When was the last time you took a live dance class?
Have you attended a conference in the last year?
Are you a student right now, or do you find yourself always in the position of leader or teacher?
Ever since I answered the call to lead in dance, I almost always find myself in the position of leader/teacher, even though I very much want and need to be led by those with more or different experiences than I have. Can you relate?
This month, God has blessed me with many pportunities to be a student, a learner, a follower. (With and alongside some of those, He has presented me with opportunities to teach, minister and serve.) It has been such a gift.
I want to share about two of those today and to encourage you to seek out opportunities to be a student. We all need refreshing, the chance to learn new skills and gain new tools, and the chance to make friends with those who share our passion.
First, I got to attend the Sacred Dance share, taught in Pasadena a couple of weekends ago by a lovely worship dancer, Evelyn Okomoto. There, along with 8 or 9 other women, we learned a simple devotional dance to the song, “River God” (as in, God flows over us like a river, not the River is the God).
It was so fun and so refreshing. I don’t know about you, but 
I find myself going to the same type of movements when I dance and choreograph, my favorites, the ones my body does naturally. So, it was amazing to learn someone else’s choreography, to move my body in ways that were new to me, and to glean from another skills and perspective from another teacher.
Second, I attended the Dancing for Him Conference in Santa Maria. Taught by Pastor Lynn, this conference was a powerful time of worship, a rich time of learning, and also a stretching time of ministry for me. I made many new friends, got to participate session after session of lessons that built my movement vocabulary, challenged me to grow as a choreographer, and ministered to my heart.
Above are some pictures to give you and idea of the beauty of the worship as well as the way God worked through groups of people to reveal himself.
Later, I’ll share a solo dance I shared at the concert as well as an awesome resource for choreography that I purchased at the conference. So, watch for more.
Take a minute to share in the comments (see the section at the beginning of the post.):
When was the last time you attended a class or workshop? What did you gain from it?
Do you find yourself most often as the leader/teacher or the student? Which do you need to do more right now?
Thank you so much for the encouragement Amy! You are such a blessing and I enjoyed meeting you at the conference. I also find myself doing the same movements that I have done for so long and was asking The Lord to help me find a place where I can learn from others who have the same passion for dance that I do. Lo and behold, He pointed out a worship dance school here in my city that I had no idea existed! I am enjoying it so much and have found out what a blessing it is to be a student!
I so enjoyed meeting you, too, Laura, and love the images of your dancing in the concert – so radiant, so full of joy for Him. That is awesome that there is a worship dance school in your area. What a huge blessing.
I identify with what you have shared, Amy! Inspirational blog… Can’t wait to share it with my dance ministry.
Thanks, Beverly. I get so much out of the online classes I take, but being in living training opportunities really is different. Blessings on your team.