Recovering and Redeeming Our Culture
By Mary Jones
Latin dance
When the first Christian Dance Fellowships started in Latin America in Mexico and Puerto Rico in 1992 most of the dance was western or Hebrew inspired worship dance. The Co-ordinators had been exposed to Seth Newman's teaching at the 1991 International Conference in Jerusalem but had felt that the Latin dances were too sensual and were not acceptable as a dance form in churches. There were a few rather hesitant experiments but on the whole they were rejected as being not suitable. Several years later at the CDF conference in Puerto Rico in 1998 there were several examples from Colombia and other countries that were using Latin style and heritage in their dances. The times of worship and presentation each evening were described as Fiestas of worship and celebration and people were asked to dress for a Fiesta to the King of Kings. It was exciting to see this redemption of a Latin festival time.
I found it interesting that when I was in Italy this year which is at the very beginning stages of introducing dance in worship that in a church with quite a large Brazilian membership I found a similar hesitancy. I suggested to the newly-formed dance group that had asked for help in choreographing a Brazilian worship song that we take one of the Latin dances that fitted the rhythm and adapt it At first I met quite strong resistance but when I pursuaded them to try and we had taken time to adapt and redeem it, taking out the sexual inuendoes and emphasising the celebratory and worship potential, they decided to try it. In the end they were surprised and pleased with the result.
Christian Dance Fellowship Conferences
Since the first international CDF conference in 1988 held in Australia there has been a steady increase of national styles represented at conferences. CDFMalaysia formed in 1999 has recently held a seminar where they invited two specialists in Asian dance styles to teach participants with one of the aims being of using Asian dance styles in preparing for a large international Christian conference they had been invited to participate in. At the formation of CDFKorea in 2000 the meeting was held in the context of a seminar, workshops and concert at Ewha Women's University. Many of the founding members come out of this University and speakers included professors from Dance Departments at several different universities in Seoul. One of the subjects addressed at the seminar was inculturation and several dances at the concert showed the use and adaptation of Korean dance styles to a Christian context.
Jewish Heritage
As well as the cultural heritage we have from our natural background we also have the heritage of our Christian family. This not only involves Christian but Jewish history and tradition. Many Christians have not taken this into account and may not even be fully aware of how much of the Christian faith is based on the Old Testament and that Jesus and all the early Christians were Jews. There has been much anti-semitism in the church and Replacement theology which teaches that Christians are the new Israel and inherit all the promises given to the Jewish people who have now lost their covenant rights has been widely held within the church. There have always been those in the church who have stood up strongly for the Jewish people and have been in the forefront of helping them recover the land of Israel and their nationhood but over the last twenty years or so there has been an increase of interest in rediscovering our ties with Israel and the Jewish people. This is seen as a sign that we are in the Last Days and the time is drawing closer when Jesus will come again reign over the earth from Jerusalem and the Jews will recognise him as their Messiah. There are many passages in scripture which talk about the irrevocable nature of God's covenant with Israel. One of the clearest in this context is in Romans where Paul writes about the grafting in again of the natural branches and warns the Gentiles not to be proud about their present position (Rom.11:23-24).
There has been a growing number of Messianic assemblies around the world in which both Jews and Gentiles worship Jesus/Yeshua with a strong Hebrew flavour. The feasts that were instituted by God during Moses'time are again being celebrated by Christians. Two of the pilgrim feasts have already been fulfilled - Passover with the death and resurrection of Christ and Shavuot/Pentecost with the coming of theHoly Spirit and the birth of thechurch. The origin of the Lord's Supper in the Jewish Passover is being explored and many Christians take part in Seders during Passover time. There are also Christian versions of the Seder and the Shabbat meal. The third pilgrim feast - Sukkot or the Feast of Tabernacles has not yet been fulfilled - it is the final harvest ingathering and has always been understood in Jewish tradition and ritual as including prayer for the gentile nations to be gathered in. Thousands of Christians have been going to Jerusalem over the last twenty years to celebrate the Feast of the Tabernacles and it has spread around the world so that there are now celebrations in many different countries. These celebrations have the purposeof introducing Christians to the Feast and our Jewish heritage, in making contact with Jewish people, and as a prophetic forward look to the final harvest and our coming King.
Dance is an important part of these Tabernacle celebrations and the there are many different expressions of it from very professional presentations to processions and congregational participation. Different styles of dance are used in the presentations including Israeli folk dance. Messianic and Israeli dance have become very popular and many church dance groups use steps and whole dances in their worship especially to songs that have an Israeli flavour to them or are Hebrew songs or Hebrew melodies with Christian words. Messianic congregations in particular have made this a feature of their worship and the congregation as well as dance groups may take part (Siberling 1995 p.49).
Conclusion
Many see this resurgeance of redeeming dance for the Lord as part of the preparation for the bride getting ready for the wedding and the great Marriage Supper of the Lamb described in Revelation (Rev.19:7-9) when people of all nations, tribes and tongues will gather around the throne in worship and when Jew and Gentile will be brought together as the Lord's bride. In the meantime it is a powerful way of expressing the gospel and our love of Jesus in a way which communicates with our culture. It emphasises that Jesus is not a product of the West but speaks to people in their own language and in their own culture. He made and enjoys our differences but longs that we find unity of spirit around his throne.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Chung, Meehyun Gospel and Culture, - a paper presented at Christian Dance Fellowship of Korea Seminar at Ewha University, Seoul, Korea, October 2000
Davies, J.G. Liturgical Dance, SCM Press, London, 1984
Dean, Beth Dust for the Dancers, Ure Smith, Sydney, 1956
Eubank, L.Allan God! If you are really God...Ask and Receive, Suriyaban Press, Bangkok, 2003
Harbinson, Colin The Arts and Cultural Restoration, Lamp, Ontario, 1998
Jones, Mary Growth of a Dance Movement, CDFA, Sydney 1987
Lapiz, Ed Redemption and use in Christian Worship of Philippine indigenous culture, a paper published by Day by Day Christian Ministries, Makati City, Philippines.
Le'au, Sosene CALLED TO HONOUR HIM Culture Com Press, Florida, 1997
Nicholls, Kathleen Ed. VOICES AT THE WATERING PLACES ICON, India 1991
Richardson, Don ETERNITY IN THEIR HEARTS Regal Books, California, 1978
Siberling, Murray Dancing for Joy, Messianic Jewish Publishers 1995
Wosien, Maria-Gabriele SACRED DANCE, Avon Books, New York, 1974
Copyright Mary Jones 2001
