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Round dances, through all ages of time and all locations of the world, display striking similarities in structure and theme. This is strong evidence that they share a common origin. These dances are usually quite religious in nature and I propose that round dances, like other widespread yet similar ritual motifs found scattered across the world, had their beginnings in one of the first sacred rites of this world given to and practiced by our first parents, namely the ancient prayer circle.
The paper on this subject has been split up into the following parts:
Part 1 - Introduction
Part 2 - Round dances from the Neolithic time period, Native American, Mesopotamian, and Egyptian cultures.
Part 3 - Round dances from the Greek, Hebrew, and Christian cultures.
Part 4 - Round dances from the Middle Ages, Renaissance, and present-day traditions. Common pattern throughout all practices.
Part 5 - Round dances show connections with religions, and with ritual creation dramas throughout history, including the early Christian prayer circle.
Part 6 - Round dances show connections with worship since the beginning of time, indicating a common source. These practices are familiar to the Latter-day Saints. Conclusion.
4 Comments
Nice site. I got the link from David over at Mormon Mysticism, a good friend of mine. I just wanted to say keep up the good research and studies.
Best,
Kerry
Thanks Kerry. I have been pleased to hear from apologists such as yourself who have given me much encouragement with the site. I’m an amateur by all means and measurements, but I have a burning testimony of the truth. I have read your blog and heard your podcasts as well, and find them very inspiring. Most recently your connections between the gospel and quantum physics was quite thought provoking.
In thinking further about your interesting paper on the genesis of the ring dance, I remembered that there is a marvelous example of a prayer circle and therefore a type of ring dance in the Book of Mormon. While teaching 2500 people at the temple of Bountiful, Christ organized them in concentric rings of righteousness and then He prayed with them. He was the center of these rings. Then came a ring of little children; next a ring of fire and angels; with the outer ring made up of righteous adults (see 3 Nephi 17:12, 15, 23-25). The message in forming these concentric rings of righteousness was in visual representation of the Savior’s imperatives found in 3 Nephi 11:37-38. To come unto Christ and become like Him we as adults must become sanctified little children. Mark Greene
Very interesting connection Mark! I had not thought of that before. Fantastic!