The art to dance community
The art to dance community: approaches to a ritual dance pedagogy with live music
Stephanie Bangoura
The dance class as ritual
This article is an approach to the importance of ritual elements in contemporary dance education. Over the last ten years, I have developed a method that combines basic elements of African dance and music traditions with Gestalt therapeutic approaches and insights from medicine and psychology. I have called this Ritual Dance Pedagogy. In the following, I will explain how ritual elements in dance can be made fruitful with live music as part of this approach. The aim is to make it possible to experience the meaningfulness of dancing, what moves us and the healing power of dance.
The concept of ritual is broad: as early as the 1960s, the Scottish ethnologist Victor Turner argued for interdisciplinary and process-based ritual research. He described religious ritual as “prescribed formalized behaviour for occasions which have not yet become routine and which have a reference to belief in mystical [...] forces or beings which are regarded as causative of the desired effect” (Turner cited in Bowie, 2000, p. 153, translated by the author). In contrast to the French ethnologist Émile Durkheim (1981), who ascribed a system-preserving function to ritual, Turner was of the opinion that rituals have the potential to generate new ideas that challenge the social order and can therefore lead to (revolutionary) changes in culture, society and politics under certain circumstances (cf. Alexander, 1997, p. 140). In contemporary cultural studies, humanities and social sciences (Wulf, 2006), too, increasing efforts are being made to view rituals in a transcultural context. Bobby C. Alexander describes two qualities in particular: “Ritual in its most general and basic sense is planned or improvised performance that effects a transition from everyday life to an alternative context in which everyday life is transformed.” (Alexander, 1997, p. 139, translated by the author)
I would like to highlight a few characteristics of ritual that I believe are particularly relevant for dance education practice:
- Every ritual is based on an intention, a purpose.
- Rituals celebrate and secure transitions (e.g. transformation of identity, social roles, status and competence).
- Symbolic actions can make the invisible visible and tangible.
- Ritual focuses and channels energy.
- There are no spectators in ritual, only participants.
- The ritual opens the perception for the unconscious, the magical, the mythical to unfold and take effect.
Regardless of specific elements, every dance class can be celebrated as a ritual that can be described in three phases - separation, transformation and re-integration into everyday life (cf. Van Gennep, 1986, p. 50). Secular societies lack meaningful, collective frameworks that could accompany and support the individual in phases of upheaval. The dance class is therefore of enormous importance, especially in times of social atomization: the space created in the ritual offers an important pole of calm, concentration and community in phases of speed, distraction and disorientation. It is therefore important for leaders and teachers to support and accompany this process in such a way that it can be carried out in an orderly manner.
Many dance forms, including European ones such as classical ballet, have developed from ritual contexts. It therefore makes little sense to copy the outward form of rituals, as these have developed in a singular context. Ritual dance pedagogy sees itself as a transcultural approach that looks for new ways to make traditional, ritual dance forms fruitful for today's situations and needs. A dance can only be experienced as meaningful and effective if it is adapted to the needs and situation of those who dance it, which also manifests a gestalt-therapeutic attitude:
The perception, voluntariness and self-determination of the participants/dancers are always respected. The dance ritual lives from the resonances between dancers and musicians - both support, stimulate and challenge each other in an ongoing dialog. The basis for spontaneous individual dance interludes is formed by long, repeated movements, rhythms and songs of the group. This shared energy gives rise to what I call a supporting group. Dancing together can create the intersubjective experience of being carried by the group as well as being a supporting member of this group.
Ritual dance pedagogy synergistically combines African traditions with contemporary movement concepts and forms of training, including concepts from Gestalt therapy, voice training, rhythm training, theater pedagogy and contemporary dance improvisation as well as individual elements such as trance journeys, self-massage, yoga and Pilates exercises. The leading dance educators develop a ritual structure in resonance with the dancers and musicians and use its elements as appropriate to the situation. It is important that one's own perception is focused on the here and now: on the musical sounds, the group and one's own body. This prevents actions from being mechanically or even dogmatically linked to one another; individual actions (smoking, playing music, clapping, sounding, shouting, singing, screaming, shaking, laughing, crying, dancing, walking) become part of a creative, open whole.
The contact offer, as taught in Gestalt therapy, culminates in spontaneously improvised dance, the danse individuelle: a dancer dances alone in the middle of the circle in dialog to live music. Music and the presence of the group provide support, strength and orientation so that the dancer can follow their impulses for self-regulation. Success requires the leaders to pay absolute attention to the dynamics in the group. The principle of participation applies; the ritual should be created together and not consumed.
The entry and exit (beginning and end) of the ritual represent a sensitive phase that needs to be guided and shaped by the leaders. In these transitional phases, it is important to pay attention and slow down so that they can be carried out safely. The individual is separated from their familiar environment and needs time and trust to become part of a new community or to return to their old environment with new experiences. When the dancer moves from the circle to the center, they leave the group. They are alone - the only thing that counts in the center of the circle is the courage to be singular, the courage to break away from the group. From a cultural-historical perspective, the overcoming of basic fears is acted out here. In the dance ritual, the primal human fear of being abandoned and lost, of loneliness, ridicule, weakness and failure can be experienced. In this essential confrontation lies the potential to create something new: new movements and experiences, which in turn can lead to independence, freedom, happiness, change, transformation and healing. The ritual clapping after the individual dance accompanies the dancer back into the community. Feedback rounds make it possible to share special moments with the group, to verbalize them and to support the individual awareness process.
Embodied symbols
For Turner, the symbol is the smallest unit of the ritual (cf. Turner, 1967, p. 19). Embedded in a larger symbolic network, it creates meaningful social action. He describes symbols as polymorphic, i.e. multifaceted and ambiguous elements. Turner's research into rituals in southern Africa, Mexico, Brazil and Ireland made an important contribution to identifying physical symbolism as a basis for the organization of the social world.
During my many years in Senegal, I was repeatedly fascinated by the uniformity of the greeting rituals and how they are embodied. The Senegalese greeting aims to clarify the hierarchy between those present and the peaceful and well-meaning intentions of the person being greeted. This is done each time in a detailed, patient and equal manner. From a European perspective, it is a speech without content relevance, without truth. But here it's all about attitude - about answering in an appropriate way and thus creating a respectful atmosphere. Direct questions are avoided in the course of the conversation and it is left to the - usually male - higher-ranking person to decide how to discuss or approach topics. I also experienced this dynamic in the dance dialog with the musicians, who played around my movements musically without directing them too strictly. “It's all a question of respect,” a musician once said to me.
The complex symbolism of African dances seems overwhelming to outsiders. In my work, I have concentrated on movements that deal with existential human themes and can be understood beyond the African context. These are movements that not only represent liberation, recharging and connection, but actually create them. The energetic bath of the Orisha dances is an example of symbolic action that creates a reality and allows it to be experienced. In ritual dance pedagogy, it can be experienced by the musicians through the execution of dipping, showering, stroking and shaking movements. Bathing in the music promotes awareness of the live music and its energy. Through the repetition at the end of each dance unit, it becomes an organizing element that supports the ritual framework.
The circle in the dance ritual
“Why in a circle? A circle is an ingenious form. There is no top and bottom, no important and unimportant, no boss and subordinate, no hierarchy or pecking order. Everyone is equal. Anyone who joins a circle is part of the whole. This corresponds to the natural order on this earth, which is also round and makes no distinction of rank. A ritual in a circle dissolves value judgments.” (Francia, 2011, pp. 8-10, translated by the author)
Characteristic forms of movement and formation in many traditional African dance rituals are the circle, semicircle and spiral. A semi-circle allows another semi-circle to be added and the spiral also describes a circle at its core. In ritual dance pedagogy, the performers arrange themselves in a semicircle, while the spectators and participants form a complementary semicircle. Individually improvised dance interludes are often introduced by a spiral run. The dancers make eye contact with the audience. Spirals can also be danced collectively or drawn on the floor with leaves, sand or flour. On a symbolic level, the circle and spiral represent an archetypal pattern. They can be associated with the cycle of the earth, the cycles of death and life, ecological food chains or water cycles. The circle is a motif of transformation - nothing remains as it is, nothing disappears and everything reappears in a different guise.
In ritual dance pedagogy, the circle means both protection and concentration. Anyone who dares to step into the center of the circle receives the attention of the group and stands in a field of tension. Dancing in a circle ideally supports the participation, belonging, perception and appreciation of all those present, without exposing or exposing anyone. At the same time, it enables self-initiated stepping out and showing oneself. It is about taking up the space at the center and expressing what has been held back until now, what has not (yet) been allowed to be expressed. The group and musicians perceive where the dancer is holding back (traumatic trace) or letting go (erotic trace). They reflect this through shouts, sounds, clapping, drum beats or other gestures. Everyone takes part, whether by watching, clapping or shouting - everything serves to generate energy for the event and for each individual. The contrast to the conventional spectacle is obvious: there is no passive, anonymous mass that sits motionless in the dark and watches. Conversely, in ritual, the performers are “always also the audience of themselves” (Wulf & Zirfas, 2004, p. 27, translated by the author).
In capitalist and patriarchal societies, hierarchies are constantly (re-)produced. In the circle, these boundaries can be experienced, acted out and at the same time suspended. In my pedagogical practice, I repeatedly experience the liberating and healing role of the circle. It counteracts imitation, comparison, competition, exclusion and hierarchy and encourages eye contact, encounters, participation, cooperation, belonging and integration. Dance therapist Alexa Junge writes: “Dancing is not only a sociable and socially equalizing activity, but also often marginal and abnormal. It creates a contrast to everyday life and transports the dancer into a timeless state outside of their structured routine.” (Junge, 2010, p. 6, translated by the author)
Teachers of ritual dance pedagogy therefore take care to form a circle without energetic holes. The dancers are encouraged to feel their neighbors, to dance shoulder to shoulder, to include the musicians, i.e. not to turn their backs on them. The circle is a central form - but it is just as important to dissolve it again, to use diagonals and other possibilities. Dancing means enlivening and experiencing the space in a variety of ways.
Energy and energetic rules
Friendly rituals are based on reciprocity and a mutually activating energy: I give and receive. In every culture there are rules which - even if the social actors are not aware of them - help to direct attention and energy. Dance events, such as those I experienced in Senegal, be it concerts, festivals, workshops, rehearsals or a wedding, are a good example of how money is handled in a non-European context. In contrast to the often opaque transactions of the Western market economy, musicians in Senegal are always paid in cash and on the spot: they are given banknotes in front of everyone, pinned to their foreheads or given to them in some other way as part of a performative act, with banknotes often flying through the air. Money is energy and its visible handover signifies public appreciation and motivates people to continue playing.
Another phenomenon is that guests often go on stage at the end of a concert to show off their improvised dances. They enjoy being on stage next to the stars, giving and receiving appreciation, and stepping out of the audience increases the energy of the dancers and everyone present.
Ritual rules are not to be confused with politeness. “In ritual, all politeness can be discarded. Once you have drawn the line that encloses the sacred space and invoked the spiritual forces, there is no lying, no hypocrisy.” (Somé, 1999, p. 91, translated by the author) It is the line, the protective circle, the decision and inner alignment that give rise to a dance ritual.
Outlook
From a Gestalt therapeutic perspective, every crisis is associated with an opportunity (see Hartmann-Kottek, 2011, p. 162). Illness, discomfort or dissatisfaction are often the beginning of a movement, in the literal and metaphorical sense. Becoming aware of one's own emotions (Latin e-motus for engl. moved, shaken) and transforming them into movement, moving out, provides good conditions for an energy-rich dance ritual. This is where the concerns of artists and therapists meet: They welcome emotions and transform them. It is important to find out which question or which desire should be at the center of the joint ritual. Not only allowing emotions, but also showing them and working on them collectively requires trust and a safe space that does not arise spontaneously, but only over a longer period of time. In ritual dance pedagogy, I therefore prefer to work with a core group over several years.
Every ritual is based on a desire for change. At the same time, the ritual enables reconciliation with what is. Its potential lies in the tension between pause and movement: only what has been accepted, named and seen can change. This stabilizing ground is created in the ritual.
Dancing in ritual dance pedagogy means establishing a ritual connection with oneself and the other person. The counterpart is the live music, the moment, the group, the earth, the neighbor, the ancestors. Ritual dance pedagogy creates ritual spaces to carry out these processes safely. Dancing thus becomes a powerful means of transformation. It enables an actual transformation of self and reality: nothing changes until I change myself. And then everything changes!
Literature
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