Expressive Dance

DANCE IN A GATHERING

Dance in a gathering becomes an opportunity to respond to the Lord’s invitation to express liberty and freedom in the spirit. It is a form of worship that takes us out of our thoughts and into His thoughts. It is an occasion for our bodies to become the intercession of Jesus. Dance helps us turn away from preoccupation with ourselves and lift our eyes to God. It allows us to create a family atmosphere and see walls of individuality and divisions broken down; thus ushering in unity and oneness that Jesus prayed for in John 17:20-23.

When we come together in a gathering, we bring with us situations and challenges that are a part of every person’s daily life. Because of this, it can be difficult for us to lay aside our thoughts and feelings regarding negative circumstances in order to enter into a spirit of praise and worship.

Dance helps to release us from our inhibitions and the restrictions imposed by our body and our soul in order to be free to enter into God’s presence. Dance also enables us to express our love and joy to the Lord with all our strength, all our being and all our heart. Dance releases us from the restrictions of our minds in order to usher us into new depths of experiencing the Lord in greater freedom.

When we have surrendered the limitations of our own thoughts and our emotions, we make room for the Holy Spirit to move. When we dance, we release greater freedom for everyone gathered by surrendering our movements to His arms of love and letting our spirits and body be moved by the sound of His voice.

THE DANCE TEAM

During worship times at the gatherings, there is a team of dancers on stage alongside the musicians that complements what the Spirit is doing and what the people and songs are releasing. As an important part of the worship team, the dancers release praise and thanksgiving to the Lord, using movements that express intercession and prophesy what the Spirit is saying to the Church. Though their dance is visually beautiful, it is not meant to be passively viewed, but is an invitation to enter into the Spirit in a deeper way.

Worship through song is often done with our eyes closed, allowing us to see with our spirit eyes and enter into individual intimacy with the Lord. The dance released during worship can only be experienced with open eyes; therefore it exercises our spiritual sight and brings us into a corporate intimacy. It causes us to see those around us which creates an atmosphere of a family of worshippers.

The dance team is not only made up of trained dancers (many professionally trained) but also those whose lives have been consecrated to the Lord and are seasoned in His ways. Their movements are led by the Spirit and their bodies and spirits are surrendered to move only as He directs. As the worshipers join in with the dance teams’ movements, a unity and agreement in the Spirit results that releases the will of God from Heaven to Earth.