‘Dance Your Sorrow Away!’ : Spirituality, Community and Wellbeing in Christ Apostolic Church, Dublin 1

Abstract

Christ Apostolic Church (CAC) is a Pentecostal and African Initiated Church that emerged from the Yoruba Aládǔrà movement of early twentieth-century Nigeria. In this article I unpack the concept of ‘dancing away sorrow’, one of the distinctive rituals that members of CAC Dublin have brought with them from Nigeria. I explore members’ beliefs about wellbeing and its links with spirituality and community, and examine how music and dance help to facilitate connections with God and fellow worshipers. While the practice offers positive benefits to first generation migrants, it highlights the dissonance perceived by the second generation between Yoruba and Irish culture.

Keywords

• dance
• wellbeing
• migr ation
• Yoruba
• Christ Apostolic Church (CA C)