Posts – Page 11 – Worship Dance Ministries

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!

Unlock Movement that Speaks

Do you want to dance in a way that speaks?

Do you want to speak to the Lord more intimately when you dance?

If a picture says a thousand words, a dance can say so much more. Sometimes we need help unlocking movement that truly speaks.

I’m full of joyful anticipation for the Worship in Motion praise dance workshop on January 31 in Pasadena, CA. If you live anywhere near me, I hope you will come. I’m so thankful to say the workshop is filling up quickly.

After spending Saturday afternoon with Marlita Hill, who will be teaching at the workshop, I felt like our vision and the gifts God has given us will truly come together to help dancers speak powerfully through their movement.

Marlita will be teaching on choreography, speaking to these questions/concerns:

How do I get started?

I only know a few movements, and I want to know more.

How can I get my dance to connect more deeply with the music?

Can I dance powerfully if I don’t have much experience?

And I will be teaching on how to dance devotionally, so that before we speak for the Lord, we speak to Him, though movement. She’ll be speaking to these concerns:

I want to deepen my connection with God when I dance.

I want to dance spontaneously with greater freedom and confidence.

So, if you resonate with any of these questions/concerns/desires, join us. Click this button to learn more and to register.

Praise Him with Dance

I had the complete joy recently to teach a six week dance class to students at Ecclesia Classes in Pasadena. We danced at Ecclesia’s Christmas party to Psalm 150, produced and sung by the Harrow Family on their album, A New Commandment.

We also had the privilege of inviting the community to worship with us through movement after we danced. After all, this Psalm is a call to worship.

So, I taught the audience gestures to the song, “I Love You Lord,” and invited them to worship to the song with us. It was really moving to watch whole families moving in worship.

Enjoy this dance and let it draw you to praise our Jesus, our creator, redeemer and shepherd.

Please share in the comments about any dances you were able to share during the Christmas season and how they impacted those to whom you ministered.

Four Things I Learned from our Advent Dance

I posted this last year after the team I lead at Sherwood Presbyterian Church had the privilege of dancing in worship during Advent.

If you are preparing to dance in worship this advent, I think the lessons I learned will encourage and help you. So, I’m reposting this.

We danced to a song called, “And a Child Will Lead” by a friend and one of my favorite artists, Douglas Eltzroth. It was such a joy and an honor, and the Lord taught me some important lessons in the process. Here they are:

1) Sometimes Less is More: Continue reading “Four Things I Learned from our Advent Dance”

Begin Where You Are and Resist Criticizing

Don’t despise the days of small beginnings.

I choreographed the dance below three years ago and it is dear to me.

Warning: There is a huge garment problem right at the beginning. Don’t let that hinder you from being blessed by this dance.

In fact, in a way, that garment snafu is part of my point in posting this video. There are many things I could critique about this dance regarding the garments, the group choreography, even or especially, our hair. But it this dance is dear to me, and it still moves me.

Watch it, and you’ll see what I mean.

Continue reading “Begin Where You Are and Resist Criticizing”

Praise Dance Workshop in Pasadena

Save the date! January 31 2:00-5:30.

I’m excited and honored to be teaching with Marlita Hill, author of Dancers, Assume the Position and dancer teacher. I feel like God has brought Marlita into my life at just the right time. She has tremendous talent and skill and wants to come alongside me in equipping worship dancers to tell God’s stories in a way that truly connects with people.

You’ll hear more on this later, but please be praying and, if you live near me or feel called to travel to Los Angeles, save the date!

Take 3 minutes to watch this prophetic dance by Marlita and be encouraged:

Sharpen Your Tools – Complementary Seminar tonight

There are two sides to worship dance:

There is the intimate side of worshiping God through movement for the joy of it and to express love to Him.

And there is the more public side of leading others in worship and dancing in ministry, using the art of dance to to bring God’s message to people.

For the first aspect of worship dance, training is not necessary. It can enhance our joy in worshiping Jesus, but anyone can worship, regardless of their training. God gave us all bodies and He is pleased when we use them to express our love and commitment to Him.

For the second aspect of worship dance, training is important. It enables us to better communicate God’s word. It allows us to hold the attention of those to whom we hope to minister so that they can receive the message we have. And it gives us credibility which opens the door to serve.

Jocelyn Richard and the Certification Program — Jocelyn teaching at one of the live training seminars.

Today I want to share about a very valuable way to get training, to grow more skillful in the art of dance, more knowledgeable in the bible, and more wise in business so that your impact is greater. Continue reading “Sharpen Your Tools – Complementary Seminar tonight”

Celebrating My Graduation from Dancing for Him Teacher’s Training Course

Today I’m celebrating having graduated from Dancing for Him‘s Worship Dance Teacher’s Training Course.

For years I led others in worship dance, choreographed praise dance presentations, and eventually taught worship dance in a studio. For most of that time, I was self taught, or really Holy Spirit taught.

About 3 years ago, I came across Dancing for Him and read about their two year training course. My heart leapt. I wanted to take it.

As a dance teacher, I wanted a certificate that said that I was qualified to teach what I was teaching. And I wanted the confidence that comes from systematically studying dance and dance ministry.

I prayed about it for 2 years before God opened the door financially and in my schedule to enroll in the class.

It’s been an incredible year. I have learned so much in terms of technique, dance and the bible, and dance ministry leadership. Read on to find out what I learned and watch a 4 minute video about the course. Continue reading “Celebrating My Graduation from Dancing for Him Teacher’s Training Course”

Pasadena Workshop Praise Report

Thank you so much to all who prayed for the Worship in Motion Praise Dance Workshop in Pasadena this past Saturday. Your prayers made a tremendous difference.

The Lord blessed the workshop, blessed me, and blessed those who attended.

Here are 5 ways I saw His hand as well as a 90 second video recap of the afternoon. Continue reading “Pasadena Workshop Praise Report”