intelligence while their natural grace and how they present themselves while dancing is their talent.
The ability to use your body is an intelligence, therefore I believe that dancing is an intelligence
A talent is measuring how well you perform in a certain area, whereas being intelligent in a field is something that just comes naturally, how well you do it can then be measured as a "talent".
To me Talent is something you can develop from what inspires you and your passion carries you out through it, in dancing intelligence and talent both link as it depends on how intelligent you are to how much you can relate to the dance steps but the real vibe that makes you able to follow the routine is your talent and i believe they both come through learning , yes talent is something you are born with(that’s why they call it a gift) that you can develop over the years based on your choise,will power, determination, surroundings, support and encouragement.
so based on Howard Gardner’s theory talent is considered an intelligence, that i agree nevertheless there can be a distinction between the two terms when used.
However i also believe everyone has the capability of doing something 'dancing' in particular if they have the passion for it.
For me, Intelligence is based on the ability to adapt. Dancing can be put in to steps, with practice or even a tutor you could master the art and look like a professional. Talent is were you could come up with the routine and have an astonishing flow to all your moves. It could be passed on by blood or it could be a natural in born talent.
I believe that talent and intelligence are different but are required for one another to succeed. Intelligence is having knowledge and being able to apply that knowledge into practical use, whereas talent maybe considered as one persons single or many traits that are superior to their others.
I believe dancing is a blend of intelligence and talent, an amalgamation creating harmony, be it with music or with one or many people.
A talent is how well you perform in a certain area. Whereas an intelligence is the natural ability to perform that talent. Not everyone who has a musical intelligence can can sing, therefore the talent in this case would be the singing, and how well it is carried out. Therefore being able to dance is an intelligence, yet being able to dance well or being better at a certain area of dance(hip hop, waltz, samba,etc) than others, is a talent, and your talent is measured on how well you do.
My View on talent and intelligence is that although the two have different Definitions they both relate to one another.We all know everyone has some sort of intelligence in them,Meanwhile talent is considered something you have to find inside you,we often hear people saying 'He/She has the potential or talent to succeed'.Talent i believe is when a person is above people in a particular talent e.g Music,sports etc but intelligence can be of a wide range.I also believe Intelligence can be improved by maturing and learning but talent although a person can practice to perfect his or her talent the talent wont change.
I agree with Yoan, there is definitely a distinction between talent and intelligence BUT in order for one to excel, there is need of both to equalize.
I mean what’s the point of having the full potential and talent to perform something spectacular but are not able to grasp or understand the concept on carrying it out? In basic terms, where’s the talent without the knowledge.
One could not carry out one’s full capability if he/she isn’t aware of how to perceive and understand it. You need the knowledge, perception and discernment in order to maximize your talent.
Everyone is born with knowledge and a talent, but how you interpret it is what distinguishes if you excel in that particular field. And to me, this concept is applied in dance.
Every person is Talented.The person that says he is not talented is wrong.Every person is talented in a particular field,some might be good in sport but be bad in arts but though even if he is bad he will still have some percentage of a talent.Every particular talent can be developed in its own way.No one was born with hands that can draw like Da Vinci,all that skills are developed during a gap of time.Maradona was not born with soccer shaped legs he was interested in soccer and he started his career by developing his talant in football.
Intelligence does not defer from Talent but we cant say they are same as well.From the dictionary the meaning of intelligence is (capacity for learning, reasoning, understanding, and similar forms of mental activity; aptitude in grasping truths, relationships, facts)
Talent can be defined as a person having the ability to do something he/she love the most in an artistic way.
I think dancing is more likely to be a talent as its the way you move your body to the beat and how good you are at it and the way you feel the music with every move you make.
In my opinion, there's a relationship between talent and intelligence,as you have the talent of dancing you also must have the intelligence and creativity to perform your talent.
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Talent is the ability to be capable to perform what you like, and intelligence is having the high standing knowledge of something.
A person can have a passion for dancing and know everything about the moves and performances but, doesn't have the ability to perform them, that gives the person an intelligence about dancing.
Someone that can do the moved not perfectly, but has the potential, makes that person talented in dancing, they just need practice.
Every talent is an intelligence, and every intelligence is a talent! It is certain that dancing is, without a doubt, an intelligence. As is any form of talent, for example, singing or painting or public speaking!
Society needs to do away with the traditional idea of an 'intelligent' person. One is intelligent if they are good at Science, Maths and English. But one is no less intelligent if they are good at dance. One is just as intelligent if they are skilled musicians. Every ability must be given equal importance and therefore be treated as an intelligence. Although, it is important to note that equality doesn't mean similarity: they are equal in importance, yet different in nature and applicability.
Yes, I know some extremely shallow individuals might argue "Oh, so you mean a janitor and managing director are just as intelligent?" These people have CLEARLY missed out on the point, and also intelligence of ANY sort.
I find differentiating the two quite simple. Although the two do not possess similar definitions, Different talents are contingent on different intelligences.
For instance, If you possess a large amount of 'Bodily-Kinesthetic' Intelligence then you would conventionally be considered talented in terms of athletics. The same applies to all other forms of intelligences.
Furthermore, I don't believe in being born with the ability to do things much better than others etc. With the right amount of passion and commitment anyone can enhance their intelligence in certain spheres (at a certain age of course) thus developing their talents. Similarly, If you are under the impression that you do no posses any talents of sorts, it does not mean that you are stupid. We can not expect to sit back and relax and suddenly end up talented! Its something you can blossom with time and practice!
It's a bit of both, I guess. I believe that in order for any of those to exist, the need a bit of one another; interdependence. Talent will require an amount of intelligence to develop and vice versa. As simple as that.
Like many others, I believe that a talent is developed using a bit of intelligence to grasp the concepts required to attain that talent and lots of determination and commitment.
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