Straddling the Sacred and Secular: Creating a Spiritual Experience Through Belly Dance

Kraus, Rachel

doi:10.1080/02732170903051383

Cited by 23 publications

(35 citation statements)

References 18 publications

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“…To be clear, this paper is not an empirical study about belly dance. I have established elsewhere that many people who engage in belly dance consider the activity spiritual (Kraus 2007). Drawing on this empirical work and others, I use belly dance to illustrate multiple dimensions of spirituality, thereby bringing together divergent discussions in a comprehensive framework to assist future work about spirituality.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Specifically, the dance can serve as a form of meditation, similar to a prayer or form of worship, set to music. The dance also helps people establish a connection with a Higher Power and/or other people, such as audience members, other dancers, and general humanity (Kraus 2007). Therefore, seriously considering belly dance brings to light a dimension of spirituality that exists on each continuum I will discuss.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Many writers within the belly dance community, and scholars empirically examining the activity, claim that belly dance is spiritual (Crosby 2000;Dolphina 2005;Dox 2005;Kraus 2007;Sellers-Young 1992;Shira 2000;Stewart 2000). Belly dance can be spiritual because it is an art form, and art can take on spiritual qualities in several ways.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The Many Faces of Spirituality

Kraus¹

2009

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While the public's interest in spirituality and the number of people claiming they are spiritual is growing, scholars debate what constitutes spirituality. Much is written about spirituality and its many dimensions corresponding to a variety of human experiences, such as the body, relationships, sense of self, and creativity. However, discussions surrounding spirituality and its different aspects are separated in the literature. The purpose of this paper is to combine these disjointed discussions into a conceptual framework of spirituality, which consists of five dimensions of spirituality related to various areas of human existence. Belly dance, as a spiritual activity, is used to illustrate each dimension. This conceptual framework will ideally sensitize scholars to possible spiritual dimensions relevant to the cases they examine, and/or challenge them to consider new paths that may not appear to be spiritual on the surface. Such examinations will help create a more holistic understanding of spirituality.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The Many Faces of Spirituality

Kraus¹

2009

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“…In particular, we propose that belly dance as practised in Australia is an embodying activity, in that it is highly skilled and requires focused attention on breathing and muscles of the mid-torso, as well as strength and flexibility. Indeed, it has been argued that belly dance brings together mind, body, and spirit (Kraus 2009). Belly dance requires dancers to train their bodies to move in new ways, thus requiring concentration and communication with their body.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Belly dance requires dancers to train their bodies to move in new ways, thus requiring concentration and communication with their body. It has been argued that getting to know and training the body helps connect it to the mind (Kraus 2009). In addition, as indicated earlier, belly dance does not subscribe to the one narrow (thin and youthful) ideal, but is accepting of different physiques and the whole range of ages (Bock and Borland 2011).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Belly Dance as an Embodying Activity?: A Test of the Embodiment Model of Positive Body Image

2014

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The study aimed to test Menzel and Levine's (2011) embodiment theory of positive body image in the context of belly dance. Participants were 213 women from Adelaide, South Australia. They comprised 112 belly dancers recruited from two belly dance schools, and a sample of 101 college women who had never participated in belly dance. Participants completed questionnaire measures of positive body image, body dissatisfaction, self-objectification, and enjoyment of sexualization. It was found that belly dancers scored higher on positive body image and lower on body dissatisfaction and self-objectification than the college students. There was, however, no difference between groups in enjoyment of sexualization. Importantly, in support of the embodiment model, the effect of belly dance group on positive body image was mediated by reduced self-objectification. It was concluded that belly dance represents an embodying activity, one associated with a number of benefits for its practioners, including positive body image.

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“Why Would Our Heavenly Father Do that to Anyone”: Oppressive Othering through Sexual Classification Schemes in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter‐Day Saints

Sumerau

Cragun

2014

Symbolic Interaction

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In this article, we examine how leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (LDS or LDS Church) responded to the emergence of homosexuality as a prominent social issue by engaging in "oppressive othering" (Schwalbe et al. 2000), which refers to the process whereby elites classify members of other groups as morally inferior. On the basis of LDS archival materials, we analyze how LDS elites accomplished "oppressive othering" by constructing sexual classification schemes defining homosexuality as the result of (1) familial, (2) gendered, and (3) sexual dysfunctions. In conclusion, we draw out implications for understanding (1) how elites, religious, or otherwise, construct sexual classification schemes that facilitate the ongoing subordination of sexual minorities, (2) the importance of taking an intersectional approach to oppressive othering, and (3) the ways elites revise institutional doctrines in response to shifting societal issues and concerns.The establishment and maintenance of mutually exclusive classifications are central to organized religion (see e.g., Berger 1967; Weber 1922). Religious institutions have rich histories of establishing and enforcing divinely inspired distinctions between, for example, acceptable and unacceptable practices, sacred and secular worlds, earthly and eternal desires, and moral and immoral people. Religious leaders seem to understand the importance of categorizing all aspects of social life for their followers. Since people act toward things based on the meanings those things have for them (see

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Straddling the Sacred and Secular: Creating a Spiritual Experience Through Belly Dance

Cited by 23 publications

References 18 publications

The Many Faces of Spirituality

The Many Faces of Spirituality

Belly Dance as an Embodying Activity?: A Test of the Embodiment Model of Positive Body Image

“Why Would Our Heavenly Father Do that to Anyone”: Oppressive Othering through Sexual Classification Schemes in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter‐Day Saints

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