Innumerable styles of dance forms have always been a part of several
cultures, dances are performed at myriad functions and countless names
have been given to them too. Be it birth, death, marriage or any kind of an
occasion we humans dance and this fact is very well known to us all but,
what but Gods do they dance too? In mythology are there any stories of
Gods dancing? Is there a particular dance form that is special to a
particular God? Is Nataraja the only dancing God? Such questions crossed
my mind while I was studying for doctorate in world mythology. So I
decided to do research on world dancing Gods. Today I am happy to share
with you a few interesting stories of Dancing Gods and Goddess from
around the world.
Even the Gods love to get on the dance floor now and then. Let us try and
know about a few Gods from around the world who through their dance
started a legacy that many of us still follow. Here are the
divine dance numbers, from mythological Marimba to Shiva Tandav and
many more that tore up the mythical world.
Indian Mythology – Shiva and Krishna
We Indian believe that dancing king was Shiva in his guise as Nataraja,
"lord of the dance." Shiva while doing his Tandav is both creating and
destroying the world, all at once, crushing a demon underneath his feet as
he dances. He symbolizes the duality of life and death; in one hand, he
carries fire (destruction), while he holds a drum (an instrument of creation)
in another. He represents the liberation of souls.
Krishna is known to be enchanting his lovers (Gopis) by dancing the never
ending Raas Leela with them, his dance was so divine that one Krishna
danced with 16000 Gopis at one time and his dance became the symbolic
to love it.
Greek Mythology – Apollo and Terpsichore
As per Greek Mythology, Apollo, is the god of medicine, music, dance and
poetry, he is the ultimate God of Art who knows how to impress and
hypnotize everyone with his dance moves. It is said seeing Apollo dance
was like going into trance it was so mesmerizing that one could see nothing
but Apollo and his graceful steps.
Terpsichore was one of the Nine Muses, goddesses of the art of dance in
Greek mythology too. Her name Terpsichore came about because she
delights (terpein) her disciples with the good things which come from
grooving the body! Terpsichore was often called by other Gods to help
them and she would lure demons with her swift dance moves. She is also
known as the Goddess who dances at a wedding to unite the two souls.
Japanese Mythology – Amenouzume
Ame-No-Uzume-No-Mikoto is a Japanese Shinto goddess who loved to
kick up her heels. When the god of the underworld, Susano-o, rebelled
against his sister, the sun goddess Amaterasu, the solar sweetie went into
hiding because she was really ticked off at her brother. The other deities
made an effort to get her to come out and hang. To cheer up the sun deity,
Ame-No-Uzume-No-Mikoto stripped down and danced, half-nude, on an
upside-down tub. Eight hundred kami, or spirits, thanked her along as she
boogied. It worked: Amaterasu got over her grumpy mood, and the sun
shone again. Japanese believe that Ame-No-Uzume-No-Mikoto with her
dance lifts up the spirits of people and is prayed to each time a dance
comes on stage.
Hawaiian Mythology – Laka
According to Hawaiian legend, Laka , goddess of the hula, gave birth to the
dance on the island of Molokai, in Hawaii at a sacred place in Kaana. When
Pele (the goddess of Volcano and fire) was trying to find a home for herself
running away from her sister Namakaokahai (the goddess of the oceans)
she finally found an island where she couldn't be touched by the waves.
Signifying that she finally won, Laka danced the first Hula. That is why Hula
is used to pray and at the same time to show victory.
Syrian Mythology – Baal Marqod
Baal Marqod, the Canaanite deity of dancing and chief god of Deir el-Kala
in Syria, runs under the radar, but he loves to spin around. He’s an aspect
of Baal, a popular Semitic god, he is also nickname as the “Lord of the
Dance," in particular, cultic dancing. It is said that he invented the art of
dance and to show off his skills organizes parties and gatherings
celebrating success of other Gods
Cambodian Mythology – Apsara
The apsaras of Cambodia are nymphs that appear in many Asian myths. In
particular, the Khmer people of Cambodia derived their name from Kambu,
a former hermit, and the apsara Mera (who was a dancer). Mera was a
“celestial dancer” who married Kambu and founded the nation of the
Khmer. To celebrate Mera, ancient Khmer courts staged dances in her
honor. Called apsara dances, they are still incredibly popular, even today.
African Zulu Mythology – Marimba
Marimba is a compound word, that combines two words from the Bantu
languages in Africa: ‘ma’, meaning ‘many’, and ‘rimba’, meaning ‘single bar
xylophone’. According to Zulu myth, goddess named Marimba was cursed
by another goddess, who told Marimba that her husband would die within a
few months of their wedding day. Marimba’s first two husbands indeed
perished, as foretold – one trampled by an elephant, the second killed by a
lion.
When Marimba’s son captured a stranger from another tribe and brought
him to their village, Marimba took his bow and arrow, and used the arrow to
affix a dried gourd to the bow, creating the first marimba instrument. And
she danced to that as the sign of Hope. The villagers never seen or heard
anything like that before, and Marimba’s songs and dance grew more
beautiful as she suffered continued heartbreak – including the death of her
third and final husband. Today Marimba is the dance and music
representing optimism, hopefulness and anticipation of a better future.
Dance is indeed present in mythology and religion globally. Dance has
certainly been an important part of
ceremony, rituals, celebrations and entertainment since before the birth of
the earliest human civilizations. Archeology delivers traces of dance
from prehistoric times such as the 5,000-year-old Bhimbetka rock
shelters paintings in our country or Egyptian tomb paintings depicting
dancing figures from 3300 BC. It is said Gods created dance to express
various emotions even before language was born. So next time when we
are looking at any culture let us understand and appreciate their art forms
and at the same time praise their dancing Gods too.
