Dancing on Holy Days and Sundays Sin

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HoosierHobbit

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I’ve been researching the ethics of dancing in the church. The early church doesn’t have a lot of good to say about it. Dancing was banned by councils:


I’m pretty sure the councils aren’t infallible when it comes to pastoral matters, but are these documents still binding? I know lots of churches host dances… The part where it quotes the councils of tours and axis, which state dancing on holy days amounts to excommunication, is especially disturbing
 
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I can’t speak for Rome, but in almost every other “pagan” tradition throughout the world dance is a kind of worship or spiritual exercise. Especially where shamanism is present as the modus operandi, dance can open the door to the realm of spirits.

In that context I can absolutely understand why the Church, at certain times, may condemn it’s practice. Today, however, it’s not the case. Dance has become recreational, and there are actually books out there devoted to reclaiming the pagan roots of dance.
 
Yes, but I don’t think the councils are talking about Liturgical dancing. They seem to be addressing recreational dancing. I know times have changed, and such dancing is seen as innocent, but are we therefore not bound by these pronouncements?
 
God didn’t seem to have a problem with King David dancing upon the return of the Ark of the Covenant- Saul’s daughter didn’t like it, though.
 
HoosierHobbit said:
The early church doesn’t have a lot of good to say about it. Dancing was banned by councils:
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The Baptist college near here does not have dancing. They also do not show vulgar plays such as the V Monologues that the Catholic colleges were showing.
 
I don’t have the citations at my fingertips, but I have seen documentation on “traditionalist” websites of Church councils that have condemned a wide variety of dances - including the polka and the waltz - except for traditiona same-gender folk dances.
 
After some further research, I don’t think any of the councils cited by the book are General or Ecumenical councils (some of their ordinances would be specific to certain areas, I think)
 
Mattapoisett64 said:
I have seen documentation on “traditionalist” websites of Church councils that have condemned a wide variety of dances - including the polka and the waltz
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Some of these dances were condemned in their time as pushing the bounds of the social norms and putting people in an occasion of sin. The waltz and the polka involved the man and woman facing each other and the man holding his partner in his arms. This hadn’t been done before, so it was scandalous for its time. Nowadays, when polkas are mostly done by middle-aged married people, they’re tame. The Church would be more concerned about young people twerking.
 
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