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Quote by Jamake Highwater

“At the root of all the varied manifestations of dancing, lies the common impulse to resort to movement to externalize emotional states which we cannot extemalize by rational means.”

Quote by Jamake Highwater

Author

Jamake Highwater

Jamake Highwater, born James Howard Highwater, was an American writer, scholar, and artist. His work spanned various literary genres, including novels, poetry, and drama. Highwater is renowned for his profound understanding and rich depiction of Native American culture, which has had a significant impact on contemporary Native American literature. more

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Book:Dance: Rituals of Experience

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“Dance has been transformed from an involuntary motor discharge, a ceremonial rite, into a work of art, conscious of, intended for, observation.”

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Author:Jamake Highwater

“In the New Hebrides, any dancer making a mistake was assaulted, wounded, and possibly killed by bowmen posted to keep careful watch for inaccuracies in rituals.”

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Book:Dance: Rituals of Experience

Source: Dance: Rituals of Experience

“The nobility danced for the sake of social grace, to exhibit their finery...peasants danced to make themselves happy, to escape the routine of their life, and to meet their future wives and husbands.”

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Author:Jamake Highwater

“Some of the most popular discos in America and Europe were started as gay establishments, which began to open their doors to anyone who wanted to dance.”

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Book:Dance: Rituals of Experience

Source: Dance: Rituals of Experience

“White performances were always dull in comparison to the astonishing expressiveness of Black dancers. Behind the white person's inarticulate body were centuries of condemnation of dancing on religious grounds.”

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Book:Dance: Rituals of Experience

Source: Dance: Rituals of Experience

“Dance in this century has remained primarily a personal ritual operating, like most avant-garde art, as an idiosyncratic form rather than a tribal expression of religious powers or a corporate expression of societal values.”

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Book:Dance: Rituals of Experience

Source: Dance: Rituals of Experience

“The basic vehicle of the dance is the human body. When and how people dance is determined by their attitudes towards their body.”

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Author:Gerald Jonas

“The circle, or ring, dance was seen as an earthly counterpart of the heavenly dance of the angels, which was itself a celebration of the resurrection.”

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Book:Dancing: The Pleasure, Power, and Art of Movement

Source: Dancing: The Pleasure, Power, and Art of Movement

“Writing, not dancing, is the chosen form of expression of the white man.”

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Book:Dancing: The Pleasure, Power, and Art of Movement

Source: Dancing: The Pleasure, Power, and Art of Movement