Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Outline of workshop:
1. Introductions, your name, church you attend, why are you taking this
workshop, and a word that best describes you.
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2. Definition of worship dance:
Worship dance (also known as liturgical dance or praise dance) is a form of worship that
seeks to articulate the word and spirit of God through the body. Worship dance can be
diverse, including traditional or modern ballet, lyrical, jazz, tap, hula and hip-hop
dancing. It is performed to Christian themed music. Dances can be spontaneous or
choreographed, involving an individual or a group of dancers. Sometimes a worship
dance can be part of a bigger production in which an entire story is told.
Then Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a tambourine in her hand, and all
the women went out after her with tambourines and dancing. And Miriam sang to them:
“Sing to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously; the horse and his rider he has thrown
into the sea
2 Samuel 6:14
And David danced before the Lord with all his might. And David was wearing a linen
ephod.
Psalm 150:1-6
Praise the Lord! Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens! Praise
him for his mighty deeds; praise him according to his excellent greatness! Praise him
with trumpet sound; praise him with lute and harp! Praise him with tambourine and
dance; praise him with strings and pipe! Praise him with sounding cymbals; praise him
with loud clashing cymbals! ...
Psalm 149:3
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Prelude – First song of the service, before the worship service starts.
Processionals – Dancers go down the aisle at the beginning of the services. For example,
on Palm Sunday, the dancers would carry in the palms.
Recessionals – Dancers go down the aisle at the close of the service and exit the church
Any variety of times during the service. Before the sermon, during the offering, before
communion. Make sure that the dance blends in with the theme of the service.
Worship dances can be done with live music, church choirs, pre-recorded CD’s, while
scriptures are being read, in silence, with the sound of percussion instruments, i.e.
rainsticks, drums, clapping.
Worship dances can be done for church services, senior living homes, church retreats,
weddings, memorial services, concerts, festivals, church conventions and recitals.
Mirroring:
o Two people face each other. One person is the leader and the other person
follows. The leader will start a movement and the follower must do the exact
movement. Each person will take turns being the leader and follower. Good
exercise for being able to have the ability to lead and then follow. In addition, it
challenges the people to not only have ideas for movement, but also to copy the
movement on the spot.
Positive/negative:
o Within a group of dancers, each person will count out numbers. For example,
1,2,3,4, etc. The first person will move to a different spot in the room and strike
a pose. The next person will move to the spot, and fill in the empty space that is
created by the first person. Continue this until there are no more dancers left.
You will see some very unique shapes that come out of this exercise.
Circle improvisation:
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o Form a circle and each person takes a turn moving to the music. After they are
done, they pass along to the next person, but it does not have to be the person next
to them, it could be someone across from them in the circle.
Interpretation
o Visually interpret the music, words, Scriptures, message. For example, a prayer
that uses movement rather than being spoken, like The Lord’s Prayer. The use of
sign language in a worship dance can be very powerful
o Look up the definition of key words in the song using the bible dictionary to help
with ideas of how you want to interpret the words.
Blue: Hope; Healing; Grace; Freedom; Holy Spirit & Anointing; Heavenlies; Holy; Revelation;
Power & Might; Truth; Holy Spirit; R Reward Exodus 24:10, Num. 15:38
Copper & Gold: (Washing by the Word) turns Pink; Righteousness; Right standing
Cream: Healing
Crimson: Blood Atonement; Sacrifice; Consuming fire Isaiah 1:18, Lev. 14:52, Joshua 2:18-21
Emerald: Mercy
Green: Praise; Growth; New beginnings; Eternal life; Prosperity; Vigor; Freshness; Resting in
God, Knowledge, Fresh oil; Psalm 52:8, Isaiah 43:18-21, Psalm 52:8
Gold: Power; His Deity; Glory; Presence of God, Wisdom, Emblem of eternal diety (kingliness);
refined by fire, Acts 17:29, Rev. 21:18-23
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Iridescent: Cleansing Work of the Holy Spirit; Blessings of God; Angel Wings
Purple: Kingship; Royalty; Majesty, Fear of the Lord, Jesus as Mediator. Rev. 19:11-16, John
19:2, Judges 8:26
Red: Salvation; Blood; War; Redemption; Courage; Holy Fire; Life Atonement,
Understanding, Covenant; Sign of Victory or Warning; Sacrifice and Courage Isaiah 27:2, Rev.
6:4, Rev. 12:3, 2 Kings 3:22
Scarlet: Sacrifice; Sin; Blood Atonement, Isaiah 1:18, Joshua 2:18-21, Numbers 19:6, Lev.
14:52, Mt. 27:28
White: Purity; Light; Festivity; Triumph; Righteousness; Salt; Holiness;Glory; the Bride; White
Robe of Righteousness
3. Fabric (small enough for 1 person to dance with, or large pieces for a more dramatic
effect, which needs 2 or more dancers to manipulate)
4. Angel Wings (made of flowing fabric such as chiffon and attached with elastic at the
shoulders and wrists)
6. Candles (inside a thick, votive type container that won’t get too hot to hold or inside a goblet or
something with a handle to hold onto. LED candles could work too. This is very dramatic when
danced for an evening service such as Christmas Eve, where the lights are out light and just the
candlelight is seen. For example, danced to Silent Night)
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7. Banners (they can be carried down the aisles and held in front while others dance, or they
can be placed in a holder such as a flag holder that hold the weight of the pole and
fabric)
8. Glory Hoops (made with embroidery hoops and strips of fabric and ribbons)
As with any other type of garment selection, it is also important to choose those that suit the
body size of each dancer. Even if modesty is most important, the garments should be neat and
attractive. To put dancers in gaudy or ill-fitting outfits will only serve to detract from the
performance.
Since the garments have to be modest, it is important to follow certain standards, such as:
Sleeves: As a general rule, sleeves should be elbow length or longer so as to keep the
arms covered.
Necklines: Since any showing of cleavage is too sexual, garments for liturgical or
worship dancing should keep the chest area properly covered. Many designers of these
kinds of dancewear pay special attention to keeping this area of the female body
concealed.
Pantaloons, palazzos and culottes: Dancers normally wear these under dresses if they
consider leotards and tights too close fitting or revealing.
For dances that require lots of jumping and leaping, palazzo pants and culottes are best as they
enable the dancer to maintain their modesty while remaining flexible and free in their
movements. They are also safer as long flowing dresses can become trip hazards when a lot of
leaping is necessary during a particular routine.
Ultimately, when choosing your outfit you need to choose pieces that will serve the purpose of
the dance that is being danced. The right style and colors are important when choosing the outfits
for the dance routines for different ceremonies and biblical stories.
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Where to find Praise Dance Wear
Finding pieces for individuals and groups is no longer a difficult task. Many establishments
actually cater only to people needing worship costumes and other types of clothing stores also
carry gear for the church set. It is possible to find the right garments at online sellers or from off
the rack in many stores. Some dancers, depending on their needs will even have their praise
dance wear custom made.
http://www.dancewearsolutions.com/dance_styles/worship/default.aspx
http://4everpraise.com/
http://www.christiandance.com/sdance4g.htm