Monday, March 18, AD 2024 10:48pm

Is There Anything More Asinine Than Liturgical Dance?

Hattip to Father Z.  The question is purely rhetorical as far as I am concerned.

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bill bannon
bill bannon
Friday, January 9, AD 2015 9:59pm

. Maybe the men are dancing like women and not with all their might.
Be careful not to imitate the sin of Michal who despised David when he danced with all his might in 2 Sam.6

” 14 Then David came dancing before the Lord with abandon, girt with a linen ephod.[b] 15 David and all the house of Israel were bringing up the ark of the Lord with shouts of joy and sound of horn. 16 As the ark of the Lord was entering the City of David, Michal, daughter of Saul, looked down from her window, and when she saw King David jumping and dancing before the Lord, she despised him in her heart.”

Now recall that David paid 200 foreskins of the Phillistines to Saul for Michal when Saul had only asked for 100. She must have been beautiful but beautiful women don’t have to grow as one wise man told me. So even though David did all that circumcising of dead men for her, she turned on him when he danced wearing the linen ephod. The moral of the story is this….don’t see the father’s 100 and raise him a 100. Stick with his original figure. He knows something he’s not telling you.

Anzlyne
Anzlyne
Friday, January 9, AD 2015 10:16pm

I had to shut it off before dance was completed. I am afraid I had the same disgusted reaction David’s wife had.

There might be a close second for something as asinine. That altar and sanctuary. Or is it called ” worship space”

CAM
CAM
Friday, January 9, AD 2015 11:45pm

I’m starting to appreciate my small, cinder block mission church with the cold metal chairs.

Art Deco
Art Deco
Saturday, January 10, AD 2015 4:02am

Adding choreography to the service is a strong indication they have a homosexual in a gatekeeper position in that parish, and one of a sort who behaves like a parasitoid wasp. The bishop needs to clean house.

What’s depressing about clergymen of all stripes is that most of them do not seem to be able to get the uncomplicated tasks right. Having a dignified liturgy is not that difficult (I’ve seen otherwise-repellant Anglican vicars accomplish that week after week), producing a coherent and instructive homily is not impossible (my ancient Melkite priest did that week after week until his retirement).

Glenn Reynolds recently offered the suggestion that fads in pedagogy had little to do with problems in teaching a learning and a great deal to do with boredom on the part of teachers (an observation Marva Collins offered a generation ago). May apply here.

DJ Hesselius
DJ Hesselius
Saturday, January 10, AD 2015 7:04am

Anyone notice how the altar looks a bit like a Lego piece? Ouch! I like Legos, but that is just wrong.
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On the other hand, thinking about the Lego piece kept me from watching the dance too much. Lasted 2:21 into the video. I note it has, currently, 6 “likes” and “177” dislikes on YouTube.

Philip
Philip
Saturday, January 10, AD 2015 7:59am

Now it’s making more sense…the relics of Judas Iscariot are buried under the Lego alter. Those crazy progressives.

Rick
Rick
Saturday, January 10, AD 2015 8:01am

Liturgical dance is part of a collection of recent alterations to the Mass. Many of these alterations are intended to appear as enhancements but as a whole they undermine the Mass and its purpose. We attend Mass to worship God, not each other and not ourselves. There is a good contrast between the ad-orientem and the current common Mass complete with holding hands during the recitation of the Our Father and receiving the Eucharist in the hand. Considering how the Mass has devolved since 1965, it is no wonder we have spectacles such as liturgical dance. It is all for entertainment, the end of which is our own pleasure. The mass is now oriented to the people and not God.

Mary De Voe
Saturday, January 10, AD 2015 9:03am

bill bannon: “As the ark of the Lord was entering the City of David, Michal, daughter of Saul, looked down from her window, and when she saw King David jumping and dancing before the Lord, she despised him in her heart.”
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Excellent point. and King David never had marital relations with Michal again, even though she had saved him from Saul’s deadly wrath by letting him down in a basket from a window in the palace.
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Yes, Rick, I would have said the same thing. “It is all for entertainment, the end of which is our own pleasure. The mass is now oriented to the people and not God.” and we as parishioners have to support such idolatry. Let it be known that you will not support idolatry. The Church is God’s house. The Church belongs to God. Anybody wants to challenge that the Church belongs to God can join Lucifer.

Mary De Voe
Saturday, January 10, AD 2015 9:06am

It must have been the winter solstice.

FX Kelly
FX Kelly
Saturday, January 10, AD 2015 9:21am

While I might find it a little silly, I’m stuck to find a specific biblical based prohibition for this behavior, and I’m pretty sure those that enjoy this stuff will have some doctrinal or biblical support (e.g. David) for it. I’m sure they view it as a form of worship. I’m wary of going down the road of criticism over something like this. It may reflect just as poorly on my attitude as their’s.

Mary De Voe
Saturday, January 10, AD 2015 10:06am

FX Kelly: “I’m pretty sure those that enjoy this stuff”
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I’m pretty sure those WHO (as persons, people must be addressed by their souls, their transcendence, their metaphysical sanctification by the Holy Spirit, and WHO is the Holy Spirit: I AM WHO I AM) enjoy this stuff…”
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Perhaps you would be kind enough to point to the passage where Jesus danced. As
“in persona Christi” and as “alter Christi” the priest is Christ for us and brings Christ down on the altar at Mass. Isn’t it time for the priest to get real?

Art Deco
Art Deco
Saturday, January 10, AD 2015 10:06am

I’m stuck to find a specific biblical based prohibition for this behavior,

Oh, then it’s all good. (Get out your concordance and see if you can find a ‘specific biblical based prohibition against taking a job as a dominatrix).

Steve Phoenix
Steve Phoenix
Saturday, January 10, AD 2015 12:57pm

This is truly one of the more bizarre Novus Ordo episodes I have recently viewed. Too bad for John the Baptist that these people didn’t dance the “Dance of the veils”; he might have died after a long life with Saint John the Evangelist on Patmos. However I think the 4 dancers would have definitely been executed.

Kennybhoy
Kennybhoy
Saturday, January 10, AD 2015 1:05pm

FX Kelly wrote:

“I’m sure they view it as a form of worship. I’m wary of going down the road of criticism over something like this. It may reflect just as poorly on my attitude as their’s. ”

I tend to agree. Not my sort of thing at all but hesitant to unequivocally condemn…

I watched the BBC documentary, “Sacred Rivers with Simon Reeve: The Yangtze” recently. At at about the forty-five minute mark the presenter attended a service in Nanjing complete with dancing and dramatic reenactments. I know that this example does not appear to be strictly liturgical but still, looking at the joy and sorrow on the faces of some of the congregation I find it hard to condemn. Much closer to David the King dancing before The Lord than that undoubtedly risible effort above…

FX Kelly
FX Kelly
Saturday, January 10, AD 2015 5:11pm

“Perhaps you would be kind enough to point to the passage where Jesus danced. As “in persona Christi” and as “alter Christi” the priest is Christ for us and brings Christ down on the altar at Mass. Isn’t it time for the priest to get real?”

We can argue that, but it doesn’t remove the biblical precedent for dance as a joyous form of worship , not to mention culturally and historically as a solemn form of worship.

“Oh, then it’s all good. (Get out your concordance and see if you can find a ‘specific biblical based prohibition against taking a job as a dominatrix)”

I think I can find a few passages that speak negatively to that behavior generically, even if not specifically. Not so much with the dancing thing.

There are many issues that are worthy of our attention but I’m not sure this is one. My knee jerk reaction is pretty negative, but ironically, I have no similar issues with behaviors that are really contentious, like iconography. This might be just a Rorschach test I don’t want to take.

Sydney O. Fernandes
Sydney O. Fernandes
Saturday, January 10, AD 2015 6:50pm

Call me “old-fashioned” if you like: but when the concept and practice of the Sanctuary was killed, obscene (yep! obscene!) spectacles like this began. The only folks that sort-of danced on Calvary were those mocking the dying Savior of the world. Or this is perhaps an over-acting of the “common priesthood”??

Mary De Voe
Saturday, January 10, AD 2015 7:04pm

FX Kelly: Part of the disenchantment with liturgical dance is after they, whoever they are, took away the altar rails, the kneelers, put the Blessed Sacrament in the sacristy, removed the stained glass windows, and statues, they, whoever they are, force fed us liturgical dance, a poor exchange, because they, whoever they are, removed the sacred, replaced the sacred with the unblessed secular, removed the reverence and replaced it with the spectacle.
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How are we to appreciate liturgical dance when we have been prohibited from appreciating the liturgy?

Mary De Voe
Saturday, January 10, AD 2015 7:12pm

“The only folks that sort-of danced on Calvary were those mocking the dying Savior of the world.”
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Over in Newark, New Jersey Archbishop Gerity had a dance troop installed who dance the “Passion of Mary” during Holy Week, like dancing on Christ’s grave…no respect.
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FX Kelly: If you have not seen the icon of the Trinity by Rublev, you have net seen any icon.

Mary De Voe
Saturday, January 10, AD 2015 9:51pm

People assist at Mass. The priest prays for the people and the people pray with the priest. St. Augustine says that the people offer up their hearts with the priest at the Offertory. Singing is praying twice. What’s wrong with liturgical dance is that the people cannot participate. King David represented all of his people. So, when King David danced all of his people danced with him. This would mean that the priest would have to dance with and for the parishioners. The dancers have no vocation to represent any other person but themselves. Therefore the dance cannot be a necessary part of the liturgy and cannot be called liturgical dance. Dancing inside a church cannot be considered part of the Liturgy. To inflict dance on the Mass attendees as liturgy is a lie.

Mary De Voe
Saturday, January 10, AD 2015 10:01pm

If I must have dancing girls and guys represent me can I wear shoes?

Philip
Philip
Sunday, January 11, AD 2015 8:22am

CCC # 1364; “As often as the sacrifice of the cross by which Christ our Pasch has been sacrificed’ is celebrated on the altar, the work of our redemption is carried out.”

Whimsical fanfare and flowing gowns are for people!

Christ wants our hearts. He needs nothing, especially a dance, but his wish is that man places serious attention on examination of conscience. A conversion of heart.

The chosen people placed blood upon the entrance ways in their homes. They were quiet. Praying and believing. Pass over.
The blood of the Lamb of God requires obedience and reflection on His last seven words while suffocating from a scaffold. Yes. Even on Easter Sunday.

CAM
CAM
Sunday, January 11, AD 2015 11:23am

Based on FX Kelly’s comments, I thought well maybe this parish has no hall and the church is multipurpose like our mission church (although our sacristy has a partition which can be closed). Or maybe this is a recital or a combination recital and concert. So to be fair I watched the video again – this time to end. Nope, this is a very modern version of the Altar Guild setting the altar for Mass. I can only imagine what the bringing of the gifts to the altar was like.
The music is “Lord of the Dance” written in 1963 by an Englishman who wrote it with not only Christ in mind, but also the Hindu god Shiva. I believe the music to be an old English folktune although he credits the Shakers for the tune. I figured a university church; the performance takes place in a Berkeley CA parish.
Nuff said. Not my cup of tea.

Edie Eason
Edie Eason
Sunday, January 11, AD 2015 9:51pm

Of course, it HAS to be California! And are we sure this is a Roman Catholic Church? I saw the Cruxifix, and a candle, but no Sanctuary Lamp.

Steve Phoenix
Steve Phoenix
Monday, January 12, AD 2015 11:58am

Yes, Edie, it is sad to say, but this is the “Holy Spirit Newman Center” at UC Berkeley, Berkeley, CA on Dwight Way, right next ot the campus: it was designed in the ultra-modern, “severe concrete” style (at that time in the 1960’s): When you enter this garish parking-structure-type building, and finally find your way to the “audience chamber” (“nave”), there is a corpse-like “Death of God” crucifix and (as someone else noted) a gynormous lego-like altar of concrete that is of one piece with the floor and the series of step-like approaches to it. All around you are walls of this horrible grey corrugated concrete.

It is perhaps the coldest, gloomiest buildings purporting to be a Catholic church I have ever been in (outside of several of its type in Europe). This building, and the I-should-have-known dance-antics inside it, all scream, “Get out! Get out! A false religion lives here!”

Not unrelated to this, Bishop Michael Barber of Oakland Diocese had to can the prior pastor and his assistant in March 2014, each due to openly unbecoming behavior unworthy of a priest. Of course, the Berkeley-ite self-identified Catholic crowd at HS screamed loudly and proudly about the “purge.”

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