Instruction – Page 5 – Worship Dance Ministries

Bless your City by Dancing in their Parade

parade praise dance I sense that the Lord is calling dancers out of the four walls of the church and into the cities. At this critical time in history, when there is so much turmoil, confusion, and change, we have an opportunity to be part of the blessing our cities and ushering in God’s presence. Where His presence is, every good thing follows.

A powerful way to let God use your in your city is to dance in their parades, to get out in the streets and bring a dance of joy, healing, and hope.

My friend and fellow student in the Dancing for Him Dance Ministry school, Bobbi Muncy, has danced in countless parades over the years and knows how to it. (You can see that in the pictures, right?)

I asked her to write for us, sharing how she finds opportunities to dance in parades, what she does to prepare, and what practical tips she can offer us to help us be ready to truly be a blessing.

Read on to hear from Bobbi:

“Everyone loves a Parade!

“A friend asked recently how she could do a parade with her team and bring glory to God. To say I was excited to share is an understatement! I have been doing parades for over 14 years.

“It all started with a call from a friend of a friend. They asked if we would be willing to be in the NE Minneapolis Parade. All we needed to do was bring flags and dance. We just showed up and the rest is history.

“Over the years the dancers, music, cities and and the costumes have changed. But we continue to bring glory to HIS name and take back the streets for Jesus. Our motto is “the praise goes forth first!” This is based on 2 Chronicles 20: 17-21. NKJV When King Jehosephat realized what he was up against, he called everyone to pray and fast. He then consulted his people and appointed the men to sing and give praise to the LORD. As they praised the LORD, He took care of their enemies! That is how we see parades.

“Scripture also says, “my word shall not return void” Isaiah 55:11 NKJV. The songs we use always bring a message not only to the people, but they fill the atmosphere! Imagine Michael W. Smith’s “Forever”. The words of the song fill the atmosphere and chase the enemy away! We have also danced to “God’s Not Dead! It is fun to see the look on some of the faces in the crowd.

“I usually start praying about what parades we should do starting in January. Many of them we do every year as they almost always ask us to come back. When I am thinking of new area, I check with the local Chamber of Commerce to get dates and applications. Be aware, some parades charge a fee to participate. I have paid up to $100 for a parade and it turned out to be nothing but a drunk fest. Really seek God first before committing.

“We do the parades with flags and tambourines. I use a minimum of 5 people doing tambourine. I love to include flags and banners when I can. Especially if I have kids or extra people. These can be choreographed if need be. I have also had a dancer out front leading us.

“We use the same songs for every parade and usually for a few years. This way everyone becomes very proficient with the routine and can worship from the heart. We do about 3-5 parades a year in and around our community. We use the tambourine patterns from Shachah Ministries.

“Here are some practical tips:

•Keep it simple as this is a parade and you are moving most of the time.

•Keep your dress modest and be creative! Color is awesome!!

•Be sure to wear good shoes, sunscreen and sunglasses if needed.

•Stay hydrated. But note that there usually no bathrooms near the line ups, so be prepared.

•Line up is usually and hour prior to the parade. I highly suggest you go in as a team so no one gets lost.

•Pre test your sound system to make sure everything is working properly.

•Try to arrange someone to pick up the team at the end of the parade as everyone will be very tired.

“Remember to pray continually as “the enemy seeks to devour”. This is frontline warfare. Pray for your team and for the people you will be passing on the streets. Pray protection over backlash as the warfare can be very intense!

“There is a lot more to what I have written here. Please feel free to email me with any questions you may have! I would love to hear from you!

“You are LOVED! John 3:16″

Take a minute to join the discussion by sharing in the comments:

Have you danced in a parade? If so, what tips would you add?

What did you gain from this post? Feel free to share it.

What I learned about planning a Praise Dance Camp

summer praise dance camp collage We just finished a fabulous week of Praise Dance Camp in Pasadena. I’m so grateful for the week, for your prayers, and for how the Lord worked.

Read on as I share four things I learned about planning a summer praise dance camp for children and to watch a 4-minute video recap of the week. Continue reading “What I learned about planning a Praise Dance Camp”

Pasadena Workshop Recap

Thanks to all of you who prayed for the Devotions in Motion Workshop this past Sunday. We had a wonderful time. God brought a beautiful group of women who had a heart for worship. It was a small group – perhaps because it was a Sunday, perhaps for other reasons. But it enabled an intimacy that was beautiful and also allowed us to learn an entire group dance.

Here are some testimonials:

Thank you so much for a beautiful, spirit-filled afternoon. The video was lovely. Pretty amazing for a 3 hour workshop. Thanks again. God bless you for your inspiration and teaching. – Nancy

I really loved the dance. I like the way you gave choreography but helped us choreograph too. I liked the help on choreography on terms. This will help me!!! – Christie

(I appreciated) experiencing the ministry of the spirit through the dance and dancing it together, seeing how God brings a dance together in its beauty. – Tracy

Enjoy the recap video and join us next time.

Jump Start your Devotions

If you have purchased Devotions in Motion, I have good news to share about it. I’ve added to it.

At the request of my good friend, Diane, I added a “straight through” video of all 5 devotional dances. This way, once you have learned the dances, you can use this video to dance them straight through in your devotions. I hope you find it helpful. It is available on your Devotions in Motion download page, which you received from me.

If you don’t have Devotions in Motion yet, but have been wanting to purchase it, it will be on sale for $15 through Sunday night. After that, the normal price will be $20.

I’ve also created a 2 minute video to give you a glimpse of Devotions in Motion. If you’re wondering if it would benefit you, this should help you figure that out. You can watch it here:

You can purchase it below or click here to learn more.

Price: $20 Sale: $15

THESE ARE VIDEO DOWNLOADS – Within 24 hours of purchasing them, you will receive an email link giving you access watch the videos online and to download them to your computer.

Leading a Congregation in Movement

The Unity in Motion DVD is for the dance ministry leader who wants to take his or her congregation beyond being spectators to invite them to participate in movement. Pastor Lynn gives practical instruction for leading in a way that makes it inviting and easy for a congregation to follow. The exercises are also great to help a dance team learn to dance in unity and create spontaneous, unified movements.

Here, I share a 7 minute tutorial of concepts from the DVD.

Continue reading “Leading a Congregation in Movement”

Devotions in Motion are Coming

Devotional Dances — From the dance to Psalm 17:8 Hide Me Under the Shadow of Your Wings

Jesus said, “I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.” John 15:5

He also said, “But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” Mathew 6:6

I have found that when preparing to dance in ministry or to teach a class, I need to also be dancing at home in private. When I dance in private, I connect with Jesus. He’s the source of all true creativity, healing, beauty, and power. If I want those things to flow from my dance in ministry, I need to spend time with Him in private.

I also find that there is a battle that goes on inside me in the morning. I know that when I offer my body in praise and worship (that means I move in my devotions) that I experience breakthrough in my life. But something inside me resists moving. I want to sit comfortably under my covers, read the bible, and pray quietly. Now, there are plenty of mornings when I do just that, and it’s a lovely time with God.

But there are many mornings when I know He is saying, “Amy, get on your knees,” or “Amy, you need to move. I want more from you.” I always receive from Him when I’m obedient to Him, and yet, I so often resist it.

So, it’s been really helpful to me to have a pattern of prayer and some simple movements to do early in the day that get me moving. I’ve developed these devotional dances over the years from some of my favorite verses and from choruses to some of my favorite worship choruses.

Based on the acronym ABIDE, they give me starting point to engage my body, and, by engaging my body, to engage my heart.

I have taught them to classes of children as a pattern for prayer to begin our class, preparing ourselves to worship from the heart.

I’m excited about this project because it is truly accessible to worshipers of all ages and skill levels. The movements come out of expressive sign and can be done first thing in the morning, before you are ready to move your whole body. They can be done in a small place, beside your bed, on your couch, in your prayer closet. Because they consist primarily of upper body movements done in a posture of prayer, you can do them when your family is still asleep without awakening them.

On the videos, I teach these five devotional dances, step-by-step, so you can do them with me. I also include live video footage of me teaching this to a class of children, so that you can see how it works to teach them to a group. You will be blessed by their hearts of worship.

When you purchase Devotions in Motion, the videos will be available to watch online or to download and keep on your own computer. I have my heart set on releasing a physical DVD, but that happen later.

What can you do if you are interested in these videos? If you aren’t already subscribed to my mailing list, make sure you subscribe right now, so that you’ll get an email as soon as it is available. Please also be praying for this project, that I’ll do it in the time and way that is pleasing to Him and that will benefit others.

Take a minute and share in the comments. I’d love to hear what you think. I’d also love to hear how dancing in your devotions makes a difference in your life.

3 Versatile and Beautiful Patterns for Worship Garments

Several years ago a dance ministry leader encouraged me to raise my standards for dance garments, to seek to dress beautifully for God’s glory. My biggest objection was financial. I did not have a budget for a new wardrobe of worship garments.

She encouraged me to seek a seamstress for my team, so I started praying about that. I approached people whom I knew sewed and asked them to consider sewing for the team. Though both were willing, neither was enthusiastic.

Then, one day in worship team practice, a woman new to the team mentioned that she sewed and would love to create tunics for the team. She had a passion for worship dance and a desire to use her talent for sewing to bless the ministry.

I was moved by God’s answer to my prayer, and it confirmed that He was blessing the dance ministry He was calling me to. With this friend, I found several patterns that we used to create dance garments:

For the team, she used a simple tunic pattern that she adapted for each team member. She also used this pattern for the children, using it as a model and creating a simple pattern herself. (Pictured below on

pattern for worship dance tunic — Overlay adapted from Burda Pattern 7354.

the team.)

She created more intricate overlays for my solos, adapting costume overlays. My favorite came from a Medieval gown pattern. We adapted it in several ways, raising the neckline, shortened the length, so that I wouldn’t step on it, and omitting the sleeves. In addition, I had her leave the bottom half of the seams open so that the dress had flaps, which were very effective and made the dress easier to dance in. (Pictured top left.)

pattern for blue worship overlay — Overlay adapted from Simplicity Pattern EA989101.

The other pattern we used for an overlay was also a costume pattern. We also raised the neckline on this pattern. (See blue and gold overlays.)

Lastly, I found this pattern online for circles skirts: You don’t even need to purchase a pattern, but can simply use the instructions to create the skirt.

Truly, having a skilled seamstress who wants to use her gifts to bless the dance ministry is a gift from God. All of these patterns have been wonderful but also needed to be tweaked to be appropriate for worship dance.

patterns for liturgical dance garments — Overlay adapted from Simplicity Pattern 2231.

Do you let yourself be the student?

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. Continue reading “Do you let yourself be the student?”

Raising Up Young Dancers who Truly Worship

How do you help children who love to dance to truly worship when they dance?

How do you get through to their hearts to establish a mindset for ministry?

How do you help them get beyond their self consciousness to truly worship?

How do you help them use props with a purpose, to use them as tools and not as toys?

How do you strengthen their ability to lead and choreograph?

How do you encourage them to worship in private, so their dance flows from their own relationship with the Lord?

I’ve been asked these questions. I’ve asked them myself.

Answering these questions is my passion, and God has enabled me to teach worship dance to children in a way that touches their hearts and enables them to touch the Lord’s heart and the hearts of those before whom they dance.

Even though I’m talking about children and my lessons were written with children in mind, all of this applies to adults as well. So if you are leading a team of adults or teens, this will help you as well. All of the principles apply.

In this online course, you’ll receive five 5-7 minute videos with ideas you can to help children worship wholeheartedly when they dance.

This is a review version, so it will be available to you online through February 21. After that, I’ll take it down and combine it with other valuable resources for an online course.

So, take advantage of this window of time when the course is available for no charge. I hope it will bless you.

Pasadena Workshop Recap

The Worship in Motion workshop this past Saturday was very powerful. It was an awesome privilege to teach with Marlita Hill.

It was also very moving to work with a group of women who came wanting to go deeper in choreography and worship and who came with hearts open to share and to learn.

The Lord showed Himself faithful to minister through the teaching and through the group activations.

I’ll share quickly my favorite takeaways:

1. God knew what you have a don’t have in terms of skill, experience, finances, (everything) when He called you, and it’s enough. So, no more apologies!

2. The Word is Living. He speaks. He has a tone. He has a message that He wants to communicate through our dance. So, we must get in touch with Him, we must take time to hear from Him if we are to speak for Him. There is no short changing this step.

3. The context (of scripture, of a song, of the people to whom and place at which you are ministering) must shape how you interpret the word. Pay attention to context. For example, love doesn’t look the same in every context. So, if you are communicating about God’s love, listen for the context in which He is extending it. His love is multidimensional, and so there are a multitude of different ways to embody it through dance.

4. We do not need to be perfect, just wholehearted. So, engage your whole heart and your whole body and trust Him to speak.

There was more, but I’ll let the video recap speak now. Hope you see and hear Him in it.

Did God speak to you through this recap? I hope so. If so, please share how in the comments. It will encourage me and others.

Join us next time!