Shall We Dance?

Suzanne and I like to dance. We met dancing. Would you like to see us dance? We are not very good because we do not get to do it very often. We have a few steps that are part of the swing type of dancing. One thing about dancing is that the man leads. Suzanne is very good at reminding me of steps I have forgotten. She is also very good at noticing little pressures on hand or side to let her know what we are going to do next.

Dancing With the Stars. It has been a wildly popular TV show, number one in its time slot.

So You Think You Can Dance? is another hit show, with a collection of young dancers competing in a rapid-fire series of traditional and contemporary dance styles. Combine these shows with the movies Dance With Me, Take the Lead and Step Up, and you have a genuine dance sensation sweeping the nation.

            What is surprising — even shocking, given our couch-potato tendencies — is that Americans are not simply watching these shows. No, we are actually hitting the dance floor ourselves. Tango, swing and ballroom dancing have been on the rise for more than a decade, pre-dating the TV dance craze. Studios are seeing a 30 or 40 percent increase in students during the past 10 years, despite the fact that dance lessons can cost up to $100 an hour.

            So we are not only watching dance, we are doing dance. Or trying to, anyway. And with the rising popularity of reality-TV dance shows, this white-hot trend shows no sign of cooling off.

            One thing that stops us is that we think other people are watching. We get self-conscious. We are afraid that, like David in II Samuel 6, someone will react with disgust. In that case, it was the wife of David. Yet, in that case, a large group celebrated and worshipped, to the point where David was willing to do something more contemptible than this if it meant worship.

            The point is, to learn to dance, you cannot be too worried about what people think. Even Mikhail Baryshnikov once said that he does not try to dance better than anyone else does. He only tries to dance better than himself.

            When we dance, we have to focus upon the moment. The joy that can come in dancing is so refreshing. Problems you have had do not disappear, but you can gain some perspective. James Brown once said that one could solve any problem in the world by dancing. He was going too far, of course, but I find it amazing how much better I feel when I have had chance to be around people who are dancing.

            Of course, dancing can get you into trouble. Mark 6:14-29 tells of the beheading of John the Baptist by a reluctant King Herod, who experienced the seduction of a dance with the wrong person. I imagine that some religious traditions look down upon dance for that reason.

            Bishop Woodie White brought dance to Indiana at a pastor and spouse event during the years he was bishop in Indiana. Yes, it was a great time for Suzanne and me.

            I suppose dance, especially in a group, can help us spiritually. Too many people ignore the body in their spirituality. I think that is a danger.

There is a Hasidic tale about a famous rabbi who accepted an invitation from a small village to come visit and answer questions about the Torah. The long-awaited day finally came. The excited villagers ushered the wise man into a large room, where they had all gathered. Rather than inviting the people to ask questions, the rabbi walked slowly and deliberately around the room, silently looking each villager in the eye as he softly hummed a religious tune. So engaging was the rabbi’s gentle manner that, before they knew it, the people found themselves humming his tune. Slowly, the rabbi started to dance. Soon the people found themselves dancing with him. The movements grew wilder and more frenzied, and the people of the village soon lost themselves in the dance. Together, they moved as one. When the dancing finally ended, the rabbi took one more walk around the room, looking deeply into the eyes of each person in turn. “I trust I have answered all your questions,” he said.

In Renewal Journal (No. 6), Lucinda Coleman writes about worshiping God in dance:

“Paul reminds Christians that their bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit and that they should glorify God with their bodies (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). He further indicates physical movement is an approved part of prayerlike expression when he exhorts Timothy to pray lifting up holy hands (1 Timothy 2:8). The biblical stance for most prayers included raising arms and hands above the head (1 Timothy 2:8). In prayers of confession, kneeling or prostration was common, and in thanksgiving prayers or intercession, standing with arms raised was common . … “In the Aramaic language which Jews spoke, the word for ‘rejoice’ and ‘dance’ is the same. Hence, in including ‘dance’ with ‘rejoice’ there are references to dancing and leaping for joy (Luke 6:23), as well as ‘dancing in the Spirit’ (Luke 10:21).”