Highlighting the Church Year with Dance - from Reformed Worship
We are a church relishing in the resurrection. I like to think that Mary Magdalene and the other Mary who heard the good news of Christ’s resurrection did not simply hurry off to tell this exciting news, but that they danced. “They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him”. How could they have kept still?
People tend to associate liturgical dance with girls in angelic white dresses. But like other art forms, dance can be used to highlight any of the liturgical seasons. Liturgical dance is functional—that is, it functions within the liturgy of worship. Done well, liturgical dance can help the congregation see glimpses of the Creator or visualize a Scripture passage, a song, or a poem. It can be homiletic, prophetic, prayerful, meditative, reflective, or celebratory.
The dance outlined is one example of how movement can paint a greater picture of God’s kingdom, and of how dance functions within the dialogue of worship.