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Many prominent world leaders today are women: England's Prime Minister Theresa May, Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel, Chilean President
Marie Louise Bachelet and South Korean President Park Geun-hye. But as the current American political arena becomes more of a gender war than a genuine debate on important issues,
what is lacking is a look at the origins of a conflict that started in history's distant past when Goddess oriented religions were overthrown by patriarchs. My review of the
book "Sacred Woman - Sacred Dance" examines this cultural evolution in the language of dance as a living expression of the divine.
Sacred Woman - Sacred Dance
Iris J. Stewart
Published by Inner Traditions
"Dance and ritual create community drawing people together both emotionally and physically in a special sense of intimacy and shared
abandon. As the community participates, no one is a stranger any longer. We become companions on the same journey."
Our ancestors danced as an expression of their relationship with spirit. Dance today is not an integral part of our community worship, family or
daily life as it once was. We have come to experience dance as entertainment and if we want to dance, we must search for the opportunity. In her stunningly illustrated book, Iris
J. Stewart explores women in dance, their history from ancient ritual to modern dance and sacred symbols. The book is a comprehensive study that reveals how dance can be brought
back into spiritual practice.
Searching for an accurate history of sacred dance, Iris came up against obstacles that many scholars confront when trying to trace the path back to
women's religious culture. In the Judeo-Christian tradition Goddess religions, referred to as "fertility cults", were suppressed, disguised and extinguished. One way
Iris found Goddess heritage was through the root derivation of words and their changing meanings throughout time. "History" in ancient Rome meant dancer, from
which derived minister and later minstrel. The Egyptian Goddess of Music, Hathor, was referred to as "Hor". Women of the Greek Aphrodite were called Horal and the Hebrew word for dance is Hora,
the "circle". This root word evolved to the contemporary "whore" with its profane connotations.
In Part One "In the Beginning Was The Dance" Iris states that worship of the Goddess was a fundamental part of dance. In the
old religions of the Middle East, India, China, Japan, Africa and Greece, the Goddess herself may have been a dancer. In India,
Sarasvasti, Goddess of Learning and Wisdom, is depicted with a lute. In Hawaii, Pele, Goddess of Volcanoes, is Patron of the Dance.
In the ancient world, images represented women as dancers, instrumentalists and singers. Priestesses played a unique role.
As nurses, oracles and midwives they worked with song and rhythmic dance to heal and transform. For festivals they wore special costumes, jewelry, amulets, veils, girdles and
headdresses to embody greater powers. Over time, the priestly castes became the keepers of ceremony and women's devotional
dances were relegated to provocative spectacle. As transition from mother religion to father religion took place, sexuality was
split from the natural flow of life and used as a function of belonging to the patriarchal tribe.
By the time of the early Christian era, much of women's ritual and women's ways eroded. Yet, the dance itself remained
throughout the centuries. Perhaps, the most well known group to dance were the Gnostics in Greece, Asia Minor and Rome who
traveled throughout Europe. In Gnostic Acts 1, handmaidens are described dancing a ring dance before Sophia, Daughter of Light. They sang the "Hymn of Jesus".
"To The Universes belong the dancer - Amen.
He who does not dance does not know what happens - Amen."
As time passed, the church focused more on subduing matters of the flesh, the spoken word took precedence and women's rituals were condemned.
In her chapter "WomanDance", Iris points out that the dance tradition once referred to as the exotic dance orientale was
dubbed belly dance by the man who brought Little Egypt to the Chicago's World Fair in 1893. When Iris created her own dance
troupe, she was challenged to design a repertoire that reflected the dance's primary purpose. Originally the dance was
performed at the bedside of women in childbirth. The mother would join dancers circling her bed and then return to bear down.
In Part Two, "Modern Sacred Dance Today", Iris explores the legacy of the founders of modern dance; Isadora Duncan and
Martha Graham, as well as the legendary Mata Hara and Ruth
St. Denis. She quotes Martha Graham "…it has always seemed to
me that, even as a child, I have been aware of unseen things around me, a certain sense of movement. I don't know what to
call them, sense beings perhaps or spirits or a kind of energy that stimulates the globe."
In the chapter "The Ecstatic and the Transcendental", Iris portrays dances known in many cultures for release,
communication with the divine and curing illness; i.e., the Andalusian Gypsy Baile Flamenco, the Sufi Arabic Zar circle, the
Brazilian Macumba and the Guedra dance of the Berber tribe of Morocco. She also describes various forms of dancing inspired
by sacred shapes - circles, labyrinths, mirrors and serpents - as well as dances to the elements; earth, air, fire and water.
Although the subject is vast and embraces cultures throughout millennia, Iris has painted an enticing portrait. For Iris "Sacred
Woman - Sacred Dance" became a journey into spiritual feminism and sacred truths. She writes, "Dance as liturgy or
ritual has always been a way to honor the sacred, the mystery, turning the spiral of life and the universal, the ever-present flow of the divine force."
By reclaiming dance in the scared dimension, women can find the joy of spiritual connection. Sacred dance now has a revival in
Methodist, Lutheran, Catholic, Unitarian, Mennonite churches. Many Jewish synagogues include dance in some form of
worship.
Every woman has her own dance, a celebration of her life, sensuality and experience of pain and joy. To find your way back
to the dance, reading this book is a way to begin.
Cover photo - The Harem Dance by Giulo Rosati (1858-1917)
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