Preconceito translates directly to "prejudice." It's a strong and impactful word that immediately signals a deeper social commentary within the song, making it more engaging than a simple everyday term.
In "A Dança," Legião Urbana uses this word to highlight the hypocrisy and superficiality the band observes in modern society. The lyrics state, "Só vejo preconceito," indicating a pervasive presence of judgment and narrow-mindedness, even among those who claim to be modern or rebellious. This word choice gives the song a critical edge and invites listeners to reflect on societal issues.
"A Dança" opens as a takedown of someone convinced they're original — "Não sei o que é direito, Só vejo preconceito" ("I don't know what's right, I only see prejudice") — before Renato Russo turns the accusation inward: this self-styled rebel with his "drogas... teorias... rebeldia" (drugs... theories... rebellion) is, underneath the pose, "igual a seus pais" (just like your parents). The title lands in the closing verse, when the song stops describing and starts warning: "Mas a vida deixa marcas, Tenha cuidado, Se um dia você dançar" (But life leaves marks, be careful, if one day you dance) — the dance being the reckoning nobody outruns forever.
Recorded for Legião Urbana's self-titled 1985 debut, it plays less like a letter to one person than a mirror held up to a whole generation of Brazilian youth performing nonconformity while repeating the same excesses they claim to reject.