Liturgical Dance

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I think liturgical dance is beautiful. I agree there is a time and a place for it, but it saddens me how easily it is often dismissed as hocus pocus. I agree with traditionalism, but in the bible it states so many times how we should praise God with our arms raised and through joyous dance.

I know for me I will continue to dance as David danced!
 
Bins said:
I think liturgical dance is beautiful. I agree there is a time and a place for it, but it saddens me how easily it is often dismissed as hocus pocus. I agree with traditionalism, but in the bible it states so many times how we should praise God with our arms raised and through joyous dance.

I know for me I will continue to dance as David danced!
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There is no problem with liturgical dance as David danced. I have no problem with people dancing respectfully as we process with the Blessed Sacrament outside the Church. I have no problem with people dancing respectfully as we process with the Statue of Mary.
We come to Mass to worship though and not to watch people dance, it has no place at Mass. We do raise up our hands, heck we are supposed to kneel and even fall on our face if necessary to show respect and love. There is a time and place for everything.

We shouldn’t mix the two, worship and entertainment. Why don’t we host the coffee and donuts at Mass? I am sure people had fellowship meals together as Christians, that doesn’t make it part of our worship service.

I enjoy going to concerts and it makes no difference if it is a Christian concert, that is great.(if they play good and are entertaining) As Catholics we should embrace what brings people closer to Christ. That doesn’t mean we compromise our worship service to cater to new trends.

Heck even Saint Paul would preach some boring sermons, he even made one so boring a kid fell out a window asleep and died!
ACTS 20:11
He just went ahead resurrected him, broke bread and kept talking on and on until the break of day.

We should not compromise to people’s whim for entertainment.

God Bless
Scylla
 
Bins said:
I think liturgical dance is beautiful. I agree there is a time and a place for it, but it saddens me how easily it is often dismissed as hocus pocus. I agree with traditionalism, but in the bible it states so many times how we should praise God with our arms raised and through joyous dance.

I know for me I will continue to dance as David danced!
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If I could dance, I would do the same… just as David did… outside of the liturgy.😉

.
 
Right I agree there is a time and place for everything, and I was not implying it belonged in mass. There are some people who dismiss dancing for our Lord at any time though as silly, and hocus pocus. Which I think is a shame. I get great joy out of moving in which ever way the Holy Spirit inspires me too.

Out of mass of course!
 
My first introduction to liturgical dance was about 10 years ago. I was the grade-school “liturgist”, coordinating weekly Masses for K-8. I had no experience - but for love of the Mass and the Church - and definitely was on the “learn-as-you-go” plan. My musicians suggested that I “be open-minded” and allow a dance during Mass. Even though I was uncomfortable with it, they asked me to trust them and I relented. Big mistake. Although somewhat tastefully done, I had to see it performed to confirm my fears. I was horrified, as was the presiding priest. Never did it again. Fortunately, as time went by, my musicians also agreed that it was a big mistake, and as we read more and more of the Church documents, we understood why.

So, did the church ever have any problems with this type of stuff, as well as most of the other liturgical abuses, pre-Vatican II? I’m always talking about liturgical frustrations with my contemporaries, but I’m curious if the Mass was ever tampered with (by liturgists or priests!) before the 60’s made this all fun-stuff possible? Or are we the “special” generation?
 
To BINS and Mr.S

Are you quite sure that you would like to dance as David did? It is my understanding (and I certainly could be wrong), that he was barely dressed as he danced the Ark to Jerusalem. I always thought that his lack of clothing was the reason Michol (sp?)
looked down, saw him and thereafter hated him.

Again, I may be mistaken, but before you sign up to dance like David, I’d check it out.:rolleyes:

Anna
 
Anna_Elizabeth said:
To BINS and Mr.S

Are you quite sure that you would like to dance as David did? It is my understanding (and I certainly could be wrong), that he was barely dressed as he danced the Ark to Jerusalem. I always thought that his lack of clothing was the reason Michol (sp?)
looked down, saw him and thereafter hated him.

Again, I may be mistaken, but before you sign up to dance like David, I’d check it out.:rolleyes:

Anna
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David’s dance before the Lord is described in 2 Samue16:14. This passage of Scripture may rank as one of the most misunderstood accounts in the Old Testament. Some seem to think that David danced practically in the nude before the Lord. But read the account in 2 Samuel 6 carefully: “And David danced before the Lord with all his might; and David was girded with a linen ephod.” It doesn’t exactly sound like David was naked, does it) An ephod was a close-fitting, armless outer vest commonly extending down to the hips. In Old Testament times it was used almost exclusively as a priestly garment and worn in connection with the worship of God. David was not naked when he danced before the Lord; he was instead dressed for worshipping God.

David’s leaping and dancing before the Lord was expressive of joy and praise to God. David’s dancing (described in 2 Samuel 6:14) was a form of religious rejoicing, an expression of joy on the occasion of the return of the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem. King David and all the house of Israel brought up the Ark of the Lord with shouting and with trumpets, and David danced before the Lord. He took the place of a slave at the head of the procession to express honor to Jehovah God. His willingness to be the Lord’s bondslave shows the true purpose and intent of his worship.

brfwitness.org/Articles/davdance.htm

So Yes I will definitely continue to dance like David Danced!
 
Bins said:
“And David danced before the Lord with all his might; and David was girded with a linen ephod.” It doesn’t exactly sound like David was naked, does it) An ephod was a close-fitting, armless outer vest commonly extending down to the hips. .

So Yes I will definitely continue to dance like David Danced!
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“to the hips” Oh, what a relief!!!

(Bins, do give everyone fair warning if you ever get the chance to do this, won’t you? )

:rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl:

Anna
 
scylla said:
A couple days ago it came out in the bulletin that we will have a liturgical dance workshop in our Parish on Saturday. (why we don’t have any adult catechesis is beyond my understanding) I am not going to sit back and just let them keep turning my Parish into a sissy lala community.
I want Catholicism!
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Find a new parish.
scylla said:
What do I do?, (other than beat my head into the wall until the sickeness in my stomach doesn’t bother me anymore.)
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Find a new parish.
scylla said:
We have no priest in our parish, just a good ol Parish Coordinator. Someone from her community is coming to do this to us.
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scylla said:
When I raised a stink about it, the parish secretary defended it saying it was in the GIRM. I told her I would look to check, and I haven’t found it yet.
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She lied…the GIRM doesn’t say that at all…find a new parish.

…and pray for the one you are at now.
 
I haven’t seen anything here that says LD is forbidden OUTSIDE of mass. I have seen it done at a choir concert and retreat and was not offended. Maybe the classes are for LD outside of mass? I don’t find it that inspiring, but as along as they are not doing LD in mass, what’s the problem?

In Peace,
DS
 
scylla said:
A couple days ago it came out in the bulletin that we will have a liturgical dance workshop in our Parish on Saturday.
(why we don’t have any adult catechesis is beyond my understanding) I am not going to sit back and just let them keep turning my Parish into a sissy lala community.
I want Catholicism!

What do I do?, (other than beat my head into the wall until the sickeness in my stomach doesn’t bother me anymore.)

We have no priest in our parish, just a good ol Parish Coordinator. Someone from her community is coming to do this to us.

When I raised a stink about it, the parish secretary defended it saying it was in the GIRM. I told her I would look to check, and I haven’t found it yet.

Any advice?

God Bless
Scylla
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Please review this link: ewtn.com/library/Liturgy/zlitur52.htm God Bless - we can’t win them all…
 
To all those who so graciously responded, thank you, you have given me a lot of ammunition and insight.

I am not going to leave, even though it is good advice and good for my spiritual welfare.

I will stay and get involved more, if I don’t do it who will. I am going to attend the RCIA class tonight, I attended the morning faith class and will continue to teach Bible study on Fridays. I will just get more involved as all too often, I have just left for greener pastures in the past.
The Catholic thing to do is stand my ground, and fight. I will do it prudently so I wont get ostracized but truth needs to be defended.

God Bless
Scylla
 
AMEN for your conversion- we need many more Catholics like you.
You are so right when you say, If you don’t who will.
 
I have heard that this used to be commonplace. The labyrtinths in the centre of cathedrals used to map the steps of a ‘dance of the heavens’. Richard Foster (not a Catholic, but has a pretty good grasp of liturgical practice for a Quaker) mentions that congregations used to do a dance of two steps forward and one step back while singing the hymns. The Ethiopian Rite Catholics (and Ethiopian Copts) still dance during their liturgy - the priest even dances with the chalice on his head as they process the gifts in the Great Entrance! (not in a sacriligeous way, you understand, as a joyful but reverent dance, and Ethiopians carry vessels on their heads all the time, so it’s not as silly as it sounds.)

Is there anywhere in the Roman rite where they still dance? I guess some charismatic masses are like this just spontaneously. Is there anywhere that still practices liturgical dance in a deliberate way though?
 
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