Chapter 2 synthesis paper

Dance and religion

As I was reading through the chapter the types of religious dances really stood out to

me as a reason why humans dance. The first dances on the list are the dances for imitation. This

is where humans use their creativity choreography and movement to capture a different thing

in their world. The most common of these were animals and events. One specific example is the

native American tribes. They have many dances that vary from tribe to tribe imitating different

animals and weather. The Hopi a pueblo people who raise corn in Arizona fall into this category.

They have special dances and hold elaborate rituals performed from January through July.

These dances feature the kachina or dancers portraying the spirit representing healing

sustenance and fertility.

There are several other tribes who also dance in imitation of spirits of animals as well.

There are people of the tribes in Alaska that have wolf ceremonies and other ceremonies to

protect them and guide them safely through the harsh weather, and agricultural tribes dancing

in imitation of sowing and gathering crops to provide a good harvest.

The next types of religious dances performed were medicine dances. This is where

Shamans of Priests/priestesses perform dances to restore health and give life by wither

bringing in influence of positive and healing spirits or to drive of negative and harmful ones.

These dances can be done for a single person, family or for the entire population of the

community.
 A few specific examples of this types of dancing come from many different groups of

people. There is a group in India who follow elaborate serpent rituals that prevent skin diseases

bad fortune and blindness. The priest or priestess usually arrange these dances for specific

families and they sometimes last up to a couple of weeks. Other times shaman will go on a

spiritual journey where their own spirit leaves their body to journey to upper and lower worlds

seeking the causes of their patients troubles and will often fight or reason to get what they

want from the spirits by entering a trance state. It has been found that these journeys seem to

work well for human health and fertility.

The next type of religious dance are the commemorative dances. These dances are often

celebrations of things like birth marriage and coming of age rituals. They can also include

dances of certain milestones reached and death. There are several examples of dances that are

said to prepare one’s spirit for the afterlife and help them find their way home after this life’s

long journey. These may also include lavish and intricate costumes designed to help on the

journey.

The final category is dance for spiritual connection. These dances are created to help the

individual or group reach a pace of enlightenment or altered state of consciousness. This can be

done in spontaneous thanks for a successful event or after a crisis is resolved. One of the best

examples of this is the Sufi Muslim whirling dervish dances. They spin in rhythm for an

extended period of time to reach a trancelike state of meditation.

After examining all four of the types of religious dances I found the common link

between them is connection. They are connecting to something to receive either

enlightenment, safety, prosperity or community. I believe that deep down, even with the

religious rituals at play dance is about connecting to our world and our place in it.