This chapter considers the role of dance in the cult of the saints, tracing the evolution of dance vis-à-vis sanctity and cultic worship. For some saints, dancing became part of their iconic image. Within the context of saintly devotion, dance helped to induce conversion, animate miracles, and promote social cohesion. Insights from performance theory help conceptualize the connection between death and dancing bodies. The first section explores the cult, relics, and reliquary of Sainte Foy, who imbued sacred dance with a significance that was at once regional and international, religious and political. The second section examines the hagiographies of St. Francis of Assisi. Francis—as a prancing preacher, jongleur saint, and living phantom—authorized a new spirituality that diverged from mainstream monasticism, yet bore the mark of apostolic, authentic piety.
“Toward a Shamanic Daily Life”
