David Novic. “The Association between Dance and Religious Experience.” Web blog post.Blogspot.com 6th, 2011. Web, 18 Sep 2015.
Dancing is defined as moving rhythmically usually to music, using prescribed or improvised steps and gestures (Sporre, 12).Thus, the basis of this paper is about dance and religious connection, dance has been there since ancient times, and it was used as means of communication in many cultures and way of worship. Needless is to say that dance has also been used in religious ceremonies and rituals, folktales and history.
The article, “The Association between Dance and Religious Experience” by David Novic, notes that dance has continued to spice up religion and its relationship with religion varies depending on culture. Dance brings a healing, alters individuals state of emotion, enhances spiritual harmony and frees ones conscious, as one dances is relieved of her/his worries, thus ensuring freedom of worship with God.
David states that dancing connects one with divine intervention. In addition, dancing is common in religious ceremonies; Islam and Christianity as it evokes love and happiness, repentance and fosters togetherness amongst the believers and brings closeness with God. Dance has been supported by most religion, as a form of worship, though not all religion do ascribe to it, as David notes that dance ability to link with religious experience has been a key factor to its acceptance.
Furthermore, the article notes that dance means to foster religious practice, is due to its power to express, communicate and allow certain emotions in worship as dance portrays state of joy, mood or sadness. Thus, dance allows that freedom of body and mind to relate with the spiritual realm at the same time it helps alters individual’s state of the mind thereby enhancing the spiritual experience with God.
In sum, dance is a key factor in religious experience and dance is a form of worship that has been used to liven up the religious practice, by connecting people to one another and God.
Works Cited
Sporre, Dennis. Perceiving the Arts: An Introduction to the Humanities (9th Ed). Upper Saddle, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall. 2009. Print.
Novic, David. “The Association between Dance and Religious Experience.” Web blog post.Blogspot.com 6th, 2011. Web, 18 Sep 2015.