BYU ScholarsArchive Dance and Doctrine: Shaker and Mormon Dancing as a Manifestation of Doctrinal Views of the Physical Body DANCE AND DOCTRINE SHAKER AND MORMON DANCING AS A manifestation OF DOCTRINAL VIEWS VIIEWS OF THE PHYSICAL BODY

Lindsy Cieslewicz, Lindsy Stewart Cieslewicz
2000 unpublished
copyright 2000 lindsy stewart cieslewicz all rights reserved eia oij dij deia doia BRIGHAM YOUNG university GRADUATE COMMITTEE APPROVAL of a thesis submitted by lindsy stewart cieslewicz this thesis has been read by each member of the following graduate committee and by majority vote has been found to be satisfactory l& P c date wo fi CL L i catherine black chair jv date pat debenham ytj 06 0 dte 6 qij x CKA sara lee gibb L adte la yta BRIGHAM YOUNG university As chair of the candidates
more » ... committee I 1 have read the thesis of lindsy stewart cieslewicz in its final form and have found that 1 its format citations and bibliographical style are consistent and acceptable and fulfill university and department style requirements 2 its illustrative materials including figures tables and charts are in place and 3 the final manuscript is satisfactory to the graduate committee and is ready for submission to the university library TA onn C jl date catherine black chair graduate committee accepted for the department lee wakefield chair department of dance accepted for the college robert K conlee coulee dean college of health and human performance D 0 0 ABSTRACT DANCE AND DOCTRINE SHAKER AND MORMON DANCING AS A manifestation OF DOCTRINAL VIEWS OF THE PHYSICAL BODY lindsy stewart cieslewicz department of dance master of arts this thesis compares the dancing of the shakers the united society of believers in christs second appearance and the mormons cormons the church of jesus christ of latter day saints or LDS church during the nineteenth century as it was influenced by their doctrinal beliefs about the human body specifically it examines how the role of the physical body in achieving mortal happiness and immortal salvation was viewed by each group and how these beliefs were reflected in their dancing it describes the different forms of dancing performed by each religious group and how dance functioned as worship and recreation for the members of each religion during the nineteenth century research for this study was taken from primary and secondary sources including a large number of shaker and mormon journals diaries and autobiographies major oflatter doctrinal works from each religion were also consulted to compile a summary of doctrinal beliefs about the physical body for each religion this study found that the dancing of the shakers reflected doctrinal beliefs of the need to be freed from the corrupt human body in contrast the dancing of the mormons cormons exhibited the latter day saint belief in celebrating the body the doctrines of each religion about the role of the body in attaining mortal joy and immortal salvation were easily recognizable in the dances that the two groups performed although beliefs about the body cannot be considered in isolation of other motivational factors they can be used as a means of studying how and why particular religious or cultural groups dance this method of evaluating dance as a function of beliefs or ideologies about the human body is given as a possible method for studying other cultural or societal groups who dance and whose beliefs about the body may be reliably gathered in in acknowledgments
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