Dance, Christianity, and the Search for Connection
Caitlin Dyer
A dancers' movement is not driven solely from one place. Dance does not come from a singular technique base, but instead from influences of all cultures and histories of those who danced before. One major branch of life, historically speaking, is religion, and the ties to art that Christianity specifically holds is astronomical. Nobody can argue that the art pieces and music compositions produced in the image of faith symbols are beautiful and bountiful, but sometimes performance art is forgotten about. The truth of the matter is that dance did have a spot in religion, and although it is hard to see these days as a performance in and of itself, dance as a religious representation is prevalent, even if the dancer does not even know it themselves.
My short improvisation piece holds ties to my background: my ballet training at Loyola, my contemporary style and my musicality from high school. Unbeknownst to me until this project, I did not realize the connection my movement had to religious dancing. The gestures I make, from clasping my hands, to reaching up to the sky and looking upwards were major symbols in faith dance practice. Less obvious are the circular movements, as that was the set-up of many early church dances. The spiraled movements, whether with my arms or my leg, mimic that there is something more important than myself in the center of me, and in the eyes of these religious dances, that center spot was reserved for God. The physical movements in today's world are nothing more than a gesture, where the purpose and meaning is implemented by the dancer, instead of the religion implementing purpose based on principle.
This project and exploration in my personal movement has presented a new understanding of my improvisation. Although the movements I make are not all drawn from a historical move or religious dance, I can tie movement to my faith. Art and religion have always found a way to intersect, and they still do, despite the dividing issues between different groups of people. I know that without purpose, there cannot be art. And for many, their faith could be just the purpose they need to create their own art.
The photos above show specific moments that held influence for me. Some show the reaches and circular imagery of historically religious dances, while others were mutations based off of that idea.
Music: Une barqu sur l'océan from Miroirs by Andre Lapante
Location: Cement driveway. This is noted because movement is quite limited in this setting. The rough flooring prevented most jumping and turning to any degree. Another factor was the weather: it was 40 degrees outside and there was still some snow on the ground. All of these constraint made it hard to find movement as an improviser.
Specific time cues for movements stemming from religion: hand gesture (0:14), (0:31), (1;50); spirals (0:42), (1:55); focuses upward/in search (1:00), (1:21).