Dance and Religion

Catalog description

Taught by GTU/CARE. This course theorizes dance and religion as they intersect in various cultural contexts. Through close analytical readings of texts and movement, we will explore the political and historical events that shaped a given religious/spiritual dance form and discuss the contemporary issues that surround its continued practice. Formations such as gender, sexuality, lived religion, nationalism, race, class, post-colonialism, globalization, commercialization, and ritual will inform our understanding of the multiple lenses through which these dances and dancers can be viewed. Fundamental questions will include: What is considered dance, and what is considered religion? How does the practice of dancing (or not) affect people's understanding of their spirituality? How does the political construction of the body within a given culture affect who can dance and how they dance in their religious practice?