Dance

Singers and dancers alike say, ‘All my springs are in you.’ (Psalm 87:7)

Praise God with tambourine and dance...Let everything that breathes praise the Lord! (Psalm 150:4, 6)

Liturgical Dance is often source of much joking and contempt in the Episcopal Church. This contempt is usually the result of one or more of the following:

1) Bad dancing
2) Bad liturgy and/or theology
3) Pervasive personal and cultural discomfort with our own bodies, and the bodies of others

In any liturgy, even if the dancing, liturgy, and theology are all excellent (which is a big "if"), in contemporary American society you can count on there being some serious "body issues" in the room. Bodies and body movement trigger all sorts of painful and unresolved issues with us--issues around abuse, health, (dis)ability, sexuality, and more abound!

Is liturgical dance, then, a lost cause? Should we just quit trying? By no means! This occasion for discomfort--when it unfolds with thought, intention, and skill in the context of a prayerful worshipping community--becomes an opportunity for deep healing, and more abundant life.

Jesus, the Incarnation of God in human flesh, reminds us that bodies matter. As embodied creatures, prayer and worship always involve our bodies, as well as our hearts and minds. Dance offers one avenue for involving our bodies in a more full, expressive, and intentional way in prayer and worship.

In the video, below, I dance the role of Mary Magdalene in a liturgical dance piece choreographed by Carla DeSola for the installation of Bishop Marc Andrus as the Bishop of the Diocese of California at Grace Cathedral in July, 2006.

More recently I choreographed & performed this meditation on the Last Words of Jesus, "Into your hands I commend my spirit" to the song, "I Will Rise" by Andra Day at St. Thomas of Canterbury Episcopal Church, Albuquerque, Good Friday 2018.

What is Liturgical Dance?

Dance in worship, also known as liturgical dance, is deeply grounded in both scripture and tradition. For those people seeking a quick but thorough introduction to the history, theology, and forms of liturgical dance (written from a Roman Catholic perspective, but applicable to anyone in a liturgical church tradition, such as the Episcopal Church), we recommend the book "Introducing Dance in Christian Worship." Liturgical dance is not a "performance" imported into worship, but rather a deep embodied expression of elements intrinsic to worship: procession, proclamation, prayer, offertory, reflection, etc.

Introduction to Liturgical Dance with Carla DeSola

In the following section, liturgical dance pioneer Carla DeSola and I offer a basic introduction to the Who? What? Where? When? and Why? of liturgical dance.

Why?

There are a variety of theological and pastoral reasons why we might strive to expand the use of movement, gesture, or dance in Christian worship.

From a theological point of view, liturgical dance reflects an incarnational, sacramental theology. Jesus, the Incarnation of God in human flesh, reminds us that bodies matter. And so we strive to worship in ways that involve our bodies, as well as our hearts and minds. Like the sacraments of the church, liturgical dance can become an "outward and visible expression of inward and spiritual grace."

From a pastoral point of view, liturgical dance may enable us to more fully welcome and celebrate the particular gifts of artists in our congregations and create space for artists to offer their gifts to the glory of God in the service of the worshipping community. Liturgical dance also creates the opportunity for people who may feel alienated from their own bodies to develop a healthy and appreciative sense of their bodies as "temples of the Holy Spirit", created and beloved by God.

Who?

There is a saying, "If you can talk, you can sing. If you can walk, you can dance." We would go further, and say "If you can breathe, you can pray and sing and dance!" When we consider liturgical music, we see that there are some occasions in worship that call for congregational singing, others for trained choirs, and others for professional soloists. Likewise, when we consider liturgical dance, we see that there are some occasions in worship that call for congregational movement, others for trained movement choirs, and others for professional soloists.

In answering the question "WHO", it is important to understand your worshipping community. Is your community generally young, elderly, or intergenerational? More or less mobile? More conservative or more innovative? Does your community place a stronger emphasis on participation or professionalism in its liturgical style? Are there already dancers in your community? What is their background and training?

For example, if your community places a high value on congregational participation in worship, like the community St. Gregory of Nyssa Episcopal Church in San Francisco, then it might make sense to introduce liturgical dance by introducing more opportunities for congregational movement. For example, St. Gregory's invites everyone in the congregation to learn to "sing and sign" liturgical prayers, and to join in a simple congregational circle dance at the end of each service. If your community places a high value on polished aesthetics and professional music in worship, like the community of Grace Cathedral in San Francisco, then it makes sense to introduce liturgical dance by inviting professionally trained dancers, like those in Omega Dance Company, to lead movement prayers, processions, or meditations on behalf of the community in worship.

Both trained and untrained dancers can bring gifts to the liturgy. By understanding the particular gifts that different groups of dancers bring we can welcome them and incorporate dance into the liturgy in ways that support the experience and expression of worship in a particular community.

The entire congregation dances a circle dance after the Eucharist on Easter at St. Gregory of Nyssa, San Francisco

Professionally trained dancers offer a movement meditation before the Gospel Procession at Grace Cathedral, San Francisco

Where?

It is vital to assess the space in which liturgical dance will occur. While some communities worship in spaces that have a large, visible stage, like an auditorium, many do not. What are the characteristics of your worship space? Is it indoors or outdoors? Are there pews or movable seats or no chairs at all? Is there one long central aisle? What about side aisles? Is there a balcony? Does the community worship "in the round"? What are the sight lines?

For example, many worship spaces feature a long central aisle, which is ideal for creating liturgical dances in procession. However, these processional dances can be adapted to work in other sorts of liturgical spaces (and vice versa). Below are instructional videos for three simple dances created for a service at St. Gregory of Nyssa Episcopal Church, where the community gathers "in the round" around a central altar. Each dance could easily be adapted for procession down a long central aisle.

What is the flooring---earth, wood, stone, carpet? How might dancers interact with fixed ritual objects, furniture, and architectural elements in the space--altar, table, pulpit, lectern, baptismal font, organ, candelabras, etc.?

Liturgical choreography must often be adapted and made "site specific." Notice in the video, below, how a simple movement sequence that might be used in a variety of liturgical contexts is adapted to become "site specific" in relation to a baptismal font.

Another example of liturgical choreography that makes intentional use of the liturgical space is Omega West's Table Setting Dance and Women at the Tomb Easter Enactment (below). Notice in both cases how the dancers make use of the altar.

When?

Decide when you would might most successfully incorporate liturgical dance into worship in your community. In the morning or the evening? On a special day (Christmas, Easter, Pentecost, St. Francis Day, Mother's Day) or on an "ordinary" day? During a somber season (Lent) or a celebratory season (Easter)? For a regular Sunday service, or for another service or event (a retreat, small group, youth event, pageant)?

Once you have identified a season and occasion to incorporate dance, identify a time in the service to incorporate dance.
Some moments in a typical worship service that might be enriched by the introduction of dance include:

At processions (opening processional, closing recessional, before and after the Gospel reading, at the offertory)
During, or in response to, a psalm, scripture reading or sermon
During a familiar liturgical prayer (Invocation, Trisagion, Kyrie, Gloria, Sanctus, Lord's Prayer)

As you work to discern when in a service to incorporate liturgical dance, it is crucial to understand the liturgy and what you, as part of the team of liturgical leaders, are hoping to accomplish. Always ask: What is the community doing at this point in the service? What does it mean? What is it for? How might liturgical dance enrich or amplify this liturgical action?
For example, in recent years St. Gregory of Nyssa Episcopal Church has decided to integrate more dance into their main Christmas Eve Liturgy. Notice how the use of dance helps amplify the crescendo of energy throughout the liturgy.

As the liturgy begins, we are still in a space of Advent. The church is dim, and the mood meditative. A single, trained teenage dancer introduces the Liturgy of the Word (the Christmas Pageant) with a danced prayer. Between each of the seven scenes of the pageant, he dances a meditation based on the seven ancient advent O Antiphons.

As the pageant concludes, the entire pageant cast joins together in a simple dance while the congregation sings a simple Gloria. The cantor teaches the people the song by ear, in the moment, so that they are not distracted by music or song books, and can be fully attentive to the joyful dance unfolding among them.

After communion, the liturgy reaches it's climax with the final carol. A "carol" is literally a "sung dance". The cantor teaches the steps in the moment, then the whole congregation sings and dances the final Christmas Carol together.

What?

When incorporating dance into the liturgy, you need to consider both the function and form the dance will take.

Function: What is the function, or purpose, of the dance in this particular worship context? Prayer? (Will the dance help people enter more deeply into prayer?) Proclamation? (Will the dance illustrate, embody, or interpret a scripture passage?) Meditation? (Will the dance help usher people into a time of silence or contemplation?) Celebration? (Or will the dance help move people into a time of celebration?) Practical? (Will the dance bring beauty to a functional task, such as lighting candles, pouring water, setting the communion table, stripping the altar, carrying the offering baskets, etc.)

Form: The architecture of your worship space (where) as well as the culture of your community and the background and training of your dancers (who) will influence the form your liturgical dance might take. What cultural and aesthetic considerations currently shape worship in your community? Will your dance be more improvisational, or more tightly choreographed? What dance forms and movement vocabularies will you draw from? (Ballet, modern, jazz, hip-hip, world dance, martial arts, yoga, tai-chi---the possibilities are endless!)

How?

Inviting people to engage more deeply in worship through movement can be at once exhilarating and terrifying. We experience power that is both dangerous and life-giving whenever we draw near to the Divine. Be courageous and patient, daring and discerning as you seek to introduce and expand the role of dance in the worship life of your community. Deep prayer, clear communication, and careful planning will enable you to do this holy work well.

Improvisations on the Psalms

One especially simple, accessible format for incorporating movement into a liturgical, educational, or retreat setting is a structured improvisation on one of the Psalms, which can be more improvisational or more choreographed, according to your context. I have used this basic structure for praying the psalms with success in both formal and informal liturgies, retreats, classes, and camps. You can see some examples, below.

Dancing the Offertory/Table Setting

I also find it effective to invite dancers of all ages to lead the offertory and table setting for the Eucharist on special occasions.