Transcript Lord of the Dance” by Gerald Jonas

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?