Dancing with a Ball

As the activities of Nausicaa and her brothers suggest, dance, music, and ball play had a salient function in bringing together groups within the community, given that ball-playing dance seems to be linked not only to play, but also to festivals and rituals. Ball games were not only playful activities, but also graceful and rhythmic performances to be offered to the gods in order to please them. Especially ball games related to female dance activities were performed as a sort of ritual act in honor of the divinities and in anticipation and celebration of marriage. Exploring written sources on ball-playing and material evidence related to female ball-dancing, we will consider some aspects of the ball-dance performances and the related ritual contexts.