ABSTRACT

The grassroots movement to include dance in Catholic services drew the attention of Pope John Paul II in September 2003, when he issued a document giving guidelines on the ways that Mass is conducted. Responding to liberalization and experiment in church services since the 1990s, the pope suggested banning “applause and dance within the place of worship, even outside the celebration of [Mass].” The document raised protest not only from parishioners but also from Catholic bishops who noted that it was common for the pope to be greeted by dance at services he attended in Africa and Asia. Among the religious objections to dance is that dance is theatrical performance and therefore may be construed as secular entertainment or involving bodily movements that are sexually suggestive. An answer in some congregations is to employ horizontal swaying movements in a simple but stirring praise dance. To dance, parishioners in each pew begin by standing and moving from their seats toward the center of the church. There they join hands with those on the opposite side of each aisle. Priests, deacons, and other church officials at the front of the church also clasp hands and join with the choir and those sitting in the front pews. Thus, the entire church comes together as one unit. The movement is simple and consists mainly of swaying from side to side, but members of congregations using this procedure often note the deeply religious mood and strong feelings of community they experience while performing this small praise dance.