ritual dance
1
5.8
- noun
- /ˈrɪtʃuəl dæns/
:
danza ritual
- In another Inca ritual dance on the occasion of the full moon (taqui Yanayra), the rope was set on the ground in the form of a spiral to imitate a snake.
- performing a ritual dance
Examples
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They do a ritual dance before the moon at midsummer.
Fiction book (1998) -
In many cultures, a ritual dance is performed during important ceremonies to connect with the divine.
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Strips of fabric or string are held by women in ritual dances even today.
Academic text (2002) -
"I wanted to create and perform the water ritual dance within the context of my mother's Tlingit culture.
Fiction book (1999) -
Ritual dances or prayer could end droughts.
Blog text (23) -
You'll see some of that later, these, these folkloric ritual dances that the Cubans still do for tourists.
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Traces persist in activities like the martial art of Thang-ta, the ritual dance done in the Laiharaoba festival, and visual designs inscribed on floor surfaces.
Academic text (2009) -
The village held a ritual dance to honor the spirits of their ancestors.
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During the festival, participants performed a ritual dance to invoke good fortune for the coming year.
Synonyms
3
7.5
A traditional dance people do to ask for rain
1
6.1
A traditional dance where men step over or wave swords during celebrations
1
8.2
A group dance done before battle or after a victory, often by Native peoples
1
4.2
A dance done during a religious or ritual ceremony to show respect
1
9.8
A religious dance from the late 1800s in which Native American people try to talk with spirits and find hope
1
8.8
A special dance held in summer by some Native American tribes to honor the sun
A dance done during religious or ceremonial events like weddings and funerals
A traditional dance by some Native American people to ask for rain and a good corn harvest
A sacred dance where people handle snakes as part of a ritual among some Native American groups
A dance by Apache people performed during a religious ceremony
How Ceremonial
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a dance performed as part of a religious or ceremonial ritual' is directly and transparently derived from combining 'ritual' (fixed ceremonial actions) with 'dance' (a sequence of movements). This noun+noun composition follows a common, cross-linguistic pattern, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will readily infer the MWE meaning.
Etymology
Ritual dance simply combines ritual, a set of actions in a ceremony, and dance, meaning movement to music. In many cultures long ago, people used dances in sacred ceremonies to tell stories, ask spirits for help, or honour ancestors, so the phrase came to mean 'a dance performed as part of a ceremony'.