Book Review: Dancing in the Streets by Barbara Ehrenreich

In her previous book Blood Rites: Origins and History of the Passions of War, Barbara Ehrenreich examined the nature and potential origins of man’s propensity for war. Now, in somewhat of a companion piece, Dancing in the Streets explores endeavors in an opposite area: the experience of collective joy. She ponders the questions, “if ecstatic rituals and festivities were once so widespread, why is so little left of them today? If the 'techniques' of ecstasy represent an important part of the human cultural heritage, why have we forgotten them, if indeed we have?”

Throughout history and different cultures, dance and celebration have been integral parts of life equal to hunting and procreating. We see it depicted in prehistoric rock art, vase paintings from archaeological sites, and the Old Testament. These traditions, though different in appearance, still continue today through religion and recreation in altered forms because people will always strive to make sense of why we are here in the universe and experiencing moments of ecstasy provides a glimpse of that which is greater than our individual selves.

However, the revelation that we are all equal in the universe throws a monkey wrench into the hierarchy of this world. If we are all one, it makes no sense for a prince to be more important than a pauper. And if anyone can tap into that which is larger than ourselves, what some people refer to as God, the hierarchy of religion becomes obsolete as well. The powers-that-be eventually realized in order to keep a grip on their power, they needed to tamp down and restrict these events.

We see a constant battle through the ages between people’s inclination to celebrate and those in charge wanting to control them. Rituals that had been filled with role reversal and mockery eventually led to the aristocracy pulling away and separating themselves. In the 12th and 13th century, Catholic leaders purged the churches of dancing, giving rise to organized revelry on saints’ days before Lent, creating Carnival. Yet, that wasn’t enough for some. Dancing needed to be stopped altogether, so Protestantism, especially the Calvinists, convinced people “that festivities were positively sinful.” Two hundred years after the Luther Reformation, Islam went through a similar attempt to purify itself as Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab reacted to the corruption he saw in Sufism.

Article Author: El Bicho

This writer is a member of The Masked Movie Snobs, a collective that fights a never-ending battle against bad entertainment. Follow at twitter.com/ElBicho_MMS

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