Dance as a liberating practice into divine darkness?: A systematic theologian re-reads Philo of Alexandria’s descriptions of dance

Laura Hellsten

doi:10.1057/s41280-023-00284-0

Dance as a liberating practice into divine darkness? A systematic theologian re-reads Philo of Alexandria’s descriptions of dance

Laura Hellsten

Theology and Study of Religions

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Scientific › peer-review

1 Citation (Scopus)

125 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

In this article, I show how a deeper understanding of Lived Theology can enrich discussions about historical dance practices. I elaborate on the teachings of Philo of Alexandria (c. 20 BCE–50) and how his descriptions of dancing indicate that such practices may be understood as worship and contemplation. I further suggest that dancing in Philo’s texts, especially On the Contemplative Life, can be understood as an exegetical practice. I describe how a supersessionist logic insensitive to traditions of Lived Theology has operated in the theological discourse on Philo and thus has been unable to recognise these dimensions of the described dancing.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	345-369
Journal	Postmedieval
Volume	14
Issue number	2-3
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1057/s41280-023-00284-0
Publication status	Published - Sept 2023
MoE publication type	A1 Journal article-refereed

Funding

I want to thank Lindsey Drury for inviting me to the community of historic dance scholars gathering at the DSA 2021 conference: Galvanizing Dance Studies: Building Anti-Racist Praxis, Transformative Connections, and Movement(s) of Radical Care , and opening up the possibility for participation in this special issue of postmedieval. I am also forever grateful for the work done by the editorial team of postmedieval, for helping me articulate my thoughts into new ways of understanding. I want to acknowledge the Centre of Excellence BACE at the Åbo Akademi University Foundation for providing me with the post-doctoral position that has made my work on this article possible. Finally, I also want to name the Polin Institute for Theological Research at Åbo Akademi University for providing a platform for me to explore the further connections between Christian dance practices and racialisation of the Other in the project The Praxis of Social Imaginaries. Cosmologies, Othering and Liminality. As always, my work is dedicated to my husband, Markus, and our cat, Moses, who continue to teach me all that is worth knowing in this life.

Keywords

Dance History
Theology and the Arts
Contemplative studies
Philo of Alexandria

Access to Document

10.1057/s41280-023-00284-0Licence: CC BY

s41280-023-00284-0Final published version, 329 KBLicence: CC BY

https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi-fe20230824103838

Cite this

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