Dance and Ritual Play in Greek Religion

Dance and Ritual Play in Greek Religion PDF Author: Steven H. Lonsdale
Publisher: Johns Hopkins University Press
ISBN: 9780801867590
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
In private and in public life, the ancient Greeks danced to express divine adoration and human festivity. They danced at feasts and choral competitions, at weddings and funerals, in observance of the cycles of both nature and human existence. Formal and informal dances marked the rhythms of life and death. In Dance and Ritual Play in Greek Religion, Steven Lonsdale looks at how the Greeks themselves regarded the act of dance, and how dance and related forms of ritual play in Greek religious festivals served a wide variety of functions in Greek society. The act of worship, he explains, often implied engaging in collective rites regulated by playful behavior, the most common forms of which were group hymns and choral dances.

Dance and Ritual Play in Greek Religion

Dance and Ritual Play in Greek Religion PDF Author: Steven H. Lonsdale
Publisher: Johns Hopkins University Press
ISBN: 9780801867590
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
In private and in public life, the ancient Greeks danced to express divine adoration and human festivity. They danced at feasts and choral competitions, at weddings and funerals, in observance of the cycles of both nature and human existence. Formal and informal dances marked the rhythms of life and death. In Dance and Ritual Play in Greek Religion, Steven Lonsdale looks at how the Greeks themselves regarded the act of dance, and how dance and related forms of ritual play in Greek religious festivals served a wide variety of functions in Greek society. The act of worship, he explains, often implied engaging in collective rites regulated by playful behavior, the most common forms of which were group hymns and choral dances.

Tibetan Sacred Dance

Tibetan Sacred Dance PDF Author: Ellen Pearlman
Publisher: Inner Traditions / Bear & Co
ISBN: 9780892819188
Category : Body, Mind & Spirit
Languages : en
Pages : 206

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Book Description
From the time Buddhism entered the mythical land of the snows, Tibetans have expressed their spiritual devotion and celebrated their culture with dance. This book--lavishly illustrated with color and rare historic photographs depicting the dances, costumes, and masks--is the first to explore the significance and symbolism of the sacred and secular ritual dances of Tibetan Buddhism.

Dance and the Nation

Dance and the Nation PDF Author: Susan Anita Reed
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 308

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Book Description
Around the globe, dances that originate in village, temple, and court rituals have been adapted and transformed to carry secular meanings and serve new national purposes. In stage performances, dance competitions, and festivals worldwide, dance has become an emblem of ethnicity and an index of national identity. But what are the "backstage" stories of those dances, and what have been the consequences for their communities of origin? In Dance and the Nation, Susan A. Reed brings to light the complexities of aesthetic politics in a multi-faceted exploration and analysis of the Kandyan dance of Sri Lanka. The dance, which is identified with the island's majority Sinhala ethnic group, is heavily supported by the state. Derived from the Kohomba kankariya, an elaborate village ritual performed by men of the hereditary drummer caste, the dance was adopted by the state as a symbol of traditional Sinhala culture in the postindependence period and opened to individuals of all castes. Reed's evocative account traces the history and consequences of this transition from ritual to stage, situating the dance in relation to postcolonial nationalism and ethnic politics and emphasizing the voices and perspectives of the hereditary dancers and women performers. Kandyan dance is characterized by an elegant and energetic style and lively displays of agility. The companion DVD includes unparalleled footage of this vibrant dance in ritual, stage, and training contexts, and features the most esteemed performers of the Kandyan region.

Embodied Communities

Embodied Communities PDF Author: Felicia Hughes-Freeland
Publisher: Berghahn Books
ISBN: 9781845455217
Category : Performing Arts
Languages : en
Pages : 306

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Book Description
Court dance in Java has changed from a colonial ceremonial tradition into a national artistic classicism. Central to this general transformation has been dance's role in personal transformation, developing appropriate forms of everyday behaviour and strengthening the powers of persuasion that come from the skillful manipulation of both physical and verbal forms of politeness. This account of dance's significance in performance and in everyday life draws on extensive research, including dance training in Java, and builds on how practitioners interpret and explain the repertoire. The Javanese case is contextualized in relation to social values, religion, philosophy, and commoditization arising from tourism. It also raises fundamental questions about the theorization of culture, society and the body during a period of radical change.

World Dance Cultures

World Dance Cultures PDF Author: Patricia Leigh Beaman
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1317441060
Category : Performing Arts
Languages : en
Pages : 500

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Book Description
From healing, fertility and religious rituals, through theatrical entertainment, to death ceremonies and ancestor worship, World Dance Cultures introduces an extraordinary variety of dance forms practiced around the world. This highly illustrated textbook draws on wide-ranging historical documentation and first-hand accounts, taking in India, Bali, Java, Cambodia, China, Japan, Hawai’i, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Africa, Turkey, Spain, Native America, South America, and the Caribbean. Each chapter covers a certain region’s distinctive dances, pinpoints key issues and trends from the form’s development to its modern iteration, and offers a wealth of study features including: Case Studies – zooming in on key details of a dance form’s cultural, historical, and religious contexts ‘Explorations’ – first-hand descriptions of dances, from scholars, anthropologists and practitioners ‘Think About’ – provocations to encourage critical analysis of dance forms and the ways in which they’re understood Discussion Questions – starting points for group work, classroom seminars or individual study Further Study Tips – listing essential books, essays and video material. Offering a comprehensive overview of each dance form covered with over 100 full color photos, World Dance Cultures is an essential introductory resource for students and instructors alike.

Native American Dance

Native American Dance PDF Author: Charlotte Heth
Publisher: Washington, D.C. : National Museum of the American Indian, Smithsonian Institution, with Starwood Pub.
ISBN:
Category : Indian dance
Languages : en
Pages : 226

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Book Description
This premier publication of the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of the American Indian documents Native American dance with stunning photographs and essays by noted contributors.

Sacred Woman, Sacred Dance

Sacred Woman, Sacred Dance PDF Author: Iris J. Stewart
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 1620550547
Category : Body, Mind & Spirit
Languages : en
Pages : 563

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Book Description
Shows how dance, the highest expression of spirituality in cultures and traditions all over the world, is being integrated into the lives of women today • The first book to explore women's spiritual expression--women's ways--through a study of dance • Investigates how dance came to be excluded from worship, and reveals how dance is once again being brought into spiritual practices • Includes resources for further instruction in sacred dance Today we primarily think of dance as a form of entertainment or as a way to exercise or socialize. There was a time, however, when dance was considered the way to commune with the divine, a part of life's journey, celebrating the seasons and rhythms of the year and the rhythms of our lives. Dance is a language that reunites the body, mind, and soul. While the role of women's sacred dance was most valued in goddess-worshipping cultures where women served as priestesses and healers, dance was once an integral part of religious ritual and ceremonial expression in cultures all over the world, including Judaism and Christianity. In this book the author investigates how dance came to be excluded from worship and reveals how dance is once again being integrated into spiritual practices. Sacred Woman, Sacred Dance is the first book to explore women's spiritual expression--women's ways--through a study of dance. It describes sacred circles, birth rituals, ecstatic dances, and dances of loss and grief (in groups and individually) that allow women to integrate the movements of faith, healing, and power into their daily life.

Shaping Society Through Dance

Shaping Society Through Dance PDF Author: Zoila S. Mendoza
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
ISBN: 9780226520094
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 312

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Book Description
Considers the way that the comparsas, Peruvian dance troupes, exert influence on Peruvian society and hasten social change. Contains several excerpts of comparsas performances.

Perspectives on Dance Fusion in the Caribbean and Dance Sustainability

Perspectives on Dance Fusion in the Caribbean and Dance Sustainability PDF Author: Aminata Cairo
Publisher: Cambridge Scholars Publishing
ISBN: 1527541169
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 295

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Book Description
This volume examines the theme of fusion in Caribbean dance from a wide range of perspectives, including its socio-cultural-historical formation. The contributions are drawn from a conference entitled “Caribbean Fusion Dance Works: Rituals of Modern Society”, which focused primarily on the Caribbean as a unique locale. However, chapters on dance fusions in other diasporic locations and the sustainability of dance as an art form are also included here in order to offer a sense of an inevitable and, in some instances, desirable evolution due to the globalizing forces that continue to influence dance.

A History of Theory and Method in the Study of Religion and Dance

A History of Theory and Method in the Study of Religion and Dance PDF Author: Kimerer L. LaMothe
Publisher: BRILL
ISBN: 9004390006
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 122

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Book Description
The relationship between religion and dance is as old as humankind. Contemporary methods for studying this relationship date back a century. The difference between these two time frames is significant: scholars are still developing theories and methods capable of illuminating this vast history that take account of their limited place within it. A History of Theory and Method in the Study of Religion and Dance takes on a primary challenge of doing so: overcoming a conceptual dichotomy between “religion” and “dance” forged in the colonial era that justified western Christian hostility towards dance traditions across six continents over six centuries. Beginning with its enlightenment roots, LaMothe narrates a selective history of this dichotomy, revealing its ongoing work in separating dance studies from religious studies. Turning to the Bushmen of the African Kalahari, LaMothe introduces an ecokinetic approach that provides scholars with conceptual resources for mapping the generative interdependence of phenomena that appear as “dance” and/or “religion.”