Lord of the Dance from Gerald Jonas’ Dancing Created by Jessica Labbé Edited by Jessica Labbé and Dr. Kay Picart

Review Questions: What is the basic vehicle of dance? How does this vehicle influence people’s perceptions of dance?

Discussion Question: Discuss the impact the “Christian world view between the sacred and the secular” has had on dancing in the West.

Review Question: In Judaism, when is the right or wrong time to dance?

Review Questions: Contrast Plato’s and Aristotle’s critiques of dance.

Review Question: What is the interesting contradiction in Plato’s argument in The Republic? What influenced his decision? Portrait of Plato

Discussion Question: Compare and contrast the Christian and Jewish attitudes towards dance to those of the Greeks and Romans.

Discussion Question: Why would the Christian vilification of the (sexual) body be especially problematic for female dancers? Indo-Japanese “Nymph of Sensuality” Shakti http://www.love-shakti.com/index.html

Review Questions: What was the main issue in Western churches’ struggle with dance? How did they attempt to resolve this issue?

Review Question: How do the dances/beliefs of African culture differ from those of the West?

Review Question: What is the egungun?

Review Question: What is unique about Hinduism compared to Judaism and Christianity?

Review Question: How do Hindus perceive the body?

Review Question: What is the Natya Shastra? What is unique about it?

Discussion Question: Do you think that the devadasis practiced a form of “sacred prostitution”? (59)

Review Question: What is the role of the bharata natyam dancer? Bharata Natyam dancer Kay Poursine http://kpoursine.web.wesleyan.edu/bharata.htm

Review Question: What is the all-male counterpart to bharata natyam? How is it different?

Discussion Question: How was the Kathakali “saved”? What are the implications of its rescue for similar arts?

Concluding Question: How do the dances described in this chapter compare to the numerous other dances we have studied?