Beyond Metaphor: The Trinitarian Perichōrēsis and Dance

Abstract

Abstract This article critically explores the question of how the image and metaphor of the Trinitarian divine dance could enhance the dialogue between theology and dance. Could this metaphor actually be a source of said dialogue? Does this idea of the Trinitarian dance really do justice either to the divine mystery of the Trinity or to dance itself? If we would like to go beyond metaphor, what further approach would be necessary? This article examines how different authors (e.g., C. S. Lewis, Paul S. Fiddes, and Catherine M. LaCugna) have used the image or metaphor of dance to describe the perichōrēsis within the Trinity as well as the creation’s perichoretic participation. This article concludes the survey by pointing out that contemporary usages of the Trinitarian dance metaphor are participating in European Christianity’s longstanding bias against dance, no matter how much they appear to appreciate it on the surface. The bias is related to Christianity’s ambivalent attitude toward the human body, despite its foundational belief that the Word became flesh. Therefore, a call to bring the lens of dance into Christian theology should be taken as nothing less than a call to eliminate this bias against the human body itself.