Dance as a bodily
expression of prayer
CUSTOMS, SIGNS
AND
SYMBOLS
In religious functions, the dance has a cultural and folklore dimension, but also
classical and interpretative elements. The purpose of some rituals in the Asiatic
world. Ecstatic dances of the Muslim dervishes. The experience of Hinduism:
contemplation. The dance in Christianity. A Document of the Bishops in 1978.
The offering of incense. Collective actions, though often men and women dance
separately. On some feast days, novices and postulants celebrate the Psalms
with dances.
LOVE MAKES YOU
DANCE FOR JOY
“And David danced whirling
round before Yahweh with all
his might, wearing a linen loincloth.” (2 Sam 6:12-14)
In writing this article as an Asian
Christian Dominican religious I
shall attempt to be being open
and perceptive, willing to see
the truth wherever it may be
found. My starting point and the
lens through which I see the
world is my own faith in Christ
and my Christian experience.
Before describing the ritual
expressions which are influenced by socio-cultural as well
as religious factors, I would like
to say something in general
about this big land-mass called
the continent of Asia.
It is by far the biggest continent;
about half the people on earth
live in Asia. There are very many
different peoples, customs, cultures and languages. It is not
possible to say that the people
of Asia are “like this” or “like
that” because what is true in
one part may not be true in other parts.
How do the people here live? A
few people are extremely rich:
princes, noblemen, great merchants; and others are poor: illiterate, jobless, sick and miserable. Diseases kill millions of
men, women, children. But the
people are hard working. Living
conditions have been improved
and are improving every year.
I will explore some major world
religions: Hinduism, Islam and
of course Christianity.
- Most of the people of India are
Hindus
- In Arabia, Asia Minor,
Afghanistan and Pakistan nearly
everyone is a Muslim.
- There are very few Christians
here, although Missionaries
have taken Christianity to many
parts of the vast continent.
I will try to illustrate their traditions, rituals, beliefs and ways of
prayer through dancing and
singing. Dance is the clearest
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example of the body at prayer, it
is a way of expressing rejoicing
and gladness. God created us
as embodied beings, so it is
most appropriate that our relationship with God should also
be demonstrated through our
bodies.. Prayer is a physical
experience of our love for, and
gratitude to, God our creator. In
1978, a statement by the Bishops’ committee on Liturgy, stated that “Christians must not
hesitate to use every human art
in their celebrations of the saving work of God in Christ.” This
would include dance, from its
early Liturgical expression in
Judaism to the present day.
There are two principal ways in
which dance functions in religious worship:
• As a cultural and traditional
expression
• As a classical or interpretive
expression
Different postures in prayer are
the most common cultural use
of dance in worship. Circle
dances are communal expressions of shared religious feelings. Throughout the world and
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down the centuries, sacred dance has
taken various forms:
• Ecstatic
• Ritualistic
• Liturgical
ECSTATIC DANCE
Ecstatic dance induces an
altered state of consciousness in
the dancer, as happens in the
case of the whirling dervishes
(holy men) in Islam. In Islam
there have been great peer,
murshid and dervish (holy men,
Sufi) who devoted their lives to
prayer, penance and works of
charity. After their deaths, their
tombs became places of worship called Mazars or durbars.
Muslims flock to such holy
places in order to:
- Seek answers to their prayers
- Offer their gratitude and gifts
- Make their Itkaf ( a type of
retreat) in silence
Muslims come to Mazars (holy
places) dancing with fervent zeal
and zest but in a meditative way;
they fall into a trance while
dancing, their heads and bodies
revolving as
one movement.
They also rejoice, praying and
dancing, when the young boys
and girls learn the whole of the
Holy Quran by heart (hifze).
They dance and distribute
sweets to all relatives and
friends. Before going to Mecca/
Madina to keep Hajj or Umra
they have great celebrations,
and they do same on their
return. Such are the rituals of
dancing prayers in Islam.
RITUALISTIC DANCE
When dance constitutes the
entire ceremony, it is regarded
as ritualistic, for the dance itself
is the ritual. Cultural examples
of this form abound throughout
the word in the religious expressions of tribal peoples
We see in Hinduism, among
their many traditions, rituals and
precepts, a belief in one
Supreme Being who is both
immanent and transcendent,
both creator and uncreated
reality. They have faith in the
beauty of Hindu music, of their
fine-arts, of their dance, drama
and literature.
Dance is part of Hindu culture;
their classical dance is said to
come from their Davis (goddess). Hindus have to dance for
their god and goddess in contemplation, to bring joy to their
Daves (gods). Dance is a part of
their prayer which they offer in
their Mandars (temples) and it is
truly contemplative. It is mainly
the virgins who dance to make
their Davis happy and to receive
blessings from them. When
dancing, they bind ‘gungaroo’
(a bunch of small bells) around
their feet and get so lost in the
dancing that their feet even start
bleeding.
During their prayers it is very
common for the dancers to offer
incense and flowers on a decorated plate to their Daves and
Davis, and to mark their foreheads with a sacred symbol
called a Tilaka,. The offering is
called Arthi and is used for ritual purification, and to seek
blessings, as well as to give
thanks and praise, (Prathana).
They make their offerings while
singing and dancing
with closed eyes in ecstasy.
It is very basic principle of their
religion that their gods should
be made happy, and they dance
to do this, but also to show their
love and joy; thus, in dancing,
their puja (worship) becomes
complete and perfect. They
believe in daily worship at the
family shrine , with rituals, chants
and yoga etc. During prayer
they
need
contemplative
dances to be raised up to obtain
darshan (revelation) and blessings from their gods.
Through dances they narrate
stories, make requests and give
thanks. Without dancing their
puja (worship) and prathana
(prayer) does not have the same
value.
LITURGICAL DANCE
When dance forms part of a
larger ritual structure. It is seen
as liturgical, deepening and
focusing the awareness of the
entire community. In Christianity
dancing is seen as a way of
rejoicing, and it has both reli-
gious and recreational characteristics. In the Old Testament,
there are many examples of
dances performed on different
occasions.
As Christians in a totally Muslim
country, how can we incorporate
these ecstatic, ritual and liturgical dimensions of dancing into
our prayers today?
The liturgical assembly should
have an atmosphere of sacrifice
and praise. The use of incense
helps to place those taking part
in an attitude of worship, making our own the offering of
Christ to the Father. The use of
incense also symbolizes purification; and its perfume drives
away unpleasant smells which
can symbolize evil.
- Sometimes, though not always
a kind of Arthi (flowers and
incense like those used in Hindu
dances) are used as we offer our
prayers and praises while dancing and singing to God
Almighty. It is a wordless expression of supplication and praise.
It expresses mood of love and
of abandonment of the community to God. This
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ritual is not just a simple gesture, but comes alive through
the participation of those present. The rising of this perfume
suggests the soul moving
towards God, the turning our
hearts towards the Absolute.
- On Feast Days and other celebrations, at the offertory during
Mass, the school children of the
parish, our aspirants, postulants
and novices usually create
tableaux by dancing with lighted candles, incense and flowers.
Thus they present their praise
to, and express their love of,
God the Most High.
- On Marian Feasts, especially
those of the Nativity of Mary,
the feast of the Holy Rosary and
on the Assumption, the people
flock to shrines dancing, rejoicing and praying. They make
bare foot pilgrimages to grottos, dancing in a contemplative
way, and offer the Blessed Virgin Mary their supplications,
requests, and thank-offerings.
This is especially so in the case
of childless couples (Christian
and Muslims alike), who, when
they are blessed with children,
go to the grotto to pray, rejoice
and dance.
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- In most cases, everyone participates in the dancing; sometimes men and women dance
together, but usually the men
and women dance separately
- Sometimes, as on the feast of
St. Dominic and of St. Catherine, the novices and postulants
will dance to one or other of the
psalms during the Divine Office.
- We also have choirs in church.
Obviously, in the cities the
choirs are well organized but in
villages this depends upon the
local resources.
We, Christians, seek to understand –even if only a little - the
faiths of others, and to discover
how they differ from, or are similar to, our own. We hope to use
that understanding to build
bridges with others so that we
might grow in our faith, seek
peace in our world, love our
neighbor and find positive ways
to share the Gospel.
Love is revealed in words.
When words are not enough,
It is revealed in deeds.
When deeds are not enough,
Love resorts to music.
Creation is the music of God.
(Indian Proverb)
Sr. M. Robina Victor o.p.
Sr. M. Robina Victor o.p.