Saint
Grigol Peradze
2nd
International Scientific Conference
“Georgia and
Christian Civilization”
dedicated to
the 900th Anniversary of the
Battle of Didgori,
Tbilisi,
Georgia
September 20
– 21, 2021
Conference
venue:
Ivane
Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University Campus
1, 1 Ilia Tchavtchavadze Ave.
Time
limit for presentation: 15 min
Indicated
time: Tbilisi local time
September
20, 2021
Auditorium: 115
Registration: 10:00 – 10:30
Auditorium: 115
Zoom: URLhttps://bit.ly/2VGmH3e (ID 720 120 0609, Passcode
Didgori1)
Zoom
Session
Chair: M. Tsurtsumia
21:00 – 21:15
Davit`
Aġmašenebeli and the marginalization of Caucasia’s
Persianate identity
S. Rapp
Sam
Houston State University, United States of America
21:15 – 21:30
Rewriting
the past – Some remarks on the Bagratid view
of the ancient Southern Caucasian
history in the Georgian
chronicles of the K‘art‘lis C‘xovreba and
the Mok‘c‘evay K‘art‘lisay. A proposition of contribution
N. Preud’homme
University
of Lille, France
21:30 – 21:45
Some
Syriac penetential themes in the Galobani
Sinanulisani of St. David the Builder and the tradition of the Shio-Mghvime
A. Muraviev
B. School of
Historical Studies, Higher School of Economics, National Research University, Russia
21:45 – 22:00 “A lions cubs are lions all”. Woman’s power
in the twelfth century Georgia J. Baillie
University
of Vienna, Austria
22:00 – 22:15
Tbilisi
and Mtskheta, a “twin-city” described in the
Afzal Al- Tavarikh
H. Maeda
Tokyo
Metropolitan University, Japan
22:15 – 22:30
The
Khorumi: Healing war trauma through martial dance
therapy
J. L. Morejon
University
of Miami, United States of America
22:30 – 22:45
On
issue of interrelations between the manuscripts of
the Life and Martyrdom of Saint Eustatius
K. Gigashvili
I. Gogebashvili Telavi State University, Georgia
22:45 – 23:00
David
IV and Nikephoros Phokas
M. Tsurtsumia
Independent
Researcher, Georgia
23:00 – 23:45
Discussion
THE KHORUMI: HEALING WAR TRAUMA
THROUGH MARTIAL DANCE THERAPY
J.L. Morejon
University of Miami
United States of America
j.morejon@umiami.edu
In the West, martial arts are often associated with Asian systems
of personal defense. Very rarely does one have the opportunity to acknowledge
martial arts from other parts of the world, specifically from the Caucasus’
Middle Ages period. It is even more extraordinary to see martial arts within
the frame provided by dance-art research. Furthermore, to focus on dance
research within the scope of emotional and psychological therapy for soldiers
is probably an even more unique proposition. This paper is about the Khorumi,
an elaborate war dance inspired by Georgian military traditions based on the
region’s martial arts.\
Originated in the heroic-wars period against the
conquering armies of the Turks, Mongolians and other invading nations, Khorumi
evokes the history of Georgian soldiers by emphasizing their courage and
strength through the performance of war as a dance spectacle. Given the theme
of this conference, it makes sense to use the historic importance that the
Battle of Didgori had in the expulsion of the Seljuks, to locate the possible
origin of the Khorumi. The consolidation of Georgia’s independence, due to
Didgori’s victory, provides a context for the Khorumi to be seen as a dance of
winners. Therefore, when proposing a therapeutic structure for soldiers
suffering from PTSD (Post- Traumatic Stress Disorder), it seems appropriate to
use the Khorumi as a metaphor in the battle against trauma and Didgori as a
metaphor for winning that battle. The Battle of Didgori made possible Georgia's
unification and sense of nationhood, but it also served as a point of departure
for a dance practice that has remained active until now.
Khorumi-inspired songs
and dances have merged historical memories of power with modern conceptions of
military, social, and political strength through modern Georgian martial
symbols that are still present in traditional Khorumi dance. Because the Khorumi
captures the ritual of war it could become an important choreographic device to
be utilized as a template to process war related trauma. Coming from Cuba,
first, and America, second, I have had the opportunity to witness, anecdotally,
the effects of war on Cuban soldiers who fought in Angola, and American
soldiers who fought in Vietnam. In both cases, I have intuitively derived the
hypothesis that because they lacked a ritual that contextualized their
involvement in these wars, they were more susceptible to suffer from PTSD.
However, other than historical references about ancient ritual dance practices
such as the Pyrrhic dances, in which soldiers probably used dance as a form of
martial arts for training, I had no other accounts.
Beyond this, I have
intuitively imagined a ritual scenario in which soldiers would be encouraged to
go to war to defend their immediate community. The ritual would follow with the
honoring of the soldiers by members and leaders of their community for their
sacrifice during battle. Finally, they would be celebrated and welcomed back
officially into their circle of friends and families, into their country as war
heroes. This I have always thought has been a needed performative practice in
the prevention of PTSD caused by war. This hypothesis, however well intended,
lacked a real model to substantiate it; as a tangible proposal in creating a
methodology for the psychotherapeutic treatment of war trauma I needed more
than just intuition, more than just a hypothesis.
I believe that for soldiers
who face PTSD as a result of traumatic war experiences, the re-enactment of
such experiences through dance and martial arts, which I have decided to refer
to as martial dance, could be a healing factor. Where I come from, war has
become an enterprise that has no justifiable meaning other than fighting and
killing as a career path. This negatively affects soldiers’ morale, self-esteem
and self-concept leaving them with a sense of meaninglessness and hopelessness
hard to cope with once they become inactive. Providing a safe space where they
could recreate trauma by using movement metaphors and martial symbols
accompanied or not by music, accompanied or not by word, could connect them
with their own inner-sources of trauma in an abstract, creative and artistic way.
Because the Khorumi is broken into four episodes, each representing a different
phase of war, it could become a feasible frame for the therapeutic process to
take place at an individual or group level.
In the first phase of the Khorumi,
a small number of dancers (representing the commander and his soldiers) begin
preparations for battle and scout out enemy forces. This shows not only that
there is a purpose, but also a sense of reliance among the soldiers and their
superior that is manifested through the dance’s dramaturgy. Was this the case
for the veterans of modern wars in the West or elsewhere? The recreation of
this first part of the dance, now as part of a therapy session, could inform
soldiers of this preliminary aspect of their war experience. If this first part
of the process was ignored, it could be a source for movement exploration and
analysis.
During the second episode of the Khorumi, more dancers join to
reflect the approaching enemy’s army. This demonstrates their sense of bonding
and trust for each other. It also shows their sense of camaraderie as they face
a common enemy. In therapy, this section could tackle precisely whether former
soldiers felt a lack of a common cause. Was the enemy a real threat to their
own communities or a political fabrication?
Who was the enemy and why, could be
questions to embody as the individual or group session deepens the connection
of soldier/clients with their subconscious, their own believe systems and their
own sense of truth. The third episode of the Khorumi is the most readily
identifiable part of the dance since it illustrates the dynamics of the actual
battle. Often the most elaborate scene, this part represents the glory and
strength of the Georgian military forces. In therapy, this section calls for an
embodied emotional release through a movement facilitated climax. Often, it is
these very vivid memories of battle, its casualties and destruction that
provoke the most difficult PTSD episodes.
However, the release is also the most
important aspect of the therapeutic process since it would allow
soldiers/clients to let out their traumatic memories to create artistic
propositions in movement, dance and voice. The finale of the Khorumi presents
the conclusion to the battle followed by the heroes’ triumphant return home.
For soldiers traumatized by an unfriendly and shaming welcoming, inspired by
differences in political affiliations and disagreements on cause and effect by
the bureaucratic war machinery in service of the ruling class, the session’s
closing, could allow a healthy reconciliation with their own war memories as
well as the elaboration of a proper closure to their emotional wounds. Thus,
the Khorumi serves as a sample dance that could inform dance / movement
therapeutic practices available to veterans disabled due to PTSD.
The four
episodes constitute a blueprint for the elaboration of dance/movement therapy
sessions aiming to better the quality of life of those who have risked their
lives for the common good on either side. The Khorumi provides a performative
space for dancers to represent what could have happened before, during and
after, for instance, the Battle of Didgori. The battle is an important
reference because it reminds us of a time in which soldiers fought to defend
their God. For them the war was an extension of their faith, their religious
principles, their codes of ethics and moral values. Both war and dance were
connected to a sense of numen that contemporary performance practices no longer
have. For soldiers in need of therapy, who do not need to be dancers to attend
their group or individual sessions, the Khorumi signals a methodology that
would allow dance / movement therapists and soldiers to use dance not just as a
theatrical expression, but as a useful methodology for the treatment of PTSD,
the restoration of faith in humanity and the reconnection of performance
practice with divine will.
