Podcast Episode Summary

Podcast: New Books Network
Host: Dr. Miranda Melcher
Guest: Dr. Lynneth Miller Renberg
Episode: "Women, Dance and Parish Religion in England, 1300-1640: Negotiating the Steps of Faith"
Date: February 14, 2026

Main Theme

This episode explores Dr. Lynneth Miller Renberg’s book, which investigates medieval and early modern attitudes toward dance within the context of the church in England (1300–1640). By examining theological, social, and practical concerns, the conversation reveals how dance evolved from a potentially saintly act into a symbol of female sacrilege and sexual sin, impacting community life, gendered norms, and personal agency.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Origins and Motivation for the Book

• Dr. Renberg’s personal experience as a dancer influenced her academic curiosity about social perceptions of dance and performance, noting regional and cultural divergences (01:47).
• She was struck by 19th- and 20th-century sermons demonizing dance, even as the Bible commands “praise the Lord with dance,” prompting her to trace historical attitudes backward into the Middle Ages (02:30–04:29).
• The project is rooted in the central question: How did the perception of dance shift so radically within Christian culture?

2. Core Research Questions

• What theological and social drivers catalyzed the transformation in attitudes toward dance?
• How did the rhetoric of sermons reflect — or fail to reflect — lived experiences in parishes?
• How did gender—especially the increasing association of dance with women—shape religious and practical life? (04:51–06:29)

3. Church Concerns and Historical Context

• Across the period from the Fourth Lateran Council to the English Reformation, the Church’s core concern remained: ensuring that both clergy and laity believed and behaved correctly.
• New emphases on clerical and lay reform led to teaching “right faith” alongside its appropriate applications in daily life—such as maintaining sacred space and time (07:04–10:29).
• Dance came to be seen as a marker of potential sacrilege, a warning sign for suspect belief or lax piety:

  “If you believe rightly, you won’t dance, and if you dance, it indicates you believe wrongly.” (09:55, Renberg)

4. Place, Time, and the Disciplining of Dance

• The prohibition on dance was not absolute; it focused on restricting when and where it occurred — specifically, against dancing in sacred spaces (churches, churchyards) or at sacred times (during Mass) (10:57–13:37).
• Example: Medieval tales where dance disrupts the priest, even leading him to accidentally sing profane songs during the Mass.

5. Gendering of Dance

• Early critiques targeted both men and women, especially clergy, but over time, the focus shifted to women as the principal problem (13:55–16:27).
• The famous “cursed dancing carolers” tale began neutrally but evolved so later retellings blamed and punished female dancers disproportionately.

6. From Gendering to Sexualization

• The association of dance with female sexuality emerged through two parallel discourses: one about actions that don’t belong in sacred space, and another that connected women’s bodies to clerical temptation and sin (16:49–19:51).
• These discourses merged, turning the “dancing woman” into the embodiment of religious and sexual transgression:

  “…We see this discourse about dance as a form of gendered sacrilege slipping into… dance [as] also a problem of sexual sin… these all collapse down into one singular body, and that’s the body of the dancing woman.” (19:40, Renberg)

7. Dance, Witchcraft, and Gendered Fear

• By the late 1300s, dance appears in witch trial rhetoric; dancing women were increasingly framed as witches or in league with the devil (21:19–23:32).
• Dance served as a “tangible sign” for deeper, less visible suspicions (about faith or morality), feeding into witch-hunting culture.

8. Transmission through Sermons and the Story of Salome

• Sermons and scriptural commentaries played a crucial role in embedding these ideas.
• The example of Salome—whose dance led to the beheading of John the Baptist—became a focal point for discussions of dance, gender, and sin. Over time, sermons shifted blame from Herod and Herodias to Salome as a symbol of dangerous female dancing (24:31–29:03).
• A notable quote illustrates the shift:

  “An early modern sermon actually talks about how in our day… dancing women have led to the death of many a young male saint.” (28:51, Renberg)

9. Practical Consequences in Parish Life

• On the ground, records show men dancing in protest or celebration—even as sermons increasingly vilified women dancers.
• Gendered rhetoric about dance hardened social divisions, limited women’s public participation, and created “traps”—women were blamed for abuse or social disorder simply by being present or moving in the wrong context (29:54–35:22).
• Example: Communal fundraising dances (sometimes organized by women) were suppressed as women’s public presence grew more suspect.

10. Gaps and Tensions between Ideology and Practice

• Diocesan and parish court records reveal a disconnect: although the rhetoric emphasized sinful women, men were often those actually dancing in disruptive ways (29:54–35:34).
• The ideological constructs did not always match the lived realities—yet the rhetoric was powerful in restricting women further.

11. Surprising Discoveries

• Despite official condemnation, communities resisted: dance persisted as both a form of protest and community building.
• Notably, accusations related to dance could overshadow more serious matters, such as in a Salisbury court case where concerns about churchyard dancing diverted attention from real crimes (35:46–39:29).
• Memorable moment:

  “…He [the defendant] accuses [the wardens] of two things. One, allowing the church wall to crumble… and two, dancing instead of going to church. And at this point the trial record goes off the rails… and our person… walks out having temporarily avoided being fined.” (37:16, Renberg)

12. New Research Directions

• Renberg’s new projects include a study of emotion in medieval York and, separately, dance and movement in Sami (indigenous Scandinavian) identity formation (39:46–41:56).

Notable Quotes & Moments with Timestamps

• On the transformation of dance’s meaning (early vs. late period):

  “Dance comes up often as an aside as an example of something that is a bigger point. But very few people… develop theological frameworks entirely around dance. So as you repeatedly make these side comments, assumptions pile up… that then lead to these broader changes over time.” (03:37, Renberg)

• On how dance became gendered:

  “A version from the 15th century… after this sermon, tale goes into a much longer rant about women and how sacrilegious women are in general. And so we see this really interesting shift…” (15:25, Renberg)

• On collapsing gender and sexual anxiety:

  “…The body of women has a cause of sacrilege. Once you’ve established that… it is not that difficult to take those rhetorical steps… and say, well, that’s actually because the real problem is sex.” (18:56, Renberg)

• On the Salome sermons:

  “As we see this discourse about sacrilege and about sexuality taking root, we start to see the girl in the narrative play a bigger role… the emphasis shifts… to the dancer. And it shifts to emphasize how dance is often indicative of a sinful environment and the cause of more sins, leading to the death of all of those around the dancer.” (27:14, Renberg)

• On practical effects for women:

  “…if women’s bodies are inherently problematic, especially bodies in motion, then maybe women’s bodies should simply stay inside, seems to be the way the early modern logic goes.” (32:27, Renberg)

• On sermons vs. parish records:

  “…when you get into the record of what’s happening on the ground, it’s mainly men. There were a number of men who would go dance around the houses of their ministers at midnight…” (30:33, Renberg)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Introduction and purpose – 00:05–01:30
• Author’s background & book genesis – 01:35–04:29
• Research questions and period focus – 04:29–06:29
• Church objectives & historical thread – 07:04–10:29
• Specifics of time, space, and dance – 10:29–13:37
• Gender and shift toward female focus – 13:37–16:27
• Sexualization and collapse of discourses – 16:46–19:51
• Dance, witchcraft, and social fear – 21:19–23:32
• Sermons, Salome, and communication – 24:31–29:03
• Practical consequences for women & communities – 29:54–35:22
• Gaps between preachings and records – 29:54–35:34
• Surprises and memorable case studies – 35:46–39:29
• Future research directions – 39:46–41:56

Conclusion

Dr. Renberg’s research reveals how what may seem a niche ecclesiastical concern—dance—serves as a lens through which to understand changing religious, social, and gender norms in late medieval and early modern England. Her nuanced exploration of sermons, scripture commentaries, and parish records exposes both the power and the limits of religious discourse as it intersects with everyday lived experience, especially for women. Despite the constraints imposed from above, communities found ways to negotiate, resist, or repurpose dance, underscoring its persistent social power.

For more:
Read the book: Women, Dance and Parish Religion in England, 1300-1640: Negotiating the Steps of Faith (Boydell & Brewer, 2022).
Dr. Renberg is working on new projects exploring emotions in medieval York and movement among the Sami.

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