This is a question that I have had for a while. Does anyone know how liturgical dance started and what the rationale is for its use? I went to a High Tridentine Mass today, and I find it hard to believe that it was possible to go from that to liturgical dance and other infamous abuses.
During the late 60’s through early 80’s there was a lot of what could politely be called experimantation in the Mass. Hows that sound?
One of the things that was desperately wanted at that time was to make the Mass More relevant, more modern,more catchy, hipper so to speak using the vernacular of the time. To that end anyting and everything was tried and in many places still is.
Folk masses, tortilla masses, clam bake masses, crab boil masses, no they didn’t use Clams or Crabs for the Hosts thank God, Polka masses, Mariachi Masses some of those especially weddings were nice, very reverent, disco masses, roller skate masses, water park masses, get it Living water???, a gymnastic Mass was held in Wahington DC, at the Holy Trinity Church, A troupe of acrobats actually performed while the Pator skillfully wove his homily around their routine It was described as a spectacular Sunday afternoon.
karaoke masses, rock and roll Masses, maybe even Ozzy Osbourne if we were lucky, I mean after all, why not? etc etc etc.
The Pauline Rite was envisioned as being everything the Traditional mass wa not, flowing instead of rigid, free instead of tied down, open to change instead of closed. A friendly communal dinner party where comfort, peace, love and good fellowship ruled and would prevail, no matter what it took instead of a stodgy old folks home style of religious service If you could get people to participate in any way, go for it!!!: Sadly prayer was pretty much left out of the mixture in many of these things or was distinctly in second place to the rollicking good time that was being had by all. Kind of like an Evangelical revival but without any of the substance, but a lot of style:
Hence liturgical dance.
Liturgical dancing was seen as being a joyful expression of your love for God and your unbridled joy at being at his table. Very Old testament I guess andwholly in line with modern theology. Who could resist?
There are those who will try to explain it as deriving from authentic African style Masses, where apparently they said the congregations really got into it. You know acculturation and all that. Quick everybody get a drum. Unfortunately Francis Cardinal Arinze quietly destroyed that particular effort at cross cultural asimilation or should we say abomination??, by explaining what constituted Liturgical Dance in Africa, a modest swaying as the gifts were brought to the altar. Somewhat different than the modern dance antics we were subjected to. Oh well, the best laid plans of Mice and Men eh?
Liturgical dance was just another in the litany of experiments that pretty much fell flat on their faces. I guess they still exist in some places in Western Europe, Los Angeles and a few other bastions of the newly energized and truly revelant Church. But most places saw them for what they were years ago and quietly dumped them into the trash heap of history. In fact most places won’t even admit that they ever had them.
