Critical Correspondence

MRPJ#13/Body/Belief: Extras

A great part of the problem regarding the sensuous catering to our bodies’ needs is religious in nature. At the heart of the Christian reading of existence, there is a deep distrust and explicit put-down of the sensual, which always seems to be equated with the evils of carnality and lasciviousness. If you couple this with the highly cerebral Reformation theology and XIX century morals, then you have the makings of an almost total put-down of the body. — from “The Joy of the Sensuous” by Howard Moody

Movement Research Performance Journal #13, entitled, Body/Belief focuses on the intersection of spirituality and physical embodiment. Contributions from artists, dancers, choreographers, theologians, and ministers question the very notion of spirituality, and how it affects their life and work, past and present. We feature three very short stories by Ralph Lemon – personal vignettes about the sacred and the profane. We are left without a statement from Editors Audrey Kindred and Peter Larose. Enjoy the reading.

Dance itself is thoughtless. It is its own event. It doesn’t follow anything and it doesn’t lead anywhere. It is not about gain or absolution. Dance dances itself and is not at all tied to the conceptual world or even to the concept of dance. — from “Dance: A Body with a Mind of Its Own” by Ruth Zaporah