Dance in Worship — Why? How?
As a pastor’s kid, I was raised in a Presbyterian church that did not have a tradition of using dance as a form of worship. Although dancing has become an important element of worship in other groups, I was just taught not to move frivolously while singing worship songs. They did not tell me why they were so uptight and insisted that worship could not include dancing. Now, unfortunately, I have become a typical Presbyterian, nearly unable to move in worship, feeling a little bit biased against dancing.
I see that more and more churches are beginning to allow their church members to dance as a way of worship; while some communities and churches, still, have no place for dance in their worship. I became interested in two questions: why we need to dance and how to dance in worship. My natural instinct is to think that music and movement are inseparable, but I wanted to know more about the use of dancing in worship. Under certain circumstances that dance can be an appropriate expression of worship, I think healthy discussion in needed (in my denominational churches especially), and I hope this article will open more theological and practical discussion.
Dance is mentioned more on many occasions in the Bible than I expected. The two most famous appearances of God’s people dancing as a form of worship are found in Miriam’s dancing (Exodus 15:20) and King David’s dancing (2 Samuel 6:16). After Israel’s deliverance from the Red Sea, Miriam was praising God with her joyful dancing and tambourines. David also was dancing before the Lord in celebration when he saw the Ark of the Covenant coming back. The Psalms offer a positive view of dancing to worship God by encouraging the use of dancing to worship God. In light of how dancing is described in the Bible, we come to realize that dancing is in relation to singing and to celebration in worship. The vision of a dancing at churches may seem farfetched to some, but it is a vision firmly rooted in the scripture by theology.
Some have argued that dance is just an Old Testament form of expression because dance does not appear in the New Testament as a method of worship. This argument, however, is not based on clear biblical teaching. In the New Testament, there is no direct statement about dance in this regard. During the period of the New Testament there were difficulties using dance at churches, which truth is in line with the absence of the instrumental music. Also, some opponents of dance stress that David did not dance for the worshiping of God, rather, he did it as an expression of his excitement. In other words, they do not want to accept David’s dance as a liturgical dance. The Bible says clearly that David was dancing wearing a linen ephod, which was a priestly garment. We can surely assume that David was serving and worshiping God as if he was a priest.
At least, these opposite views do not seem to have a strong influence on the main tendency among churches to refuse to accept dance as a form of worship. They just seem to have a reluctance to dance in worship for other reasons. Some of them tend to think that dancing is one of sinful activities for entertainment and others tend to be distrustful of new or unfamiliar worship forms. Mostly, they do not dance because they are too self-conscious about the visual movement. I think this is the reason why dance has not been widely associated as a biblical worship practice.
So, we, pastors and worship leaders, should get a better understanding about the need of dancing and know how to lead our church members. If they come to see that the display of dancing in the Old Testament was a way for God to teach His people how to respond to God’s love and express their gratitude for their deliverance to Him, they are going to dispel negative thoughts about dancing. When dance is done with worshipful and God-focused ways, it can have a proper place in our worship. Christians can utilize dance as an appropriate worship form such as music, drama, or painting. Even though we are not professional dancers, we can teach and seek out some artists who can enable our church members to see into beauty in God’s creation by offering dancing performances and ideas about corporate dancing in our worship.
If and when dance is to be used in worship more often than before, there are some important and necessary aspects of dance for us to keep in mind. It must be faith-filled, worshipful, and prayerful. Dancers must be able to form their worshipful dance by getting in touch with their faith rather than own feelings. In other words, the importance of the use of dance in our future worship lies in the fact that it should encourage church members to come into the presence of God. It is important to understand that dance in the context of worship should not be simply self-expression. It should be done in a way that is helpful to each congregation.
As far as I know, there were some Christian communities that have already used liturgical dance as a principal part of worship such as the Shakers. Some of them finally gave it up because it was difficult for all members of their community to participate. When we choose the style and type of movement of dance in worship, it should be appropriate for the cultural context. Any inappropriate movements could distract us from a focus on Christ.
Finally, I am sure that dance was pictured well as a form of worship in the Bible and it should be carried out in our churches today. But, we should be reminded of that when dance is practiced in a proper way, it could be a beautiful, communicative, and useful art form that helps us glorify our God and have a delightful communion with Him in worship.
