Q. It is a belief that dancing promotes sexual desires? Is it correct? Please clarify.
Answer by Romapada Swami: Dancing for the pleasure of Krishna — such as dancing in sankirtan — is transcendental devotional service. It purifies one of material infections. Such dancing is the natural activity of the soul – in fact, it is described that in the spiritual world every word is a song and every step is a dance. Whereas dancing for sense gratification as seen in the material world is but a perverted reflection.
We find numerous descriptions in the pastimes of Lord Caitanya and His devotees of their ecstatic dancing and chanting which purified all three worlds. Thus, dancing before the Deities or in sankirtan — in a mood of service and for the pleasure of the Lord — is a recommended practice in devotional service, and a very spontaneous and joyful form of worship; it is especially suited for this age.
Mundane art, music, dance etc, which are not dovetailed in service to the Supreme Lord generally promote the mode of passion. Invariably it is seen that such forms of art are often employed to attract recognition from others or for personal sense gratification. Srila Prabhupada therefore remarked once that by dancing for Krishna and decorating the temple we can go to Vaikuntha, whereas by decorating a dancing club one degrades in consciousness! The determining factor is one’s motivation or consciousness.
