When I think of the beauty of dance I think of the feeling of freedom that comes along with it. With religion, the beauty comes from the rich history of the rituals and the discipline with which they are carried out. It would seem that in my mind all religious movement should be movement that has order and is serine, calm and well balanced, much like the Apollonian philosophies which follow the logic of the suns repetition and cyclical order. The movement of dance contrasts with religion completely, in my mind. Dance should be filled with wild and uninhibited movements that are saturated with feeling and expression as if they are drunk with emotions, much like the Dionysian philosophies.
Religious dances are dances that can involve either the Dionysian movements that are much like the expressive movements incorporated in most modern dance; or they can involve Apollonian movements which are similar to the repetitive ritualistic qualities of most religions.
As Van Der Leeuw states a good example of Apollonian ritual is found in the practices of Japanese, Chinese and Buddhist religion, where even the repetitive movements of walking become dance through ritual. Van Der Leeuw says that this rhythmic movement brings about an awareness of the background surrounding you and the cosmic order that stems from the holy.
In contrast, Dionysian movements are created with the idea of an altered state of mind pulls you away from the repetitive cycle of everyday life and bring your awareness to a holier state of being. An example of this is whirling dervishes who spin wildly and sink in to a trance like state.
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