Do you have a problem with liturgical dancers?

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Our pastor allowed pre-teen female dancers to preceed the First Communicants procession into the church two weeks ago. The “dance” was little more than them skipping down the aisle, but it was a ridiculous thing to see. Those calling it erotic are mistaken. Its simply banal, childish, and greatly diminishes what dignity remains in Mass as pracrticed in most American parishes.
 
ChristopherM said:
So whats up with this jesuit?:confused: blde.org 😦
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After skimming that website, I think that I have come to peace with “Liturgical Dance.”

It is like* Le Jongleur de Notre Dame *(Our Lady’s Tumbler).

It’s “…the story of a juggler turned monk who has no gift to offer…the Virgin Mary except for his ability to juggle well. Upon doing so, he is accused of blasphemy by the other monks, but the statue comes to life and blesses the juggler.” (Wiki)

I’d like to make four points in this analogy of Liturgical Dance and the “Our Lady’s Tumbler”:
  1. The juggler did his act as a **secret **praise/worship.
  2. Based on his culture and the era in which he lived, he **knew **people would laugh at his ‘talent,’ since judging talent is totally subjective…
  3. Therefore, he kept it a **private **devotion.
  4. It **was never ** performed during Mass.
 
I beg your pardon, but don’t think I am mistaken at all about my assertion that, in western minds, dancing has an erotic connotation. Even Rev. Peter Stravinskas, editor of the Catholic Response (formerly the Catholic Answer) has said this. I think that the average person’s idea of dancing is something you do at a night club with a member of the opposite sex.
 
My main problem with liturgical dance is that it seems to choreographed by untalented amateurs with delusions of grandeur and performed with all the professionalism and talent of a Kindergarten dance class.

Forget the liturgical implications. It is just too painful and embarassing to watch.
 
Windmill said:
I beg your pardon, but don’t think I am mistaken at all about my assertion that, in western minds, dancing has an erotic connotation. Even Rev. Peter Stravinskas, editor of the Catholic Response (formerly the Catholic Answer) has said this. I think that the average person’s idea of dancing is something you do at a night club with a member of the opposite sex.
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Might be easier to watch if they wore numbers on their backs. 😃

Seriously, though, I haven’t found too many on this thread really thinking that dancing is a good idea at Mass. That means any type of dancing, however you define it.
 
Windmill said:
I beg your pardon, but don’t think I am mistaken at all about my assertion that, in western minds, dancing has an erotic connotation. Even Rev. Peter Stravinskas, editor of the Catholic Response (formerly the Catholic Answer) has said this. I think that the average person’s idea of dancing is something you do at a night club with a member of the opposite sex.
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Hi, Windmill, were you addressing me? I agree with you. I think it was a clever analogy and that Liturgical Dance should be a private devotion, and never performed during Mass.
 
I agree with the poster (I forget who) who wrote, *
“There’ll be plenty of time for liturgical dance in purgatory.” *
 
Do I have a problem with it? Yes!

If anyone want to dance with joy because God is love and to praise him, so be it. I’m not going to hold anyone because that’s their private decision and perhaps it may draw someone closer to God. I rather fall on my knees and bow my head, but that’s me.

That being said, I’m absolutely against anyone bringing such thing to mass. Would you dance before Jesus hanging on the cross? I hope not!

I’m really starting to get annoyed by these pseudo-protestant modern inventions. I have the feeling that I might even start thinking that charismatic masses shouldn’t be allowed. I don’t know much about them so I can’t say for certain.

Anyways…time to study for an exam 🙂
 
Erich said:
I agree with the poster (I forget who) who wrote, *
“There’ll be plenty of time for liturgical dance in purgatory.” *
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Somehow, I don’t think this will be happening in purgatory.
 
The questions that come to mind are:

Who brought up the idea of dancing in church?
Who is the audience intended to recieve such a dance? and,
What is the overall goal or reason to “perform” in church.
Was a rental hall not available and since there’s a captive audience they would put on a show that people would not dare open opposition because the church allowed this to happen.

Remember, you are attending mass to worship our Lord, not to entertain yourself, not to be “pleased” by others, nor to have very valuable pulpit time to be taken away from a true liturgy of the church.
 
I would not endure such a spectacle. I’d kneel, ask His forgiveness for leaving, and I’d then walk out.

When I enter a Catholic Church, I’m in the presence of God. With the exception of prayer, I’m silent.

I think the key word is SOLEMN. The Mass should be a solemn rite.

When I returned to the Church, I attended several different Masses at various parishes. I chose my parish because of the way the priests (all of them) said the Mass. Mass at my parish is solemn, unhurried, and said with passion, respect and devotion.
 
Ammo said:
Remember, you are attending mass to worship our Lord, not to entertain yourself, not to be “pleased” by others.
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and oddly enough, a lot of folks on the traditional board talk about how the TLM stimulates all 5 of their senses. incense, older music, romantic language, slow and deliberate movements…

they talk down to the N.O. Mass because it doesn’t suit their standard of pageantry.

that confuses me, but for another thread i suppose.
 
thechrismyster said:
and oddly enough, a lot of folks on the traditional board talk about how the TLM stimulates all 5 of their senses. incense, older music, romantic language, slow and deliberate movements…

they talk down to the N.O. Mass because it doesn’t suit their standard of pageantry.

that confuses me, but for another thread i suppose.
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You’re wrong, we don’t say that here. Banned topic. And what you
just said is rather derogatory towards traditional Catholics, don’t you think?
 
When I went to Steubenville, in the mid 80’s, they had liturgical dancers. Goofy. Haven’t seen them since - happy to say!
—KCT
 
thechrismyster said:
and oddly enough, a lot of folks on the traditional board talk about how the TLM stimulates all 5 of their senses. incense, older music, romantic language, slow and deliberate movements…

they talk down to the N.O. Mass because it doesn’t suit their standard of pageantry.

that confuses me, but for another thread i suppose.
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People are people and even those attending TLM are struck by “self” rather than “selflessness”. It happens everywhere.
 
Someone asked who brought up the idea of dance in Mass.

Psalm 149: 3 Let them praise His name with dancing.

Psalm 150: 4–Praise Him with timbrel and dancing.

There are also incidences in II Samuel where the women dance as King David returns victorious from various wars, and in II Sam. 6:14, King David himself danced before the Lord in front of his people.

And probably one of the most well-known passages: Exodus 15: 20–And Miriam the prophetess, Aaron’s sister, took the timbrel in her hand and all the women went out after her with timbrels and with dancing.

Ecclesiastes 3:4 says that “there is a time to mourn and a time to dance.”

I’m not saying that dance is appropriate or not for the Holy Mass. That decision is not mine. It is Church authorities who make the decision whether Mass is “the time for dance.”

As far as I know, in the U.S., liturgical dance is not considered appropriate for the Mass. I read that two years ago, and I assume it hasn’t changed, but I don’t know for sure.

But if you want to know where the idea of “dancing before the Lord in the presence of the people” came from, it came from the Bible. Not from Hollywood.

I’ve seen it done in Protestant churches. My daughter was part of a liturgical dance team for a few months while she was in college. I can’t say that it pleased or offended me. It was just there. But as you know, a Protestant “service” is not the Holy Mass, so I understand that it’s a different situation.

I would not say that liturgical dance is a “Protestant” invention. Many Protestant denominations still condemn dancing; e.g., the Assemblies of God, one of the largest Protestant denoms. In some Protestant churches, children, not teenagers or adults, are allowed to do “choreographed movement” in church to music as part of a choir number, but not “dance.”
 
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