Liturgical dance is being increasingly re-introduced into services of Christian worship. Behind the choreography is the belief that the dance must be a heartfelt expression of faith and prayer. It is a physical expression of worship.Young people especially need to see a connection between body, movement and spirit. The aim is not to dazzle audiences but to deepen their religious experience, to make dance a prayer. The Shakers were an example of a religious group which practised liturgical dance. Dance and the Shakers went hand-in-hand. The church, which was founded in 1747 in Manchester, England was officially known as the “United Society of Believers in Christ’s Second Appearing.”
Ann Lee (latter to be known as Mother Ann), and eight other members of the society left for New York in 1774 to avoid persecution. It was in America that their dances led to them being known as “Shakers”. A very important concept was that a simple and aesthetic life mirrored heaven on earth. Other deeply held beliefs were celibacy, pacifism, communal ownership of material possessions, equality of all people and the confession of sins. Sacred dance was the climax of Shaker worship at a time when dance was considered to be immoral by many Christian churches. Originally the worshippers expressed themselves through inspirational dance. They felt inspired to twirl, twist, leap into the air and collapse on the ground. They whirled round fast by propelling themselves in circles by putting one foot over the other. This all sounds very similar to the Sufi dervish dances. This whirling continued for 10-15 minutes, sometimes for as long as 40 minutes. The Shakers abandoned this style of dance in the early nineteenth century. The sacred dance which followed was calmer and had set choreography. The dances had names such as Double Square, Mother’s Star, and Square and Compass. The Shakers truly understood the power and meaning of dance in worship. J.G. Davies in “A Shaker Dance Service Reconstructed” explains how they justified the use of dance in worship. 1. The physical motions add a greater dimension to the expression of prayer. 2. Since Shaker dancing is due to the direct operation of the Holy Spirit, it is a gift of God and his gifts are to be used, not neglected. 3. Worship should not be passive but active, and this means that not only the tongue and vocal cords but the whole of one’s body should be dedicated to the praise of God. 4. Congregational dancing both expresses and renders more profound that unity or cooperation that should characterize God’s people. Such dancing allows for the recognition and consecration of natural apptitudes and skills and it affirms the equality of the sexes.” Here is an annonymous account of the dance from “Living Among the Shakers, 1843 “Thither they (the dancers) proceeded in perfect order and solemn silence. Each had on thin dancing shoes; and on entering the door of the hall they walked on tip-toe, and took up their positions as follows: the brothers formed a rank on the right, and the sisters on the left, facing each other, about five feet apart. After all were in their proper places the Chief Elder stepped into the center of the space, and gave an exhoratation for about five minutes, concluding with an invitation to them all to “go forth, old men, young men and maidens, and worship God with all their might in the dance”. Accordingly they “went forth”, the men stripping off their coats and remaining in their shirt-sleeves. First they formed a procession and marched around the room in double-quick time, while four brothers and sisters stood in the center singing for them. After marching in this manner until they got a little warm, they commenced dancing, and continued it until they were pretty well tired. During the dance the sisters kept on one side, and the brothers on the other, and not a word was spoken by any of them. After they appeared to have had enough of this exercise, the Elder gave the signal to stop, when immediately each one took his or her place in an oblong circle formed around the room, and all waited to see if anyone had received a “gift”, that is, an inspiration to do something odd. Then two of the sisters would commence whirling round like a top, with their eyes shut; and continued this motion for about fifteen minutes; when they suddenly stopped resumed their places, as steady as if they had never stirred…” The Shakers believed that the dance was so important because it liberated the soul and invited the temporary possession of the indiviual by spiritual energies from another dimension. Liturgical dance can include folk dance, modern dance, jazz, interpretive dance, spontaneous dance, and circle dance to name a few. There are many sources of inspiration for the choreography . For example some songs have “danceability” which allows the words to be interpreted as movement. The dancers could also move spontaneously to the music and see what emerges. Sign language can be used as a basis to create dance movement. The religious exercises of St.Ignatius Loyola have inspired some Church groups to create dances. Many aspects of worship can be expressed through dance. Praise where the dancers are offering thanksgiving, worship when the relationship between the performers would be expressed through reverent, yielding movements.There are dances of celebration and those expressing the battle against evil where the movement would be forceful, bold and full of confidence. Expressing travail and trouble for example would suggest movements showing a cry to God for help, guidance, direction and relief. Simplicity and humility are characteristics which are emphasized. Liturgical choreographers have to sensitively integrate their choreography into rituals that have been established for hundreds of years. All works have to be created with the individuality of each sanctuary’s architecture in mind. Sometimes obstacles such as steps have to be taken into account or the altar is in the middle of the dancing space and the choreography must take account of such facts. Dance might accompany the entrance of the clergy and choir into the church, might replace the sermon, serve as a meditation or accompany an ancient prayer. Christian womens groups are at the forefront of re-introducing liturgical dance. Interpreting scripture through movement can in fact be done by anyone, anywhere. Neither physical ability or experience with dance are required. Dancers do need to work together for a significant period of time before dancing in an actual service. This develops a deep rapport between the dancers. If there are great differences in technical ability then the choreography must be at the level of the least experienced. Dancers are more likely to be women than men. Some groups only dance for their own congregations while others tour.There are congregations who are involving the youth in dance, fitness and nutrition education. Christian based dance schools impart character development, self-discipline, self-control and self-esteem. The students are taught in a positive atmosphere with strong dance technique. Some dance companies have women’s , young adults and childrens groups. The International Christian Dance Fellowship is an ecumenical fellowship that links individuals and organisations involved in dance and movement ministries around the world. Dzagbe Cudjoe is a Dance Movement Therapist and ethnologist with wide experience of Dance in Africa and Europe. As an ethnologist her main field of research was into West African traditional religion. As a Dance Movement Therapist her area of specialization is working with children who have challenging behaviour or severe physical and intellectual Special Needs. Dzagbe is now working on helping the parents of such children to appreciate the healing effects of dance. She is the author of the e-manual “Dance to Health – Help Your Special Needs Child Through Inspirational Dance.” For more Information visit Dance to Health
Related Articles –
Shaker dance, community, songs, worship, laboring, worship, liturgical dance, Christian Church, prayer, congregation, choreography, ministry, dancer,
Email this Article to a Friend!
Receive Articles like this one direct to your email box!Subscribe for free today!
No comments:
Post a Comment