Men as Women: Female Dance Symbolism in Walbiri Men's Rituals

Abstract

Dance in a particular cultural tradition may be analyzed from any of several different perspectives, which may be classified in two categories. In the first, analysis may be structural or stylistic. By structure I mean the set of relationships among discrete movements characteristic of a dance tradition; it is similar to grammar in language (cf. Woodard 1976). Style refers to the general qualities of a dance tradition or classes of the tradition: tempo, energy level, parts of the body used, characteristic number of dancers, smoothness or abruptness of movements, body decorations and objects manipulated in the dance (cf. Lomax 1968:222-273). Although this category is concerned with analysis of dance qua dance, it may justifiably be argued that a kind of meaning inheres in pure structure and style, and therefore that their analysis is an explication of meaning.Other ways of analyzing dance in a cultural tradition approach meaning in a different way. Meaning is sought in the relationship between structure and style on one hand and other aspects of the culture on the other.

Generation Moieties in Australia: Structural, Social and Ritual Implications

“…Even in some parts of the Walbiri men's ceremonies witnessed by Wild (1978), the division is by generation moieties. Throughout the semisecret parts of the initiation ceremonies, the organization is on a patrimoiety basis, but the actual circumcision ceremony is performed according to generation moieties.…”

Dance as a cultural message: a study of dance style among the greek refugees from northern Thrace in Micro Monastiri, Neo Monastiri and Aeginion

“…A number of works devote only a few lines to the subject of style. Johnston (1975), Wild (1977), and Kwok (1978) -refer to the distinction between female and male style. "Gell regards t dance style, "as an aspect of dance that separates it from the non-dance world" (Gell 1985: 203).…”