1) Definition “spirituality” – “Christianity”:

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We should first undoubtedly define what we mean by "spirituality" in this program "Dance and spirituality" and by "Christian" in this program "Dancing Christian hymns" which is therefore a sub-program of "dance and Christianity.

All dance, like all art, necessarily has an element of spirituality, if by that we mean an invisible dimension of the order of the spirit. All artistic production is the fruit of a marriage between a material and a spiritual dimension.

In this “Dance and spirituality” program, it is appropriate to understand this word “spirituality” as being the expression of faith in a divine Being, or deities, to whom we pay homage through the expression of dance. And this program consists of identifying and exploring these different expressions in the multiplicity of world cultures.

The “Dance and Christianity” program will therefore consider dance as an expression of faith in the person of Christ Jesus. This faith having very varied variations according to the different Churches, or the inner journey of each person, it remains the common denominator: faith in the person of Jesus the Christ, lived in an impulse of the heart, of love

and adoration.

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The dance thus experienced with a Christian hymn as musical support, must be the expression of the mystery which is already expressed in this hymn. The fundamental correspondence between the meaning of the words of the anthem and the meaning of the choreographic expression is essential. The meaning of these words, like the tradition to

which this hymn belongs, must be understood and respected. It is not a question of using this heritage of Christian hymns to give free rein to one's choreographic fantasy independently of the deep meaning of these hymns, but truly offering a dance crossed by the same breath as this hymn, which expresses a reality spiritual experience by the dancer

and choreographer. Any style of dance.

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2) Organization Members / Committee / Referents:

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The Members of this program therefore have an inner process of faith in the person of Christ, experienced in a particular and personal way by each one, and a work as a dancer and/or choreographer. Their application was validated following an interview with one of the members of the Committee.

The Committee is currently composed of: Dr Constantin Kontogiannis, Ms Nathalie GUILLEMÉ, Ms Claudine GÉREZ.

It makes it possible to structure and organize Members' initiatives, and to facilitate exchanges between Members. It is vital that Members interact with the Committee.

 

To do this they can:

- Give the dates of their projects relating to this theme, which will be put on the site in the “events”.

- Listen to their intuitions related to this theme, and share them

- Propose theme(s) for video conferences

- Propose unifying projects in person

- Participate in videoconferences and unifying projects to the extent of their possibilities.

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The Referents are members of the “Dancing the Hymns” program who have a particular function that could be described as “ambassador” to a religious or civil group/institution, in order to facilitate exchanges and the realization of projects that may require them. They will also be able to communicate our work to them, provoking their questions about the presence/place of dance in the current expression of the Christian faith, and opening possible perspectives for the evolution of this place within these groups or institutions.

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Here are the current Referrals:

- For Protestant Churches: Virginie NFA

- For the Churches of the East: Sabine JAMET

- For the Catholic Churches: Claudine GÉREZ

- For Christian Historical Monuments: Nathalie GUILLEMÉ

- For historical research: Catherine Ingrassia

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We can of course imagine other referents, depending on the continents for example, or another Church, or other areas of research. If you would like to become a referent in a field in which you have a specialization and which is close to your heart, do not hesitate to offer yourself.

Dancers/choreographers who are not listed as Members, but would like to occasionally suggest to us a theme for a video conference or an event that could be supported by “Dancing the Hymns”, can of course do so. After validation, we would enter them into the programming.