Sacred dance

For Sacred Dances by Gurdjieff, see Gurdjieff movements.

Sacred dance encompasses all movement that expresses or enhances spiritual experiences. It may be a part of a worship service, a group experience or a private spiritual practice.

Some examples of sacred dance are:

Native American Ghost Dance
Classical Indian dance, Bharatanatyam, Odissi, Mohiniattam, and some others.
The whirling done by Whirling Dervishes.
The ecstatic dance of the Greek fire-walkers at the Anastenaria.^[1]^[2]^[3]
Liturgical dance occurs as part of a liturgy or worship service.
Ritual dance is a type of sacred dance, like Gurdjieff movements.

References

^ Xygalatas, Dimitris, “Firewalking and the Brain: The Physiology of High-Arousal Rituals”, in: Joseph Bulbulia, Richard Sosis, Erica Harris, Russell Genet, Cheryl Genet, and Karen Wyman (eds.) Evolution of Religion: Studies, Theories, and Critiques, Santa Margarita, CA: Collins Foundation Press 2007, pp. 189-195
^ Xygalatas, Dimitris, 2011. “Ethnography, Historiography, and the Making of History in the Tradition of the Anastenaria”, History and Anthropology 22 (1): 57-74
^ Danforth, Loring M., Firewalking and Religious Healing: The Anastenaria of Greece and the American Firewalking Movement, Princeton University Press, (Princeton NJ, 1989)

Sacred dance

See also

References