Christian Conversion and the Challenge of Dance DANC 163 Liz Edouard

In the first paragraphs of Christian Conversion and the Challenge of Dance, Stuckey emphasizes the historical nature of the dances, and their deep significance to those involved indicating that those who have not personally experienced the torment during that time period were unable to understand or see the hidden meanings of the dances. To those dancing, the movements were innate and became necessary to express their feelings and began to take on a spiritual importance.

With time, the people dancing as well as the social context has changed, and with it the dances have taken on a new meaning. As we discussed in class, social dances of a time depict culture as well as the politics becoming a language of the time. In the case of the “Ring Shout”, it was created for spirituality from a tradition common to all African dance leading to its becoming a symbol of unity. The dance being rhythmic and rooted in its ancestry was powerful and out of the control of those who had little understanding of its history.  Christianity influenced the dancing reflected in the spirituals sung but the dancers and transformed it to represent the present day culture. The resentment from the Christians to aspects of the dance such as becoming ‘possessed’ and sexual movements throughout paralleled the political sentiments that were going on at the same time with regard to assumptions and racism that marginalized the slaves. Ongoing debates about ‘crossing legs’ during the Shout reflects the importance of the political nature of the dance as both in politics and in this dance, the slaves do not want to compromise.

Stuckey goes through the history of the “Ring Shout” and event states its ability to ‘generate change’. It is a dance used by all in jazz, blues, in church due to its ability to be adapted for its purpose. For this reason, the slaves chose this circle dance when they arrived in America as a vehicle to express their spirituality.