Dance unit four concepts and techniques

¶ … Dance as a form of worship or ritual? Explain.

I have seen dance in various religious rituals more as bystander than participant. I have for instance observed dance in orthodox Jewish synagogues with yearly celebration over completing and starting the Torah anew. These synagogues had the men dancing with the Torah. This was particularly so in the Hassidic ones, where the women had a confined view either chatting to one another or peeking down from the balcony on top.

There have been other Orthodox synergies however - more and more -- where women too (separately) dance holding the Torah scrolls. And then I have seen feminist places of gathering where women lead the enter service and holding the scrolls dance.

These have been different from Israeli dances where both sexes dance together holding hands. Although the music based on Jewish culture and experience, is similar.

I have seen dance in other religious gatherings too. Sometimes staid and solemn, replete with meaning as with an Islamic sect that I once saw. Or so fierce and feverish that it has made me shiver and draw away. This has primarily been in a context of Shamanism and some native Indian experience.

In a different way, dance too has appeared as a ritual in exercise groups where it sometimes appears to be so compelled and obsessive that it loses its pleasurable flavor and becomes an obligation, a must.

2. Which dance from this week's content aligns most with your experiences?

The Indian Bharata Natyam that integrates physical and spiritual reminds me of the Chassidic dances where the physical and spiritual also fuse and where one bleeds into the other so that it becomes an intimate practice exuded form worshipper that bystander feels. It reminds me of Buber's I-Thou experience that he derives form Hassidism where he says that the holy can become mundane since it is brought down to the level of the earth, whilst the earth is brought u to it and both become confused and intermingled into one big 'potato pudding' one into the other. One indiscernible mish-mash. This explains how the Indian Bharata Natyam could combine sacredness with earliness since to them there was no difference.

3. Which dance from this week surprised you? Why?

The suggestive qualities of the Indian Bharata Natyam dance surprised me. Used to seeing religious dance employed in a religious context with sex and sanctity separated, I found myself uncomfortable and surprised in seeing the integration. Yet, as explained above I need not be surprised since the dance manifest the I-Thou doctrine of Buber where spirituality merges with earthliness (and earthliness itself comes from nature / Spirit) until there is no division between the two. Sensuality is a part of nature. Nature is spiritual. The two are inseparable.

Second Step: Respond to at least 3 members of this discussion (response for Alyssa, Jessica, and Nicole) asking questions about their experiences with dance as religion or ritual.

Alyssa mentions that she has danced the Hava Nagila, but then goes on to note her surprise at the Dance of the Nigerian Christian Church:

This same dance shown in the Dance of Nigerian Christian Church and Communities section of the video also surprised me the most. I have never been to a church, and I was surprised to see that dancing took place in the church. I found it interesting and surprising that the dancing was not performed as a way of celebration and fun, but as a form of prayer and worship.

I was astonished at Alyssa's response since the Hava nagilla is the customary dance of Israel. It may be that Alyssa danced it out of Israel, but had she done so in Israel she would likely (although not necessarily) have become acquainted with synagogues. And in most synagogues in Israel, dance is a regular occurrence as part of worship. This is so regardless of denomination.

I was intrigued by Jessica's response and loved her connection of the Holy Spirit to dance. Meanings of rituals are deeper than these rituals appear to observers and they give the rituals a more meaningful import often making this ritual less ludicrous than they seem.

I also think Jessica courageous to have experimented with different forms of dance -- some so culturally different than that that she is used to.

I wonder whether my reaction to the Indian Bharata Natyam dance may have the same roots as that of Jessica's reaction to it. We were both surprised by the suggestive connotations. May that is because we are brought up in cultures where sacred has been made distinct from sexual?