Liturgical Dance and the development of contemporary movement in the church.

People have engaged with their faith through Liturgical dance for many centuries. In Psalm 149, the psalmist calls us to “praise his name with dancing”. King David danced in worship ahead of the Ark returning to Jerusalem. The Early Church Fathers record that dance was part of the liturgies and culture of the 1st century church. And into the late middle ages, there are records of dance being used in the liturgy of the church.

It is helpful to define what is meant by liturgy and by liturgical dance. A liturgy is a form of words, songs, etc. that are combined together to create a spiritual pathway for people to engage with. Some would describe liturgical dance as a particular style of dance. It is used in specific contexts within the church: as a call to worship, as a presented piece within the time of worship, or maybe illustrating something that will come up in the sermon. In a broad sense, Liturgical dance is the use of any form of dance in the context of a set liturgy. Liturgical dance is usually a choreographed dance (rather than an improvised dance), a non-verbal liturgy intended to enable people to enter into the presence of God.  It can be very powerful and meaningful, both for the dancer and for those watching.

At Movement in Worship, we have found that engaging the body in worship makes it easier to engage the heart, the soul, and the mind.

Those who use dance in their worship testify to a deep spiritual engagement. Yet herein lies a challenge: for those who have had no dance training, or who have no culture of dance, engagement is often limited to observation of the performed piece. This denies to many the depth of spiritual engagement that is available from participating in movement-based forms of worship.

Liturgical dance is by definition set in advance.  An investment of time is needed for rehearsal in order to present a dance well. This prescriptiveness can be limiting: Set dances done well are powerful and emotional, but they are missing a sense of spontaneity.  As the Holy Spirit leads a time of worship, the musicians follow the lead of the Holy Spirit, perhaps repeating a chorus, perhaps changing a song, perhaps allowing time for other things. The leader must be flexible and sensitive, getting the balance right between the liturgy and prompts of the Holy Spirit. Set dance pieces do not lend themselves well to such times of worship. Nonetheless, liturgical dance is a key to the release of creativity in others, and can be a first step to engage others in movement.

In order to make spiritual engagement through movement accessible to everyone, and to develop participation, Movement In Worship has designed a set of activities that are accessible to the untrained (and also to the physically less able). Our focus is on drawing out the individual’s creativity, and we have found our approach to be effective with trained dance professionals as much as with those who “have two left feet”.  Our improvisation approach also lends itself to spontaneous worship and worship that is orchestrated by the Spirit of God.

Liturgical Dance is one of a number of keys that can help people on the journey to discovering creative expression. Rather than teach choreographies, Movement In Worship takes the approach of developing the unique creativity of the individual, helping them explore their own movement “vocabulary” , and empowering them to engage every aspect of their heart soul mind and strength, as an act of worship.  Those who have participated in our workshops tell of discovering new depths of worship, new understanding of intimacy with God, and being released in a variety of spiritual, emotional, and physical ways.

To attend a Movement in Worship workshop, see our schedule of praise and worship events .