Written by Beth Jordahl
Let them praise his name with dancing - Psalm 149:3
Worship dance (sometimes called liturgical dance) is one way to express your faith! It can be something you do at home with some good music, at church as a part of the worship experience, or (like at our studio) as a part of a class. It is simply a way of letting your body participate in an outpouring of praise for what God has done for you.
“The most valuable thing the Psalms do for me is to express the same delight in God that made David dance.” -C.S. Lewis
We love worship dance! So as we celebrate this form of dance here are some fun facts:
1. Worship dance dates back to Biblical times.
We can see in the Psalms how dancing is listed with singing and making music as one way of expressing our praise and admiration of what God has done. In 2 Samuel 6, we see how David dances so passionately that his wife looked on him with disgust. He emphasized how important it was that he pour out his praise.
And David danced before the Lord with all his might, wearing a priestly garment. So David and all the people of Israel brought up the Ark of the Lord with shouts of joy and the blowing of rams’ horns. - 2 Samuel 6:14-15
2. Worship dance is fairly new in the West.
While worship dance is an important part of faith in the Bible, it was phased out of the church experience during the 16th century Protestant Reformation and did not become common or popular in American Christian worship until the 20th century. Now there are many studios across the US that offer worship dance classes. There are even many professional dance companies that operate from a place of Christian worship.
3. Worship dance can be choreographed or can be spontaneous and improvised.
This can be seen clearly in dance classes and companies. In your dance class, you will learn a piece that the class performs together. You may also have many opportunities to improvise to worship music.
*Try it at home! Take some time to choose your favorite worship song. Turn it on and dance! Use your movement to tell a story or express the way you feel or just follow the music.
4. Worship dance can be a combination of lots of types of dance.
Worship dance takes its cues from the music! This means that it can be a combination of lots of different types of dance. Such as, ballet, jazz, hiphop, and lyrical. This means that there are very little rules or expectations! The main goal of worship is to bring glory to God. And that can be done through any style of dance.
5. Worship dance can be used in mission trips!
A great example of this is the past mission trips Turning Pointe has taken. Using choreographed pieces, dancers tell the stories of faith, God’s love, and even the story of Christ. It can be a powerful tool of evangelism as dances connect with the audiences’ emotions and draw them into story. Dance is a powerful art form and can be a beautiful way to display God’s love to others!
If you are interested in what professional Worship Dance looks like, check out these dance companies.
● Ballet Magnificat!, an arts organization dedicated to presenting the good news of Jesus Christ to the whole world, was founded in 1986 by Keith and Kathy Thibodeaux.
● Ballet 5:8 is a professional dance company in Chicago and is a place where artists create, thrive, and exchange ideas informed by Christian faith.
● Paradosi Ballet is a Christian ballet company that was founded in 2007 with the goal of sharing the love of Jesus through dance, drama, and personal witness.
If you would like to try a Worship Dance class, email TurningPointeOffice@gmail.com to schedule a solo or small group lesson, in-studio or online!