Undulating the Holy? Returning the Sacred to Our Dancing Bodies: Song of Songs 7:1–4

Abstract

Where is God in the Song of Songs? And in particular, how is the sacred present in the dance of the Shulamite in 7:1–4? Why is this sensual, bodily love poem included in the the canon? This article is an attempt to answer these lingering questions by exploring the historical and sacred underpinnings of the Shulamite's dance. Reading the text through the lens of a dance historian, the author finds evidence of belly dance technique embedded in the words of the text. After exploring some of the sacred origins of belly dance, the author suggests that our dancing bodies are holy and good—even with our flaws, and that the holy does, indeed, dwell within our dancing bodies.