Sacred Expressions: Dance and Movements in the Realm of the Spirit
Conversations Across the Field of Dance Studies December 22, 2025 Ireka Jelani
In Spiritual Baptist communities across Barbados and the eastern and southern Caribbean, dance and movement are essential to worship, serving as a vehicle for spiritual activation and communication with the divine. The body becomes a percussive instrument, shaking, jerking, swaying, and pumping with aspirated breath or doption when spirits are evoked through word, song, prayer, drums, and other instruments. This analysis draws on ethnographic fieldwork, participant-observation, interviews with spiritual leaders and members, and qualitative review of printed and online sources to examine patterns, gestures, and symbolism in sacred performances. The work legitimizes elders' spiritual knowledge and highlights creative, innovative ways the body expresses ecstatic rejoicing and transformation during ceremonies.