As early as Exodus, Miriam led the other Israelites with tambourines and dancing to celebrate their freedom from Egyptian slavery. In 2 Samuel, David “leaped and danced before the Lord.” The Psalms encourage us to praise His name with dancing, and promise He will turn our wailing into dancing. But what exactly is worship dance? And how can you get started? Turning Pointe Dance is Colorado Springs’ premier faith-based dance studio, on a mission to provide excellence in dance and theater instruction while cultivating hearts of worship and nurturing creativity. Want to know more? Read on for our complete guide to worship dance!
Four-In-One Technique
Worship dance is a unique fusion of techniques, incorporating elements of ballet, modern, jazz and contemporary styles. Our worship classes emphasize interpretation of faith-based music and lyrics while telling a story with movement that can be both fluid and abstract. Students will learn to combine the grace of ballet with the sharpness and energy of jazz and the freedom of movement associated with modern and contemporary. They are encouraged to harness the gifts and talents He has given for His glory as they are taught to interpret his or her steps with feeling, motion and style in a manner that expresses God over self.
Three-In-One Heart
Each worship class is rooted in His word with a goal of glorifying the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. In each class, worship students will learn to use dance as a way to communicate biblical messages or create pictures of song and scripture. We focus on cultivating innovation through creative worship, using scripture and words of worship as motivation for movement. (Think lyrical dance, only the lyrics are scriptures, biblical stories and gospel truths.) Students are encouraged to restore dance to an artform that is worshipful, God-focused, and praiseworthy, and performed in a way that is helpful to the entire class or congregation. Each class is a time of worship structured in a way that honors God and encourages those within the class as movements are practiced to point others to Christ.
What to Expect
Students in a worship dance class should wear a solid-colored leotard or fitted shirt, black joggers, leggings, or shorts, and either dance socks or bare feet, with hair securely off of their face. While Turning Pointe Dance incorporates a monthly devotional word and accompanying scripture passage into each and every class, these elements factor greatly into worship classes, acting as an anchor for discussions, exercises and combinations throughout the year. In addition to learning choreography and exploring how each step can be done differently to express different parts of the words and scriptures, an emphasis is placed on personal prayer and exploration of God’s Word through improvisation time in each class, allowing students to unplug from the world outside the studio, quiet their hearts, and focus on spending time in His presence.
How to Get Started
This season, Turning Pointe Dance offers worship dance classes for students age teen through adult, with leveled classes beginning at Level 3 (ages 12-18). To give it a try, our next Free Trial Week is December 12-17, with another set for January 2-7, 2023. If you decide to enroll, your last chance to sign up is January 31!
To find a worship class that fits your schedule and abilities, browse our 2022-23 school-year session calendar here. To read more about the classes we offer at Turning Pointe, check out our complete list of class descriptions.