Sacred Space as Dancescape: Performance, Rituals, and Memory in Magna Graecia

Ancient architectural structures located at shrines can be considered as the locus of dance activities in which song, ritualised body movements, and other forms of musical performances played an important role in ancient religious experience. This chapter aims to explore how the buildings that once framed the sacred space can enrich our knowledge of different kinds of dance performances in antiquity, and enhance our knowledge of spaces for dance and music performances strictly connected to sacred contexts. By analysing material evidence of dance performances from Magna Graecia, this contribution aims to fill a gap in the scholarship on archaeological approaches to dance activities in antiquity, and highlight how material evidence could contribute to a deeper understanding of the cultual and social meanings of dance in the sacred sphere.