Liturgical Dance

[dUSt]

Has anyone heard of having liturgical dance incorporated into a mass?

How would one answer the question, "Why is singing an acceptable form of worship in the mass, but not dance?"

[Adam]

I honestly don't know how to answer that, but I would hope liturgical dance would not be incorporated into the Mass. It just feels so weird, and I felt so uncomfortable in protestant churches because of the whole danceing thing, arms flyin, you get my drift.

Perhaps my idea of liturgical is wrong? Maybe im confused hehe. ;)

[cmotherofpirl]

Liturgical dance is forebidden in the continental US. Hawaii has different rules as dancing is a main part of their cultural tradition.

It is done in the diocese of Erie governed by liberal Bishop Trautman, where the notorious Joan Chistter resides. Teenage girls in tutus bouncing (and I mean bouncing) around the altar is disgusting.

[Good Friday]

"Just as all the gestures and movements found in the liturgy are regulated by the competent ecclesiastical authority, so also dancing as a gesture would have to be under its discipline. Concretely: there are cultures in which this is possible insofar as dancing is still reflective of religious values and becomes a clear manifestation of them... However, the same criterion and judgment cannot be applied in the western culture. Here dancing is tied with love, with diversion, with profaneness, with unbridling of the senses: such dancing, in general, is not pure. For that reason it cannot be introduced into liturgical celebrations of any kind whatever: that would be to inject into the liturgy one of the most desacralized and desacralizing elements; and so it would be equivalent to creating an atmosphere of profaneness which would easily recall to those present and to the participants in the celebration worldly places and situations." - Congregation for the Sacraments and Divine Worship, Dance In the Liturgy. Appeared in Notitiae 11 (1975) 202-205.

"All dancing, (ballet, children's gesture as dancing, the clown liturgy) are not permitted to be 'introduced into liturgical celebrations of any kind whatever.'" - National Conference of Catholic Bishops (Bishops' Committee On the Liturgy) Newsletter: April/May 1982.

So, my best guess would be that the Congregation for Divine Worship outlawed liturgical dance in the west because it is associated with negative thoughts these days, whereas music can be either positive or negative, depending upon how it's composed. Even though dance can be created with the intention of worshipping God, the point the Congregation seems to be making is that it can too often lead other people to recall other dance that is less holy. Also, I can only imagine the widespread abuses there would be if liturgical dance were permitted...

[hyperdulia again]

lol@cmom.

well, as my sister put it "Catholics need to learn how to sing at Mass before they start trying to dance."

[esperanza]

Oh my! THAT is hilarious!

;)

[IcePrincessKRS]

lol@cmom.

well, as my sister put it "Catholics need to learn how to sing at Mass before they start trying to dance."

lol Thats a good one... I'll have to remember that. ;)

[vianney]

In my church the have dance once a year and that is the xmas eve mass. Processing in they dance and it is actually pretty and graceful. I see no problem with it as long as it is not overdone and done in a tasteful manner. And I am by no means "liberal"

By the way they had liturgical dance at World Youth Day while the Pope was there..just a thought?

[Good Friday]

If I recall correctly, the dance they had at WYD was not liturgical, because it was not a part of the liturgy. It was separate, I think. I could be wrong, and if I am perhaps the Pope made a special exemption, since it is his place to do so. But liturgical dance is still forbidden in the West, the Congregation for Divine Worship hasn't changed its mind.

The problem with liturgical dance is that the Church forbids it in the West, and since the liturgy belongs to the Church, it is the Church's place to forbid it. If someone were having a house party and said there could be music but not dancing, it would be rude for everyone to get up and start dancing. Every time we go into a Catholic church, we are going into Jesus' and His Bride's House. They say no dancing in Their house. How rude is it of us to just go ahead and start dancing anyway?

If your parish does have liturgical dance, then that's a liturgical abuse that you should be concerned about. What's more important, dancing or offending the Bridegroom and the Bride? Christ and His Church is what Mass is all about... if you're basically telling the Church "no" at Mass, there's something wrong. Mass is the place where we come together as Church, not the place where we turn up our noses at her.

Personally, I would refuse to participate in a Mass that had liturgical dance unless it was the last Mass on earth.

[Brother Adam]

lol@cmom.

well, as my sister put it "Catholics need to learn how to sing at Mass before they start trying to dance."

Amen. Although I've never been in a "contemporary" Catholic Church where they aren't afraid of hymns that have a beat.

[electricdisk]

The reason it is entirely unacceptable, under any circumstances (in my opinion) is that you didn't see the blessed mother, the apostles or anyone else dancing around at the foot of the cross. The earth shook, the sky got dark and the graves of the dead were opened.... Yeah, sounds like time to have a party, God slaughtered on the cross. Innocence of innocence with his hands and feet pierced. I'm sure liturgical dance is perfectly acceptable - if you are in league with the devil. Dance away!! Let's make our churches less of a place to pray and find peace with god. They already remind me of auditoriums anyway.

[littleflower+JMJ]

great point electricdisk, i definitly agree....

[ryanmeyersmusic]

The reason it is entirely unacceptable, under any circumstances (in my opinion) is that you didn't see the blessed mother, the apostles or anyone else dancing around at the foot of the cross.  The earth shook, the sky got dark and the graves of the dead were opened.... Yeah, sounds like time to have a party, God slaughtered on the cross.  Innocence of innocence with his hands and feet pierced.  I'm sure liturgical dance is perfectly acceptable - if you are in league with the devil.  Dance away!! Let's make our churches less of a place to pray and find peace with god.  They already remind me of auditoriums anyway.

i'd say that the resurection (the reason we worship on Sunday) is worth dancing about.

since liturgical dancing isn't allowed by the Church, it shouldn't be done within the Mass, but that doesn't mean there's nothing to dance about. He's risen! We don't serve a dead God! Jesus is very alive, and that's something to take great joy in!

anyway, i just thought i'd throw that out there... the mass is a memorial of his death AND resurection. that's definitely something to dance about.

[ryanmeyersmusic]

AND the devil definitely wasn't dancing, since Christ's death on the cross defeated sin...

[L5]

If I recall correctly, the dance they had at WYD was not liturgical, because it was not a part of the liturgy.  It was separate, I think.  I could be wrong, and if I am perhaps the Pope made a special exemption, since it is his place to do so.  But liturgical dance is still forbidden in the West, the Congregation for Divine Worship hasn't changed its mind.

There were two places where we might have seen liturgical dancing at WYD.

First was on Thursday at the Papal Rally. There was scripture reading and an address by the Pope. There was also a dance with physically impaired people. This was not a liturgy, hence the dancing was not liturgical.

During the opening of the Papal Mass we sang "Jesus Christ You Are My Life" and there were people on stage doing hand actions. My friends thought it was some weird "Rain Dance". It was actually the words to the chorus in Sign Language. Was it Liturgical Dancing? I really don't know.