Therefore, let everyone who understands God by faith
faithfully
offer Him tireless praise,
Biblical Dancing (and Singing)
“And Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a timbrel in her hand; and all the women went out after her with timbrels and with dances.”
– Exodus 15:20 (when the nation of Israel had just crossed the Red Sea)“And David danced before the LORD with all his might; and David was girded with a linen ephod.”
– 2 Samuel 6:14“Let them praise his name in the dance: let them sing praises unto him with the timbrel and harp.”
– Psalm 149:3“Praise him with the timbrel and dance: praise him with stringed instruments and organs.”
– Psalm 150:4"To everything there is a season, ... and a time to dance."
– Ecclesiastes 3:1-8
Footloose
"...What did David do? What did David do? What did David do? David danced. Leaping and dancing before the Lord. There was a time for this law [against dancing and rock music], but not anymore. This is our time to dance ... [Dancing] is our way of celebrating life."
– Ren (played by Kevin Bacon) petitioning the council for permission to dance in the 1984 film, Footloose
Gueca
Dancing is a vital part of other religions. For example, Native African and American spirituality often center on dancing. Indeed it has been said that the heart of native religion can be seen in their dance. It’s simply a powerful way to express oneself – to make a statement – and to celebrate life.
Perhaps one of the most haunting examples of the important role of dance in people’s lives that I have become aware of comes from Chile, the dance is called the “Gueca.” The Gueca is a traditional courting dance done by couples in love – a dance of joy and thanksgiving. However, during the years of the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet, Chile was plagued by injustice and thousands of people literally “disappeared” – victims of murder squads, security forces, the police, and the army. Because of these tragedies in Chile, the “Gueco Solo” or the “dance alone” came to be performed publicly by the wives, daughters, and mothers of the disappeared. Often woman would dance with the photographs of their loved ones pinned to their clothes. They’d go out in groups, do this folk dance with their invisible partners, in front of police stations. The dance was a symbolic, powerful gesture of protest and grief. The act of dancing became the vehicle for these people to express themselves more completely, to keep their sanity and humanity, and to be closer to God.
– Rev. John Mueller, July 20, 2003Sting -- the popular solo recording artist and former front-man for the rock band, the Police -- wrote a song about this dance after seeing a news brief [http://www.songfacts.com/detail.lasso?id=1983]. The song is called They Dance Alone and it is available on his 1987 release, Nothing Like the Sun [amazon.com].
Wovoka
"When the Sun died, I went up to Heaven and saw God and all the people who had died a long time ago. God told me to come back and tell my people they must be good and love one another, and not fight, or steal or lie. He gave me this dance to give to my people. When you get home you must make a dance to continue five days. Dance four successive nights, and the last night keep us the dance until the morning of the fifth day, when all must bathe in the river and then disperse to their homes. You must all do in the same way."
– Wovoka (on the Ghost Dance http://www.crystalinks.com/paiute.html)
Buddhists
Korean Buddhists used sacred ritual dancing as a way of telling religious stories of the Buddha and sharing in their collective spirituality. Tibetan Buddhists also use ritual songs and dances to express their beliefs. Buddhist monks still dance today, both as religious ceremony and to share their spiritual practices with the rest of the world. To learn more about it, go to BuddhaNet [www.buddhanet.net/e-learning/history/buddhist-art/korean07.htm].
Christians
Christians use ballet, jazz, hip hop, modern, lyrical, and interpretive dance to express their religion. There are over 1,200 praise schools across the United States that train dancers in these techniques. To find a school near you, go to Christian Sacred Dance [http://www.christiandance.com].
Hindus
For India's Hindu population, dance has been an important form of religious expression since ancient times. Each dance is composed of nritta (movement), nritya (illustration), and natya (the telling of the tale). Stories about Hindu gods and goddesses are often told through song, dance, and drama. To learn more about traditional Hindu dances, read this article: "Philosophy of Hindu Dance" [http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Academy/5185/2-1dance.html].
Jews
Israeli folk dance began as a way to reflect the revival of Jewish culture in the 1940s. It has been influenced by the traditional dances of different ethnic groups in Israel, though many of its dances are choreographed to modern Israeli music. Israeli folk dance is now performed all over the world. To find a performance or class near you, go to Rokdim Israeli Folk Dance Center [http://www.rokdim.co.il/home/home.asp].
Sufis
Within Sufism, a sect of Islam, exists a tradition of people commonly called whirling dervishes. The dervishes dance to focus their attention on their inner center and to connect with God. In their dancing ceremony, known as the Sema, the dervishes extend their arms and twirl. To learn more about the Sema, go to Mevlana.net. To see the dance in action, check out DanK Photos [http://www.dankphotos.com/whirling/index.shtml].
Gabrielle Roth: 5 Rhythms
"After you jump and before you land -- is God."
– Gabrielle Roth (Teacher, Author, Theater Director ... Dancer)[http://www.ravenrecording.com/index2.html]
Other References / Resources
Making a Joyful Noise in Religious Ritual
Adapted From: Religion For Dummies [http://www.dummies.com/WileyCDA/DummiesTitle/productCd-0764552643.html]When Did Dance Start?
www.oap.ucsb.edu/diversity/DCDocuments/begin.docThe Process of Moving Meditation
http://www.oraculartree.com/meditation104.htmlMeditate Daily
A nonprofit foundation that promotes meditation as a means for peace, love, and healing. The site has information about meditation and guided meditation CDs which feature the Native American flute
http://www.meditatedaily.org/Music for Healing and Transition Program
National Educational Certification Program for Musicians and Music Students who wish to become Music Practitioners
http://www.mhtp.org/
More Quotes
"After silence, that which comes nearest to expressing the inexpressible is music."
– Aldous Huxley"Music is the silence between the notes."
– Claude Debussey"After silence, that which comes nearest to expressing the inexpressible is music."
– Aldous Huxley"When I open my eyes, I can only sigh, for what I see is contrary to my creed: and I must despise the world for not perceiving that music is a higher revelation than any wisdom or philosophy. It is the wine that inspires new creations, and I am the Bacchus, who presses out this wine for men, and makes them spiritually drunk; when they are sober they bring to shore all kinds of things which they have caught. God is nearer to me than to others. I approach him without fear, I have always known him. Neither am I anxious about my music, which no adverse fate can overtake, and which will free him who understands it from the misery which afflicts others."
– Ludwig Von Beethoven[Music] takes us out of the actual and whispers to us dim secrets that startle our wonder as to who we are, and for what, whence, and whereto.
– Ralph Waldo EmersonA verbal art like poetry is reflective; it stops to think. Music is immediate, it goes on to become.
– W. H. Auden"Dancers are the athletes of God."
– Albert Einstein"We dance for laughter, we dance for tears, we dance for madness, we dance for fears, we dance for hopes, we dance for screams, we are the dancers, we create the dreams."
– Anonymous"I see dance being used as communication between body and soul, to express what it too deep to find for words."
– Ruth St. Denis"I would believe only in a God that knows how to dance."
– Nietzsche"Those who dance are considered insane by those who can't hear the music."
– George Carlin