Abstract
Butoh is a Japanese art form that emerged in 1959 as a response to western oppression. Western political dominance had a serious impact on the aesthetic sense of dancer Tatsumi Hijikata, who developed a new form of dance that comprises strange body movements, gestures and jerks. This paper provides an overview of the history and make-up of Butoh and shows how it is also accepted as a form of movement therapy.

From the Paper
"Artaud rejected the views, beliefs and values of the theater of his time. He was not interested in projecting reality and sanity as they were accepted by the mainstream theater-goers. For him, artistic skills represented the ability to fully embrace the unknown, the untried and the unseen. Artaud did not view insanity as a problem. Everything that treaded on the dangerous was found exciting as it opened a new medium of expression and challenged the classical traditions of Japanese theater."

Tags:ohno, kabuki, koto, artaud, deconstruction, theory

Abstract
The paper examines Butoh (earth dance), an avant garde performance art that originated in Japan following World War II. The paper looks at the history behind the dance. The dance is a form of expression that is purely Japanese and allows the body to speak for itself, through unconscious improvised movement. Butoh is valuable as a training method not only for artists, but for individuals of other disciplines as well, for it frees the body of social constraints. Butoh is actually a hybrid form of art, incorporating elements of dance, mime, theatre, Noh, Kabuki, and even the Chinese arts of Chi kung and Tai chi. By the 1970s Butoh had caught the imagination of many younger artists and had begun to gain worldwide attention. Today it is performed by a number of groups and solo artists in metropolitan cities throughout the world, including Vancouver and Toronto.

From the Paper
"Butoh was founded by a rebellious modern dancer named Tatsumi Hijikata and his partner Kazuo Ohno (McLeod). It was first performed in 1959, and is a contemporary form of dance with little reference to either traditional Japanese dances or most Western forms of dance, however it does borrow elements from each (Hermon). Hijikata felt that the Japanese modern dance scene was simply an imitation of the Western mode, thus dissatisfied he sought to find a form of expression that was purely Japanese and also allowed the body to speak for itself, through unconscious improvised movement (McLeod). His first experiments were called Ankoku Butoh, or the Dance of Darkness, which basically referred to what was unknown to humans, including his surroundings and spiritually within (McLeod). Hijikata's dance attempted to touch upon the dormant genetic forces hidden within the "shrinking consciousness of modern man" (McLeod)."

Tags:tatsumi, hijikata, kazuo, ohno, ankoku, butoh, dance, of, darkness, kinjiki, forbidden, colors, yukio, mishima, sankai, juku, kokoro

Abstract
In his study of dance in Asia during the early part of the century, Shawn made the statement that Asians, like him, seemed to believe in gods who dance (Shawn 4). While this was not an acceptable image of God in the United States at that time, it was a primary image in many parts of Asia.

From the Paper
"Gods Who Dance

Introduction
In his study of dance in Asia during the early part of the century, Shawn made the statement that Asians, like him, seemed to believe in gods who dance (Shawn 4). While this was not an acceptable image of God in the United States at that time, it was a primary image in many parts of Asia. In Japan, for example, the rising of the sun had been saved because Ume performed a dance and lured the goddess Amaterasu out of her cave (Shawn 4). Thus, in Japan, dance is considered to have a sacred, divine, origin."

Abstract
This paper is about dance movement therapy as a form of expressive art therapies. The paper focuses on how dance therapy is about the release of emotional trauma or beliefs as well as feelings that have been suppressed, through appropriate movement. There is a brief history of development of dance therapy as well as a personal story about how fears can limit the ability to dance.

From the Paper
"The expressive arts offer a multitude of opportunities for the human spirit to achieve balance, freedom, relief and potentially self-actualization. While great emphasis in class has been placed on the spirit of the human condition and spirit of the soul, after a brief discussion about the spirit, this paper will focus on what movement and dance therapy are about, the use of dance therapy as a way of unleashing burdensome emotions and psychological pathology in combinations of the arts and solely using dance and movement as the expressive medium. This paper will also include comments on the generally fear and shame based reasons why individuals might initially shy away from dance and movement therapy."

Tags:dance, movement, emotional

Abstract
The paper relates that the movie depicts a young girl who aspires to be a professional ballet dancer. The paper explains that she sees her dream come to an abrupt halt - in her view - when her mother is killed in an auto accident. The paper discusses how she personally feels responsible for her mother's sudden and untimely death because - in a previous scene in the movie - she made her mother promise to attend her dance recital on the day the accident occurred. The paper expalins that now, after the fact, she believes the demands she made on her mother caused her death.

From the Paper
"The movie depicts a young girl who aspires to be a professional ballet dancer. She sees her dream come to an abrupt halt - in her view - when her mother is killed in an auto accident. She personally feels responsible for her mother's sudden and untimely death because - in a previous scene in the movie - she made her mother promise to attend her dance recital on the day the accident occurred. Now, after the fact, she believes the demands she made on her mother caused her death."

Tags:save, last, dance

Abstract
In this article, the writer discusses that modern dance developed in the early 20th century and its creators intended to alter dance that was considered mechanic in the classical style. The writer looks at the emergence of modern, post-modern and contemporary dance.

From the Paper
"Innovators of modern dance in Germany and the United States believed that natural elements had to be incorporated into dance in order to fill the void between human existence and the natural world. Therefore, modern dance sought to incorporate a focus on "inner and outer realities". One of the primary founders of modern dance was Isadora Duncan. Duncan, of ..."

Tags:dance, modern, postmodern

Abstract
This paper describes the Ghost Dance religion and how it spread to Native American tribes. The paper discusses the history of the Native Americans from the time of Andrew Jackson until the Wounded Knee massacre, and demonstrates how the Native Americans were pushed farther and farther westward, and eventually limited to a very small area. The paper explains how the United States army and government's fear of the Ghost Dance religion led to the Wounded Knee massacre, describing the events of the massacre, and the political issues surrounding the massacre and the Ghost Dance religion.

From the Paper
"James Mooney writes in The Ghost-Dance Religion and the Sioux Outbreak of 1890 that the essential part of the teaching of the Ghost Dance is the doctrine that the world is old and worn and the time is near for its renewal (Mooney 661). The Ghost Dance was an American Indian religious revivalist movement that spread through the Plains Indians and other ethnic groups during the 1890's and due to a culmination of events is forever linked to the Wounded Knee massacre of 1890 (Ghost pp)."

Tags:Ghost, Dance, indian, native, american, reservation, sioux, wounded, knee

Abstract
This paper takes a look at Islam's view on dance and music. According to the paper, although there are many groups within Islam that profess that music and dancing are forbidden, it is clear that the Qu'ran itself does not explicitly prohibit these activities. The paper goes on to say that several avenues of worship within Islam have developed into the practice of reaching God through dance or music. The paper focuses specifically on the Quwalli and the Mevelevi Order, also known as The Whirling Dervishes.

From the Paper
"More intentionally musical is the Sufic tradition of the Quwalli. Quwali means "word," and can be thought of as the physical and auditory manifestation of the divine voice. As with the Quri, the Quwallis use their voice as a tool of worship, but they move into the world of interpretation and individual expression of the words themselves. They can be likened to the Gospel singers of the Western world in this respect, though this may be a misleading comparison since the Sufi practice, from which the Quwalli find their beginnings and roots, is far more steeped in history and tradition and could be considered a more "serious" endeavor. Quwallis use the music of their voices to worship foremost, and to communicate and encourage their listeners to worship with them is a secondary concern."

Tags:Qari, God, Allah, sema, prophet, gift, worship, dance, body, Sufic, tradition

Abstract
The writer of this paper details the history of the Hula dance and its significance as a ritual of religion, celebration, mourning and communication. This brief, yet concise paper, examines how, in ancient times, dancers were selected for hula training in childhood, spending their formative years under the care of a hula master, separated from the outside world and dedicated to the goddess Laka, patron of the hula. Hawaii's history of births, deaths, loves and battles were expressed in the Hula dance. The writer also details the accompanying music and melodic poetry, to which the dancer's swayed, which include the double-gourd drum, called ipu heke.

From the Paper
"The history of births, deaths, loves, and battles of the people were preserved in chants and dance. Since Hawaii's history was recorded as dance, "hula dancers were expected to remember and repeat every dance step perfectly and under punishment of death," for "to change the dance was to change history." Hula was the written word for ancient Hawaiians, told through the movements of the dancers' feet, hands, and body movements. Through dance, stories were told, genealogies were kept, and beliefs were shared and imposed, thus to change the steps would be to change the message."

Tags:dance, history, hawaii, culture, ritual, communication

Abstract
This paper explains three classical forms of Japanese performing arts, and one modern outgrowth of the theatre tradition in Japan. These are: Noh theatre, Bunraku puppetry, Kabuki drama and Butoh dance/movement theatre.