Of all the romantic songs in all the romantic Broadway musicals, one of my favorites is "Shall We Dance" from "The King and I" by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II.
From the moment Anna suggests, "Shall we dance on a bright cloud of music?" you know where this is headed. By the time "the last little star has left the sky," these "two will still be together — arms around each other" — and dancing will have done what dancing so often does in stories: it leads to romance.
In the real world, behavioral scientists are careful with words like love. Most do not believe birds fall in love the way humans do — but many do form enduring pair bonds. Some species — swans and sandhill cranes come to mind — choose a single partner and remain faithful for years, sometimes for life. When separated, they may show behaviors that look very much like grief.
And often, that bond begins with a dance.
I’ve had the privilege of witnessing the courtship display of sandhill cranes. It begins quietly. The male approaches slowly, head lowered so as not to appear threatening. He bows to the female. Sometimes he picks up a blade of grass or a small pebble — offering it to her, or placing it gently on the ground — accompanied by soft, rolling calls.
If the female is receptive, the display builds.
There is leaping and hopping, wings spread wide, feathers flashing in the sunlight — almost like Anna’s billowing ball gown. The pair may circle each other, mirroring movements, step for step, as if sharing a choreography only they know.
And then, when the bond seems sealed, they burst into unison — voices rising together, heads tilted skyward, punctuated by synchronized leaps. It is loud, exuberant, unmistakable — a declaration, if not of love, then of commitment.
What’s remarkable is that bonded crane pairs don’t stop dancing. They continue to dance together throughout their relationship, a renewal — again and again — of that first bright moment.
So as Valentine’s Day approaches, while not all couples will dance, sharing even a bright cloud of music may, perchance, lead to romance after all.
