The Senetha is the dance form of the Senethar, known as the Great Dance. It uses the same four disciplines as the Senethar: water-flowing, earth-moving, fire-leaping and wind-blowing. It is not intended for entertainment so much as for traditional, ritual and magical purposes. A Kencyr with Shanir abilities can use the Senetha to channel and focus energy, which is done in Kencyr temples. In addition, some more powerful abilities are channeled through the Senetha, such as Jamethiel Dream-Weaver and Jame's ability to reap souls. In a weaker form of this Shanir ability, the Senetha hypnotizes. Jame uses this ability as the B'tyrr dancer.
The movements of the dance are known as kantirs, as are the forms of the Senethar combat. The movements of the dance have some relation to the shapes traced to form the master runes; in Seeker's Mask, Jame constructs a master rune from the "more esoteric kantirs" of the Senetha.[1] Here, and in several other places, Jame dances the Senetha only in her mind, without using her body. She does similarly when she dances for King Sellik XXI, the Archiem of Skyrr, and Harr sen Tenko to save the Res aB'tyrr in God Stalk.[2]
Costume[]
When Jame dances the Senetha in Tai-tastigon, as the B'tyrr, she wears a costume Kithra made her. She recounts that she once wore a similar costume in the Master's House, implying that this costume was true to the traditional costume of a Senetha dancer. A Senetha dancer is close-fitting and made of tight black cloth and some leather; it features "much skin showing in unexpected places" in the form of slashes; the sleeves are full.[3][4][5] Women dancing the Senetha are always masked, in the Kencyr tradition.[6]
References[]
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