Journal of Dance & Somatic Practices - Volume 4, Issue 1, 2012

For the Ju/'hoansi Bushmen (San) of southern Africa, embodied ecstatic expression is inseparable from their healing dance. But more than any particular kind of improvisation or choreography, their dance is orchestrated by infusion with what they call n/om, the purported life force they claim arises from an awakened heart. This is similar to what the Spanish flamenco tradition calls duende, the ineffable passionate expression that makes a dance performance come to life. Celebrating the growing interest among dancers and somatic therapists in the relationship between dance, spirited experience and healing, we discuss how examining the Bushman relationship to n/om brings attention to an under-examined aspect of the discourse on dance and healing.

This article will explore the links between sacred trance dances and the tradition of western theatrical dance by looking at the dance practice of the Turkish contemporary dancer Ziya Azazi. The first part of the article will give an overview of theoretical and methodological approaches to ritual trancing in sociocultural anthropology. The second part will introduce several aspects of trancing in the tradition of western theatrical dance by focusing on Azazi's practice. Finally, the article will discuss the importance of interdisciplinarity in understanding trance, as well as its connections to the growing scholarship on globalization, affect and community.

This article considers the interface between artistic and spiritual enquiry through an examination of Vertical Road (2010), an ensemble performance work by the British contemporary choreographer Akram Khan. Khan is well known for his cross-cultural explorations, critical appreciation of which has tended to focus on the hybrid nature of his movement vocabulary and aesthetic. This article considers the intercultural nature of his work in terms of the ideas, beliefs and values that it embodies. In particular, it examines Vertical Road in relation to some key tenets of contemporary progressive spirituality. It suggests that Vertical Road provides a poetic and insightful reflection on our contemporary spiritual condition.

Belly dance is spiritual for some people who participate in this artistic dance form. Utilizing interviews with nineteen female belly dancers in the Midwestern part of the United States, this project examines when and how dancers begin to experience spirituality within belly dance. Results show dancers who situate spirituality within the music, physical movement or connections with other dancers experience spirituality soon after they get involved in belly dance. However, spirituality within the dance takes time to develop for those dancers who find spiritual significance in their connections with audience members during performances. These findings suggest that when a practitioner begins defining belly dance as spiritually meaningful is partly related to the particular aspects of belly dance a dancer associates with spirituality.

This article will examine the similarities between grief, dance and mysticism in an attempt to acknowledge and reveal that these unlikely companions actually form a new and evolving relationship that is synergistic, especially for those experiencing profound grief. The article probes the concept that psychic and somatic states of consciousness are destroyed through traumatic grief, offering opportunities for 'out of the ordinary states of consciousness to occur'. It examines these states in-depth with specific reference to the modern pioneers of dance, Isadora Duncan, Ruth St. Denis and Martha Graham, mystical philosophers, and the author's revelations during her personal journey inside traumatic grief.

Deleuze and Guattari in One Thousand Plateaus, Jane Bennett in Vibrant Matter and David Abram in his Becoming Animal all set out to dismantle the mind over body logics common in the modern western world that continue to justify the pursuit of spiritual values at the expense of the earth and its inhabitants. They each coin a non-dualistic concept of materiality with the intention of changing how we think about bodies and how we experience bodies. To their concepts of materiality this article poses a question borrowed from Friedrich Nietzsche: Can they dance? In the process of investigating each, LaMothe fleshes out how and why a local, lived philosophy of bodily becoming can move us farther along the path these writers tread towards an appreciation of dance as a practice and resource for earth-friendly ways of thinking and believing.

Yoga is a widespread psychophysical discipline considered to cultivate the spirituality of its practitioners. Various forms of the practice can be accessed in the public arena and are increasingly common in dance and performing arts education programmes. Although the discipline has been examined from both a historical and ethnographical point of view, its spiritual dimension has received little attention from scholars. This article critically discusses the way in which yoga, as it is practiced and disseminated within contemporary western environments, is thought to facilitate the practitioner's spiritual development. It will be argued here that some aspects of yoga's pedagogy may, in fact, hinder this endeavour. This article also discusses the creation of a theatre piece that was based on the practice. Drawing on the working methods used in the devising of the piece, this article will further contend that in order for the spiritual dimension of the discipline to be realized, contemporary yoga practices should be supplemented with activities that engage the practitioner's imagination and encourage reflection.

This article presents a contemplative dance/movement research practice, based in the somatic approach of Body-Mind Centering® (BMCSM), exploring the dynamics of the five elements (space, air, fire, water and earth) according to Tibetan Buddhist philosophy. This research practice is a component of the author's current doctoral study in performance, which includes a dialogue between Tibetan Buddhist perspectives on the dynamics of the body's formation, and the BMC approach to embodied embryology. The article briefly outlines the significance of embryology as a field of study within BMC and Tibetan Buddhism, and introduces the Buddhist pedagogical model of the three prajnas as a framework for experiential research. It describes a research methodology in which dance/movement practice, and the direct kinaesthetic experience of dance/movement practitioners, is the site of investigation, suggesting movement research as a method of both bringing theory into physical practice and generating theory from that practice. The final section details the studio research practice itself, including an introduction to the dynamics of the five elements, examples of how these were investigated in movement research, and excerpts from participants' reflective writing.

This article reveals the dynamics involved in approaching choreography as an integrated method within Buddhist spiritual practice. It reflects on the author's history and choreographic work and defines key themes for thinking about spiritual practice within it. Important Buddhist concepts are identified and their role within the choreographic domain explored. In reflecting on two formative choreographic works, the role of intuition is revealed, alongside a focus on the ground-of-being as an orientation and view on life and a key element in keeping spiritual commitment alive. This further shapes the choreographic work integrating the spiritual values that support this view. Comparing Heidegger's 'meditative thinking' and Buddhist mindfulness practice, a synergy emerges that is reinforced by considering gelasen-heit and alethia alongside the meditative dynamics of samatha and vipassana. This comparison underlines Heidegger's sympathy with spirituality and extends the bridge between eastern and western thinking.