Page 127 - Berkshire Encyclopedia Of World History Vol Two

476 berkshire encyclopedia of world history

Dance is a cultural
universal that translates
well across cultures. In
this photo Morris dancers
perform at a community
festival in a small town
in New England.

challenge church authorities from
time to time; and in the sixteenth
century, Protestants bound their
congregations together by rhyth-
mic movement while standing up
and singing hymns and psalms.A
long series of subsequent religious
enthusiasts—Methodists, Quak-
ers,Mormons,Shakers,Pentecost-
alists, Russian Old Believers and others—used similar enthusiastic sects arose to express and relieve popular dis-
methods to arouse cohesion and commitment among contents, and nearly always relied on dance and song to
their followers.African Christians (and a variety of hereti- keep their followers together. The process continues
cal faiths) have been particularly successful in using song worldwide today, with diverse, sometimes angry, so-
and dance, borrowed directly from village customs, to called fundamentalist movements vigorously challenging
consolidate their converts. conservative religious authorities everywhere and sus-
Song and dance kept other world religions in ferment taining themselves, more often than not, as much by com-
in much the same fashion. Among Jews, Hasidic enthu- munal rhythmic exercises as by words or ideas.
siasts sang and danced, attracting a large following in
Poland and nearby lands, beginning in the eighteenth Bonding Communities
century. and Combatants
Among Muslims, dervish associations of restless young The role of dance and song in disturbing established reli-
men proliferated widely beginning about 1000 CE, chant- gious routine and ritual is second only to its importance
ing, dancing, and sometimes achieving ecstasy.Across the in sustaining local village and migratory communities
centuries, many Buddhist sects also engaged in rhythmic throughout human history. Perhaps it is worth pointing
exercises, appealing usually to poor and discontented out that such sects flourished most vehemently when sub-
groups. stantial numbers of persons found themselves unable to
Recent examples include the so-called Boxer rebels in live satisfactory lives in traditional ways in local commu-
China (1900–1903), and a similar Buddhist sect of nities because of overpopulation or some other obstacle.
dancers who began to attract official persecution in the Sometimes, as happened among the bands of prophets in
1990s. In Japan, the Soka Gakkai, founded in 1930, was ancient Israel and among sixteenth and seventeenth cen-
persecuted by the imperial government until 1945, but tury Protestants in parts of Europe and America, religious
burgeoned after that date through daily rhythmic exer- protest precipitated new and successful institutional
cises conducted outdoors in urban settings to become a adjustments. More often, sects decayed from within when
significant factor in national politics. expectations were disappointed, and/or forcible repres-
Tension between enthusiasm generated by dance and sion dispersed their followers.
song and the authority of established priesthoods and Armies rivaled religious sects in relying on rhythmic
legally defined systems of belief was persistent through- exercises to influence human behavior. Infantry soldiers
out religious history.Whenever social strains were acute, trained to march together in time and reinforce muscular