An early worship dance mentor said this to a group of worshipers at the first praise dance workshop I ever attended.
Her words have been seared in my mind. I was a worshiper before I was a dancer, and dance has been a way to express my worship. I know the Lord looks at my heart much more intently than he looks at my skill level.
For many years, getting training was not a priority for me. I loved worshiping the Lord in private (no credentials required for that) and taught simple movements to children to express the heart of songs.
But these words stayed with me, and at the right time, the Lord opened the door for me to gain more training so that I could more clearly and creatively say with my body what my spirit wanted to say to the Lord. In fact, I’ve completed the Dancing for Him Level 1 Dance Teacher’s Training course. Continue reading “Come Worship and Be Equipped”
This little conversation has been ruminating in my heart and mind every since I had it with my eleven year old. I never would have thought to appreciate hiccups because they are unexpected. In fact, more often than not, I curse the unexpected: Continue reading “Embrace the Unexpected”
Is it a buzzword to make our dances sound more spiritual?
Is it only for a few who are particularly gifted?
Does a prophetic dance have to be spontaneous?
If I feel called to dance prophetically, how can I mature in this gifting?
In the Prophetic Dance DVD and book, Pastor Lynn Hayden demystifies prophetic dance and gives a multitude of suggestions for how you and your team can practice hearing from God and delivering his message, and she also gives some helpful cautions to those wanting to be a mouthpiece for God to others.
Read on to hear specifics and to watch a 4 minute video teaching I created from on prophetic dance, including a short dance I felt the Lord gave me for a specific group of people.
In her book, Prophetic Dance, and the DVD that complements it, Pastor Lynn gives clear teaching on what prophetic dance is and offers a multitude of ways a dancer or dance team can practice prophetic dance. She begins by giving a working definition of prophecy: to minister the heart of God to another. In prophecy, we call those things into existence that be not as though they were.
As dancers, we deliver the prophetic word through movement. The movements we use are not just beautiful or interesting, they carry meaning in the spiritual realm. So, as we dance under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, the Lord uses our movements to bring about healing, deliverance, and release of captives.
Pastor Lynn explains that prophetic dance differs even from other forms of worship dance. In prophetic dance we use music (or the spoken word) written/spoken in the first person, and our movements are directed towards the people. We make eye contact and gesture towards the people in order to deliver a message to them from the Lord.
This is different from when we dance to praise songs that are written to or about the Lord. In those songs, we are gesturing towards the Lord, speaking to Him. We hope to draw others into praise by ourselves embodying praise and worship. But in prophetic dance, the message is for the congregation or for the individual, and so we direct our focus towards them.
Pastor Lynn also debunks the common misperception that prophetic dance must be spontaneous. While often the movements are spontaneous, because we are listening to the Holy Spirit for what He wants to say in that moment and to whom, they can also be choreographed. The Lord can give a message ahead of time about what He wants to say to a congregation or individual and, as we pray and listen, give us choreography for a dance. That dance, because it is a word from the Lord to the people, is prophetic.
The book and DVD are full of activities that a dancer or dance team can use to grow in the ability to hear from God and communicate His word through dance. Pastor Lynn encourages dancers and groups to practice, to relax, to trust that He will speak. She also gives several safeguards, mindful that speaking for the Almighty God is a tremendous privilege and responsibility that we don’t take lightly.
Please share in the comments your experiences with prophetic dance.
How did you know what the Lord wanted you to say through movement?
Do you ever get a worship song just days before you need to dance to it?
Would your worship leader like you to dance more often in praise and worship than you feel your team can prepare for?
Do your team members need a chance to spread their wings and lead?
If so, you will love learning how to use what Lynn Hayden calls “planned spontaneity” to choreograph a powerful and unique dance in a very short time.
In the video that follows, I explain how I planned out a worship dance for a team of five or more dancers – planning out the props, colors, formations, and basic flow – that, with leadership from different team members, they could implement with just these simple instructions. Continue reading “Choreographing a Dance on Short Notice”
Several People have asked me for DVDs with dances that have already been choreographed, so I thought I would share a few that I love and have available in my store. Make sure to read to the end to learn about the special offer available until the end of September.
Click image for more details
Divine Choreography Tips and Techniques – In addition to giving you a wealth of ideas and techniques for choreography, this DVD has a completely choreographed reproducible dance, broken down step by step.
Dance, Dance, Dance DVD – This DVD describes the many Hebrew, Greek, & English words found in the bible and then depicts, through movement, their related scriptures. In addition to giving you a multitude of activities you can use with your team to bring the scriptures to life, it contains an intermediate level dance to Psalm 23.
Expressive Worship and Sign DVD – The teaching on this DVD has given me countless ideas for choreography and class activities as Lynn teaches how to use expressive sign in your dances. At the end,
Lynn breaks down an entire Expressive Worship Dance that you can easily reproduce with a group of dancers of varying levels. It is divided up into: a sign language part, an expressive worship part & a dance part. Continue reading “Choreographed, Anointed Dances for your Team”
Thanks so much to all who responded to my last post. Since it’s been two weeks since I posted at all, you might be wondering if the result of my heart-to-heart talk with my husband was that I would lay down dance ministry for a season.
We did not decide that. Instead, what we did for now was to set aside specific hours in the week for me to work on dance ministry related projects so that, during the rest of the hours, I’m free to serve my family. We also chose some activities that aren’t bearing as much fruit and put them on the shelf. Even though these are activities I enjoy, I’ve agreed to let them go for now, unless I finish those top priority tasks first.
I’m grateful for the time we spent talking, grateful to have unity with my husband, grateful for his practical wisdom and care for me, and grateful to be experiencing more balance and peace at home.
If you are feeling out of balance, don’t be afraid to ask those closest to you, those most affected by your ministry schedule, what they think and what they would like to see. The wisdom and peace you gain will be worth anything you are asked to let go of for a season.
Last night a fellow dancer asked a group of dance ministers in training, “For those of you who are married, how does your dance ministry affect your relationship with your spouse?”
I felt that burning in my heart that says, “This is your question to answer. Speak to it,” and it’s not because I have the balance between home life and dance ministry down. On the contrary. This is something God is dealing with me now.
Maybe he wanted me to speak up to help me keep honest with myself by being honest with others. And maybe He wanted me to speak up because it might be helpful to others who feel the tension between their sense of calling to dance ministry and meeting their responsibilities at home for me to share both where I have failed and what He seems to be saying to me. Continue reading “Dance and Your Home Life”
So many of you prayed for the Holy Visitation Dance conference I hosted last week in Oregon. He answered those prayers and many others, granting us an amazing time of worship, of learning, of healing, and of building relationships.
Read on to hear what we asked of the Lord and how He generously responded as well as to see a 4 minute recap of the conference.
An early worship dance mentor said this to a group of worshipers at the first praise dance workshop I ever attended.
