Dancing Body as a Social Replica

Abstract

The dance as well as the art is a part of the life of each individual, but they are also a part of the general processes in society. Dance very frequently absorbs, and nevertheless at the same time reflects the conditions that are distinctive of a specific time and space. The dance body is a medium through which the reactions and responses to a specific problem or condition are articulated. In some examples, the body is used as an instrument to promote values often dictated by the centers of power and authority. However, the dancing body is also a channel through which one can follow reactions and answers to a real problems and hardship. This characteristic will be the subject of this analysis. The Middle Ages was chosen to show the manner and forms of reaction created in crisis situations. Although we have very few authentic sources for this period, it was an additional challenge to go deeper, to explore and to emphasize another function of the dance that is not aesthetic, yet socially engaged. The body is a strong articulator and although it is rarely included in general social research, it provides very interesting material and opportunities to decoded states, attitudes and positions on a collective level. The analysis deals with presenting events that feature the medieval period that have been followed and resulted in specific reactions shaped through several dance forms.

Performance and Religion: Dancing Bodies in Macedonian Orthodox Fresco Painting

“…3 More about the choreography, the way of performance of social dances in Vasilevna Rozdestvenskya (1963) andWood (1982). Dansemania is a created 'religious' practice (criticized by the church) where dance took center stage and became one of the main instruments for resolving crisis situations in the Middle Ages (Sachs 1937;Waller 2009;Zdravkova Djeparoska 2021). 5 Lesnovo Monastery is located near the town of Probistip, hidden high in a difficult to reach rocky area, at an altitude of 870 meters.…”