Who knows the power of dance, dwells in God
The Sacred Dance has nothing to do with a specific dance style or with particular body techniques. The dancer moves in such a way that the units of him or his Mind, Body and Spirit have a Higher Spiritual Energy. It doesn’t matter if we call this energy “God”, “The Creator”, “The Great Spirit”, “Nature”, “The Cosmos” or anything else. The important thing is that this results in the dancer feeling spiritually uplifted and full of joy.
Dance is clearly one of the earliest forms of worship. Rock art from early prehistoric times onwards testifies to the power of dance. Such paintings and prints occur all over the world. In the western part of Arnhem Land in Australia, a cave painting shows two men playing instruments to accompany the dance. A rock shelter at Cogul near Lenda in Catalonia, Spain, portrays a group of nine women. They wear knee-length skirts and dance around a small nude male figure. The state of Madhya Pradash in India has abundant rock art depicting dancers and musicians. The caves in Tassili, Algeria have paintings of dancing girls and the Etruscans in 500 B.C. C. represented dancing in the frescoes on the walls.
Certain dances imitate animals or are meant to make something happen. For example, ancient hunters are shown in cave paintings dancing in animal skins and masks. We can safely assume this was to ensure a good hunt. The dances that imitate the gathering of the crop must also be of ancient origin. Over time, these dances have become folk dances rather than sacred dances.
The Sacred Dance is often preceded by elaborate secret preparations such as bathing, avoiding certain foods and drinks, and sexual intercourse. There may be periods of intense prayer and the taking of trance-inducing substances.
One of the best documented European sacred dances is that related to the cult of the Greek god Dionysus. Rituals in his honor included orgies, animal sacrifice, excessive consumption of wine, and trance dancing that continued until the dancers collapsed from exhaustion.
Judaism had no problem connecting dance with worship. Psalm 150 for example: – “Praise the Lord… Praise him with tambourines and dances”. King David is said to have turned before the Ark of the Covenant. In the Talmud, dance is described as the main function of the angels.
The dance was part of the service in the early Christian church. It took place in the choir and was directed by the bishop. Today there are Christian churches that are reintroducing the dance, sometimes in a very self-conscious style.
The Sacred Dance can itself be therapeutic.
The Shakers, who were an offshoot of the Quakers, were brought to the United States from England in 1774 by Ann Lee. A vision of hers had told him that sexual relations were the source of humanity’s problems. She established a closed community that practiced self-sufficiency and communal ownership of all possessions. The Shakers had a deep understanding of the aesthetic of simplicity that manifested itself in all aspects of their lives.
Shaker dances were held at night. Men and women entered the room separately. They tiptoed in and formed two lines facing each other about five feet apart. The Chief Elder stood in the middle and gave a five-minute speech. He concluded by saying, “Go, old men, young men, and maidens, and worship God with all your might in the dance.” Men and women did not mix. There were pauses to see if anyone had received “some gift.” Then two of the sisters would start spinning like tops with their eyes closed. They continued to spin for about 15 minutes when they suddenly stopped and sat down again.
There are no longer viable Shaker communities and thus the dances have died out. However, a number of his hymns continue to be sung in other churches.
An ancient tradition of Sacred Dance continues to this day in Turkey, the Middle East, and North Africa. The Sufis (representing the mystical side of Islam) have spinning dances. In Turkey, the tradition goes back to Celaleddin Mevlana Rumi, who died in 1273. His son organized his followers into the brotherhood of whirling dervishes now known as the Mevlevi.
When Ataturk gained political power in the early years of the 20th century, he abolished the dervish orders and turned monasteries into museums. They were revived in 1957.
The meaning of the dervish dance is connected with the sun, the moon and the spinning stars. Worshipers wear clothing that has symbolic meaning. The tall conical felt hats signify the tombstones and thus the death of the dancers’ egos. The white robes represent the shrouds around their egos. Flowing black cloaks symbolize dancers trapped in worldly tombs.
The dance is accompanied by a reed flute. After a series of rituals, the worshipers reach a point where they all simultaneously turn with their right hands palm up to receive blessings from heaven. They hold their left hand palm down to transfer the blessings to the earth.
Although non-participants may view the ceremony, the dances remain truly sacred dances for those who participate and for many who watch. Dervish music should never be used for secular purposes, especially to accompany oriental dance. The chants are prayers and must be respected as such.
Today Africa is still rich in the area of traditional Sacred Dance. The Yoruba people of western Nigeria have many deity dance traditions. It is said that some can dance on one leg. Sango (who is associated with thunder) consulted Orunmila (who is associated with divination and wisdom) on how he could acquire permanent wealth. Orunmila’s advice was that Sango acquire a splendid suit in which he should sew as many cuaris as possible. Cowries were once used as currency and are therefore a sign of wealth. People who saw Sango so splendidly dressed would assume that he was rich. Orunmila told Sango that he should dance wearing this outfit. The result was that, by dancing and begging, Sango became very rich. Sango priests carry axes when in company or on parade. Sango priests wear feminine hairstyles, beads around the neck, and earrings on festive occasions. Sango’s dances are very fast and athletic. All deities have their associated dances. To be unable to dance is to be unable to worship properly.
In Ghana I have seen young men dancing in a trance and cutting themselves with razor-sharp cutlasses. The fierce cut never broke the skin or even left a mark. I have also witnessed Sacred Dances to the deities of the Pantheon of Thunder. Here, older members of the sect wandered through the crowd making suggestive gestures with a wooden phallus. Acting was supposed to be fun and it was. There were also magicians who exchanged the sand for powdered white chalk. Anyone could come and watch the dances if they showed due respect to the deity. This meant that both men and women had to be bareheaded. Men had to tie their clothes around their waists to be bare-chested, and women had to tie their clothes under their armpits.
The Sacred Dances of West Africa tend to be danced outdoors often at night. The dancers enter the circular dance area and leave it as they see fit. They may all be dancing the same steps but each dancer expresses them in her own way. They all dance in a group but have their own “space” within it. The dancer and the choreographer are the same person.
Africa is in grave danger of losing its Sacred Dances due to the decline in the number of people adhering to traditional religions. Only members of the cult can dance the Sacred Dances. Members of Christian churches and followers of Islam have always been expressly prohibited from participating in the Holy Dances and the number of converts is increasing. Some Christian churches allow a certain amount of drumming and dancing during services. Both drumming and dancing have little “life force” or visual and auditory interest. Musicians are beginning to create new, genuinely African sacred songs for the church. If anyone knows of choreographers working to create authentic contemporary African Sacred Dance, I’d love to hear about it.
Cults need younger members. If they do not materialize, the Sacred Dances will not evolve within their true context. The dances will die out or become shadows of themselves as social dances danced by one and all simply for pleasure.
In fact, I have written very little about music which is of equal importance to dance. Music is a theme in itself. If you are interested in African Rhythms, I suggest you try to get “An Approach to African Rhythm” by Dr. Seth Cudjoe, published by the Institute of African Studies, University of Ghana, Legon.
The Sacred Dances of Bali, Indonesia are a beautiful manifested prayer. Wali are Sacred Dances indispensably connected with the rituals of the same name. They are performed on the first day of a ritual, in the inner courtyard of the temple.
Sanghyang Dedari and Sanghyang Jaran are Sacred Dances. I witnessed Sanghyang Dedari in which two little girls danced in a trance mirroring each other’s movements. Their eyes were wide open, but they were said to see nothing. At the end of the dance, a priest dressed in white brought them out of their trance and sprinkled them with holy water.
Sanghyang Jaran is a very spectacular dance in which a young man wears a belt to which is attached a horse’s head woven from coconut leaves. This young man was put into a trance by a priest. He then pranced like a horse towards a fire of coconut shells, after which he stood still for a while before jumping. He then stepped out of the fire and the flaming husks gathered before once more the young man danced into the fire. The third time he did this, he actually sat on the coals and rolled. At some crucial point, unidentifiable to those watching, the young dancer was pulled out and helped out of his trance.
The Balinese are devout Hindus and the sacred dance tradition is treasured, cherished and remains a very important part of everyone’s life.
Let’s hope that in the parts of the world where there is still a genuine Sacred Dance, it doesn’t degenerate into a show where we aim to influence an audience rather than the Spirit World.
If you have any comments or questions, I’d be happy to hear from you. You can contact me through my website.