Worship dance

History

Some liturgical dance was common in ancient times or non-Western settings, with precedents in Judaism beginning with accounts of dancing in the Old Testament. An example is the episode when King David danced before the Ark of the Covenant (), but this instance is often considered to be outside of Jewish norms and Rabbinic rituals prescribed at the time.

Dance has historically been controversial within Christianity. Many records exist of prohibitions by leaders of most branches of the Christian Church, for such reasons as the association of dance with paganism, the use of dance for sexual purposes, and a Greek-influenced belief in the separation of soul and body. Beginning in the second half of the 20th century, there was a significant growth in the use of dance in Christian worship. This further spread through the charismatic movement of the 1970s, which initiated a transition to contemporary worship in certain parishes.

A distinctive style of worship dance has developed within Messianic Judaism. Known as messianic dance or davidic dance (for King David), it sometimes incorporates elements of Israeli Folk Dancing.

Controversies

In a 2003 interview with the National Catholic Register, Cardinal Francis Arinze, who was the then-Vatican liturgy chief, stated, “There has never been a document from our Congregation for Divine Worship and Discipline of the Sacraments saying that dance is approved in the Mass.”

Pope Benedict XVI also rejected the introduction of dancing in the liturgy.

References

• Gagne, Robert, Kane, Thomas, VerEecke, Robert (1999). Introducing Dance In Christian Worship. .
• Silberling, Murray (1995). Dancing For Joy - A Biblical Approach To Praise And Worship,
• Ratzinger, Joseph. The Spirit of the Liturgy. Translated by John Saward, Ignatius Press, 2000.

References

1. https://www.ncregister.com/news/register-interview-cardinal-arinze-on-liturgical-dance
2. Joseph Ratzinger, The Spirit of the Liturgy, trans. John Saward (San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2000), pp. 198–199.