Joie de vivre
“Dance is the essence of mystery.
Through dance we experience a dimension
that the linear mind is not structured to perceive.
It may have been dance that enabled us to first conceive
of existences beyond our immediate physical experience,
thereby creating the concept of spirituality, of 'God'.”
- Iris Stewart
I’ve often spoken of the transformative capacity of music, but what I have failed to mention is that dance is the physical manifestation of music. When the rhythms and beats permeate the eardrum and travel to the brain, it sends waves through the body strong enough to set it in motion. I am often amazed at how someone can sit still through good music. I even find myself moving a bit when I hear music I don’t like. Ruby Ginner, British dance teacher and expert on ancient Greek dance said:
“The ultimate aim of all dance
must be to move the whole being together in harmony.
Therefore, having made the body sensitive,
let it be swept by rhythm: the rhythm of music,
by moving to a good swinging simple tune;
the rhythm of nature,
by floating in the sea,
and surrendering to the will of the waves;
or by lying on the branches of a tree in the wind
to feel its effortless swaying.
In this way the outer and the inner being will be harmonized.”
When I am dancing, all consciousness of self, worries, cares, and concerns vanish. I allow myself to be swept up in the music and let my body express what it will; become possessed. It is the one place and time when I can be completely free. This freeing experience is not uncommon and is why dance has been used in religious/spiritual rituals and gatherings throughout time.
Many religions have used music and dance to commune with the spirit world. Using music and dance to induce trance and possession are two major factors in African religious practice. Through dance, one is able to submit to the energy being generated by the music. For possession to occur, there must be an opening or clearing of ‘interior space' in order to accommodate the spirit that wishes to take over the body. Trance is therefore a process of ‘letting go' and opening oneself up, disengaging thought processes and letting the body be driven by the music.
The Sufi poet Jelaluddin Rumi founded the
In the Spirit: Dance
by Empress Ashaki