Shows how dance, the highest expression of spirituality in cultures and traditions all over the world, is being integrated into the lives of women today
• The first book to explore women's spiritual expression—women's ways—through a study of dance
• Investigates how dance came to be excluded from worship, and reveals how dance is once again being brought into spiritual practices
• Includes resources for further instruction in sacred dance
Today we primarily think of dance as a form of entertainment or as a way to exercise or socialize. There was a time, however, when dance was considered the way to commune with the divine, a part of life's journey, celebrating the seasons and rhythms of the year and the rhythms of our lives. Dance is a language that reunites the body, mind, and soul. While the role of women's sacred dance was most valued in goddess-worshipping cultures where women served as priestesses and healers, dance was once an integral part of religious ritual and ceremonial expression in cultures all over the world, including Judaism and Christianity. In this book the author investigates how dance came to be excluded from worship and reveals how dance is once again being integrated into spiritual practices.
Sacred Woman, Sacred Dance is the first book to explore women's spiritual expression—women's ways—through a study of dance. It describes sacred circles, birth rituals, ecstatic dances, and dances of loss and grief (in groups and individually) that allow women to integrate the movements of faith, healing, and power into their daily life.
2nd Edition, New Edition with black-and-white illustrations
Pages:
256
Product dimensions:
8.00(w) x 10.00(h) x 0.90(d)
About the Author
Iris J. Stewart has taught dance and lectured on women's subjects for over 20 years. She is the founder of WomanDance, a troupe which performs interpretive dances that explore women's spirituality. To research this book, Stewart visited archaeological sites throughout Europe, the Middle East, and South America. She lives in northern California.
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments
Introduction: Searching for Woman's Sacred Dance
Part One: In the Beginning Was the Dance 1. The Goddess Danced 2. The Priestess Danced 3. Dancing through Theology 4. WomanDance 5. The Dancer's Costume: Symbolic and Glorious
Part Two: Modern Sacred Dance Today 6. Modern Dance: The Sacred Dance of Eternity 7. Moon Dance 8. The Sacred Circle 9. Serpent Dance 10. Lamentation Dance 11. Universal Rhythm: The Drum Dance 12. The Ecstatic and the Transcendental 13. Dance of the Elements 14. Mirror Dance 15. Keys to Accessing Spirituality through Sacred Dance
