Dancing with Dharma: Essays on Movement and Dance in Western Buddhism

by Harrison Blum (Editor)

Overview

Both Buddhism and dance invite the practitioner into present-moment embodiment. The rise of Western Buddhism, sacred dance and dance/movement therapy, along with the mindfulness meditation boom, has created opportunities for Buddhism to inform dance aesthetics and for Buddhist practice to be shaped by dance.

This collection of new essays documents the innovative work being done at the intersection of Buddhism and dance. The contributors—scholars, choreographers and Buddhist masters—discuss movement, performance, ritual and theory, among other topics. The final section provides a variety of guided practices.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780786498093
Publisher:	McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers
Publication date:	02/26/2016
Pages:	284
Product dimensions:	6.90(w) x 9.90(h) x 0.90(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Harrison Blum, MDiv, M.Ed., is Director of Religious and Spiritual Life at Amherst College, and is an authorized Community Dharma Leader in the Insight Meditation tradition. He lives in Northampton, Massachusetts.

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

Preface
Introduction
Section 1. Movement
Gesture of Awareness (Charles Genoud)
Body: The Foundation of Insight (Bhikkhuni Thanasanti)
Movement as Skillful Means to Stillness (Lori Wong)
Finding Our Flow: Continuum Movement and Buddha Dharma (Adrianne E. Vincent)
Permissive Movement as a Dharma Door (Brian Kimmel)
Fostering Equanimity and Mindfulness through Dance/Movement Therapy and Authentic Movement (Joan Wittig)
“Hell Is the Land of Tranquil Light”: Dance/Movement Therapy in a Single Moment of Life (Cristina Livingstone)
Section 2. Dance
Doing Being: Tibetan Buddhism and Postmodern Dance Improvisation (Karen Nelson)
5Rhythms: A Moving Meditation Practice (Lucia Horan)
Ordinary Miracles: Tibetan Yogic Dance (Rose Taylor Goldfield)
Dance as Dharma Practice in the ­Twenty-First Century (Lalitarāja)
Contemplative Dance Practice: A Dancer’s Meditation Hall, a Meditator’s Dance Hall (Barbara Dilley)
Zenful Dance: Breath Movement Meditation (Leah Joy Malberg)
Section 3. Performance
Co-Creating with Space: Space Is Solid, You Are Empty (Lee Worley)
Dancing in the Footsteps of the Buddha (Wynn Fricke)
Sangha in the Spotlight: Performance and ­Community-Building in a Small Prairie City (Fran Gilboy)
Commit, Amplify, Inquire: Dark Work and Remix as Contemplative Rehearsal Practices (Sean Feit)
The Whole World Is a Symbol: Performing the Embodied Landscape as a Buddhist Practice (Anna Tzakou)
Section 4. Ritual
Dharma Jam: A Modern Buddhist Dance Liturgy (Harrison Blum)
Charya Nritya: Nepalese Ritual Dance of Deity Yoga (Helen Fox Appell)
The Mandala Dance of the 21 Praises of Tara (Prema Dasara)
Moving in Grace: A ­Buddhist-Inspired Ritual Dance Practice (Hilary Lake)
Circles in Our World, Rituals for Our Time: Dances of Universal
Peace (Anahātā Iradah)
Section 5. Theory
Somatic Meditation: Rediscovering the Body as the Ground of the
Spiritual Path (Reginald A. Ray)
Body as the Dharma Gate (Willa B. Miller)
Shadowing the Ephemeral: Embodied Emptiness Through Form (Tomie Hahn)
Cast: Exploring Ground, Path, and Fruition in Early Embryology (Kim ­Sargent-Wishart)
Section 6. Guided Practices
Earth Breathing Practice Instructions (Reginald A. Ray)
Accessing the Subtle Energy Body (Bhikkhuni Thanasanti)
Authentic Movement: Moving and Witnessing (Joan Wittig)
Basic Contemplative Dance Practice Form (Barbara Dilley)
Permissive Movement (Brian Kimmel)
Tune In, Stand Around: Four Postmodern Dance Improvisation Scores (Karen Nelson)
Zenful Dance: Leading Breath Movement Meditation (Leah Joy Malberg)
Ground, Path and Fruition (Kim ­Sargent-Wishart)
Geopoetics: A ­Buddhist-Inspired ­Site-Specific Performance Practice (Anna Tzakou)
Dharma Jam: How to Lead a Buddhist Dance Ritual (Harrison Blum)
Moving in Grace: How to Guide the Practice (Hilary Lake)
References
About the Contributors
Index