Dancing to Transform

This book makes a refreshing and important contribution to the growing sub-discipline of religion and performance. It examines the religious lives of American Christians who, despite the historically tenuous place of dance within Christianity, are also professional dancers.Using four original case studies of four professional dance companies, it explores how religious and artistic commitments, everyday lived experiences and varied performance contexts influence and shape the approaches of Christian professional dancers to creating, transforming and performing dance.This two-way influence enables the individual dancers and choreographers to bring about a process of personal transformation in which the intersection of dance and Christian practice deepens their religious and spiritual experiences, shaping not only the choreography, but also the narratives around the dance groups themselves.Until now there has been limited research on the intersections of dance and Christianity, and that research has focused on dance in amateur contexts or on religion as a cultural phenomenon. This is an original and refreshing application of a theoretical approach in a context that has not been widely explored. It draws strategic connections between Christianity and professional western concert dance forms.Will appeal primarily to scholars and practitioners in dance and performance fields, especially those working with religious iconography and visual culture. Also to religious studies scholars with a particular interest in religious expression through performance. Accessibly written, it will also appeal to a more general popular audience with interests in personal transformation and spirituality.