Dancing as worship: Men on the floor?

Seriously: you want males to dance?

David pulled it off. "All his might" is the key phrase. I think there's a fair percentage of guys that would move if they had a clue how, and if they weren't afraid it would be mamby pamby wympy stuff. Sad part of it is, when a guy joins the average dance class, that's what he usually gets.

Real men on the dance floor-- it's less about the steps, than how they are executed; attitude; and that takes a mental adjustment for the dancer and the choreographer both.

Choreographers are used to designing movement for delicate little fairy-creatures, skimmering around the stage and barely touching the ground. To choreograph effectively for-- or to dance effectively as-- a man, the thought process has to adapt to more of a cougar-like motion. The movements are still smooth and suspended, you can't hear the footfalls, but you have concealed energy, latent explosive power, a very different attitude. The dancer's body-center doesn't float suspended anymore; it has force, it presses against the floor-- even when the dancer is standing perfectly still, or suspended in a leap.

It's the difference in "Meekness = weakness" vice "Meekness = obedience". Put the obedience caption onto a picture of a Lippizanner stallion under saddle-- tremendous explosive power waiting patiently (yet vibrantly alert) for a delicate command.

It's a contrast in ideals-- ephemeral will-o-the-wisp versus cougar/ warhorse. Not to say that women can't dance powerfully and energetically, or that men can't pull off anything involving delicacy; this is to give a basis for emphasis in the training.

Avoiding extremes, you can do the exact same steps, but do them delicately, or powerfully. And the attitude thing is a little hard to describe. I make the mental contrast often that an average dancer crosses the floor, a delicate dancer skims across the floor, but a powerful dancer conquers the floor.




This document may be reproduced without change and in its entirety
for non-commercial purposes without prior permission from The Clearing In The Woods.
Copyright © 1998 by The Clearing In The Woods. All rights reserved.
Back to Dance In Worship
Back to Worship
Back to The Clearing In The Woods