Anna Layman ~ Van der Leeuw ~ dance

I want to reflect on Van der Leeuw discussion of dance in our culture. From pages 32-35; he reflects a lot on what Chesterton says about dance also.
"We have lost the dance as an element of culture almost completely. ...Profane dance is an outgrowth of the originial dance. ...The great difficultly, indeed the tradgedy of our modern life, lies in the fact that we differentiate between the things which concern us and things which do not concern us."
I feel that we have truly lost dance, but dance has not lost us. It is not part of our every day lives or culture. But when we feel a beat, when we give into the rhythm, something very natural comes about. Something very powerful and very primal. We live in a world of dichotomy, as Van der Leeuw goes on to discuss. Things are either one way or another. Our lives are so structured, so ordered. Dance, to us, is something foreign. There is structure and order in dance, but not the type we are used to.
"When we dance, we do not pray; when we pray, we do not dance. And when we work, we can neither dance nor pray."
I think it would do people good to let loose and 'dance' a little more in their lives. Dancing and praying should go together more often than they are allowed. Dance in church. Why not? After all, God is movement. I feel that when there is dance while 'praying,' there is more power felt and a greater connection can be made between the person and the divine.
"But the dance is truly alive only when one not merely stages dance productions, but dances himself; when the dance is the natural expression of the man who is just as conscious of his body as he is of his soul. In the dance, the boundaries between body and soul are effaced. The body moves itself spiritually, the spirit bodily."
I never understood it when I go out to a concert, pay to be there, and then am surrounded by people not moving. What? Feel the groove! Let yourself move with the vibrations of the sound. People these days are too reserved. Music makes the world go 'round. Listen to nature. It has a beautiful song, and dance. I have been to places, such as the Relay for Life on campus, and no one will dance when the bands are playing. But as soon as the radio comes on, and something like the "Macarana" or the "Electric slide" is played, everyone stands up and 'dances.' Can we only move when we are being told how to? Going back to the quote; you cannot stage dance. You have to allow the boundaries of the body and soul to be broken. I'll end my rambling with a quote I really like: "Live like you're going to die tomorrow, dance like no one is watching, love like you've never been hurt." :)