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
ABSTRACT
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.
