"Dancing Through Life" is a musical number from the musical ''

Wicked Wicked may refer to: Books * Wicked, a minor character in the ''X-Men'' universe * '' Wicked'', a 1995 novel by Gregory Maguire that inspired the musical of the same name * ''Wicked'', the fifth novel in Sara Shepard's ''Pretty Little Liars'' s ...

''. It is sung between

Fiyero ''Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West'' is an American novel published in 1995, written by Gregory Maguire with illustrations by Douglas Smith. It is the first in ''The Wicked Years'' series, and was followed by ''Son of a ...

, Elphaba (the

Wicked Witch of the West The Wicked Witch of the West is a fictional character who appears in the classic children's novel ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' (1900), created by American author L. Frank Baum. In Baum's subsequent ''Oz'' novels, it is the Nome King who is ...

) and

Glinda Glinda is a fictional character created by L. Frank Baum for his ''Oz'' novels. She first appears in Baum's 1900 children's classic ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'', and is the most powerful sorceress in the Land of Oz, ruler of the Quadling Coun ...

Nessarose ''Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West'' is an American novel published in 1995, written by Gregory Maguire with illustrations by Douglas Smith. It is the first in ''The Wicked Years'' series, and was followed by '' Son of ...

(the

Wicked Witch of the East The Wicked Witch of the East is a fictional character created by American author L. Frank Baum. She is a crucial character but appears only briefly in Baum's classic children's series of ''Oz'' novels, most notably ''The Wonderful Wizard of ...

), and Boq, as well as other cast members.

Context

The song is performed during the first act of the musical. Just prior to the song, Fiyero, the famed Winkie prince, arrives at Shiz University, where he meets

(at this point known as Galinda) and Boq. During the song, Fiyero sings about his beliefs regarding the problem with schools, and believes that people should ignore school, and live the "unexamined life." Also during this song, Boq confesses to Galinda his infatuation with her, and asks her to save a dance for him, after Fiyero invites everyone to the "most swankified" place in town, the Ozdust Ballroom. Upon hearing Boq, Galinda tells him that someone would be her hero if they asked Nessarose, the disabled sister of Elphaba, to the dance (inadvertently dooming Boq to becoming the

Tin Woodman Nick Chopper, the Tin Woodman, also known as the Tin Man or—mistakenly—the "Tin Woodsman," is a character in the fictional Land of Oz created by American author L. Frank Baum. Baum's Tin Woodman first appeared in his classic 1900 book '' ...

) in order to shake him off so she can spend the evening with Fiyero, with whom she has become infatuated. Nessarose is thrilled at the possibility of having a fun night at the Ozdust Ballroom, and begins her infatuation with Boq, hinting at later events to come in the musical. Elphaba is later given a black, pointed hat, by Galinda, who was originally given the hat by her grandmother. Galinda gives this hat to Elphaba to ridicule her in front of others, reminiscent of "What is This Feeling?". Nessarose and Elphaba try to find a way to repay Galinda. During the ball,

Madame Morrible ''Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West'' is an American novel published in 1995, written by Gregory Maguire with illustrations by Douglas Smith. It is the first in ''The Wicked Years'' series, and was followed by ''Son of a ...

confronts Galinda, and gives her a training wand, saying it was at the request of Elphaba that Galinda begin sorcery training, though Madame Morrible has doubts of Galinda's abilities. However, she gives Galinda the wand. Later, Elphaba arrives at the ball, wearing the hat, and begins to dance, alone. Soon filled with remorse, Galinda joins her, and eventually, so does much of the audience, beginning their friendship. Boq and Nessarose begin their relationship, though Boq is only willingly participating to impress Galinda.

Lyrics

During this song, Fiyero sings about "the brainless", "skimming the surface", and not thinking, hinting at his later transformation into the

Scarecrow A scarecrow is a decoy or mannequin, often in the shape of a human. Humanoid scarecrows are usually dressed in old clothes and placed in open fields to discourage birds from disturbing and feeding on recently cast seed and growing crops.Lesley ...

. Also in this song, Nessarose begins to sing about her love for Boq, which will eventually lead to his transformation into the

by Nessarose using Elphaba's book, in her attempt to make him love her. Songs from Wicked (musical) Vocal collaborations Songs written by Stephen Schwartz (composer) 2003 songs Idina Menzel songs Kristin Chenoweth songs {{Oz-stub