Dance Political Dances the Body

Dance

Political Dances

The body is used as propaganda in politics by having it physically assert and demonstrate the values that a particular political regime embraces. In this respect, there are several different values that the human body is used to translate. In some cultures, such as that found in Ghana during the early part of the 15th century, the physical aesthetic of composure, confidence, and cool is demonstrated by dancers who strive to exude this sort of sentiment no matter how upbeat, colorful, or exhilarating the dance happens to be. In many respects, these same virtues are required to progress through the political system in place, which is a primarily pyramidal in nature with the king figured most prominently, and lesser rulers following him.

Some of the European dances, such as ballet, appear to be overtly political. The degree of angularity that these dances require, with very tailored, specific movements, seem to reinforce the notion that people must ideally stay in their place and follow order. Such order, of course, is usually found in the royal court, which is where much of the ballet during the time of Catherine de Medici and Louis XIV took place. Again, it is noteworthy to mention that following such order was the way in which nobles could hope to advance in political rank and clout. The refinement of the movements in Catherine de Medici's ballets helped to convey a staid sensibility that was overtly political. This fact is particularly true in view of the fact that oftentimes these dances would be performed by the nobility for other nobles. Therefore, the political agenda of rulers, (both Catherine and Louis) were effectively transmitted to the right people.

The political use of dance that appeared the most impactful of the many reviewed for discussion in this document is the Japanese Bugaku. One of the principle reasons why this dance creates such a lasting impression is due to the fact that it appears to take the values exemplified by the other types of dances, both European and African, and magnifies it. One of the points regarding Bugaku that I think is significant is the fact that it represents most empires in the sense that it incorporates aspects of outside cultures and effectively appropriates them. A good example of this aspect of the dance is the fact that it incorporates elements of Buddhism into the religion that was endemic to Japan, Shintoism. Also, it is significant to note that this dance is indicative of several different cultural facets of Japan. Japan has historically been a patriarchal society. As such, the only practitioners of Bugaku are men, which is representative of the fact that men have run the country for years.

Additionally, all of the restrain and composure that is denoted in African and European dances discussed in effectively magnified in Bugaku dance because it is an extremely slow paced dance. Therefore, the incorporation of patterns that are decidedly symmetrical and geometrical has a greater effect in this dance. The staid, reserved forms of government and values that are crucial to Japanese political life are emphasized by this dance's reliance on unity and repetition. There are so many different aspects of Japanese culture that this dance signifies, that it was truly fascinating to view.

The specific political cause that I am concerned about is the preservation of the nation state system. Lately, there have been several signs that this form of government will be replaced by private or global system of government, and I believe that art can significantly reduce the chances of this occurrence from taking place. I believe that dance could be used to propagate the preservation of this particular act of awareness by celebrating the cultural diversity that is intrinsic to the nation state system. Therefore, I envision a number of parades sweeping through major metropolitan areas -- Houston, New York, Long Beach, etc. -- in which representatives from several countries participate. I would encourage each representative to wear native dress, and also to play music that was indigenous to that particular country. While people paraded through these cities with their respective country's music blaring (and this could be a particular style of music or the country's national anthem) individuals would be encouraged to participate in dances that reflect native tradition in their nations. For instance, Japanese representatives could perform a variation of Bugaku, Indonesian people could perform the Bedoyo, and other representatives could dance their own dances.