Is dancing wrong?

Started by Matthew Minica
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Matthew Minica

Many of the people in the culture today like to dance. They say it's okay, that it is praising the Lord with our bodies, that as long as it's not sensual it's okay. On the other hand, some Christians say that we should not dance at all, because it doesn't matter the intention, if someone were to interpret it as sensual then it would be causing them to sin. Some even go so far as to call dancing itself a sin! What do you think?

Discuss!

P. S. Although last time I started a topic here, I had a specific viewpoint already in mind, I don't on this subject, so I welcome any discussion from both sides.

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John project

I know I may get shot down for bringing this up, but David danced before the lord with all his might when they were bringing the Ark into the city of David.
2 Sam 6:14 And David danced before the Lord with all his might;…..

It seems to me that Michal, Davids wife did not see the the significance of what was happening and judged him according to the flesh and payed the price.

Some not only think that dancing is a sin, but clapping your hands,/ applauding, shouting hallelujah or playing an instrument as well.

I don't think its a sin to dance for Jesus or for recreation either. There is a time for everything as Ecc 3:4 says.
A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;

Of course, I don't like evil dances.

As usual Everything that God makes that's good and wholesome, the Devil likes to come along and imitate and besmirch it and make it seem dirty so he can get the credit for it.

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God's Maiden of Virtue

That's pretty much what I think.

I danced in a ballet company for four years. It is a Christian ballet company called Praise His Name With Dancing. In fact, they are having a performance this Saturday. It's called "For Such a Time as This: The Story of Esther."

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John project

Okay, here is my list of dances or dancing that I would consider evil.

A lot would have to do with the spirit in which you are dancing as well.

Like when Israel rose up to "play" when Moses was taking way too long on the mountain getting the ten commandments and Arron thought it was a good idea to make a golden calf.

In exodus 32:19 It says: And it came to pass, as soon as he came nigh unto the camp, that he saw the calf, and the dancing: and Moses' anger waxed hot, and he cast the tables out of his hands, and brake them beneath the mount. ( read the whole story to get a clear picture)

God was definitely not happy with that kind of dancing.

Some of today's dancing, like slam dancing, when you just jerk around and try to slam into someone to cause them pain, is not one I think the Lord would put his stamp of approval on.

Some of the black arts that would require some dancing as part of the ritual, Voodoo for example.

Techno. I am not saying all the music is bad but some of it is produced to correlate with the getting high on "ecstasy"…. the drug that is.

To dance around while in a drug induced stupor I personally would call it, if it had a name, "yielding to the enemy's tune"

And finally, old white guys that can't dance, but venture out unto the dance floor anyhow oblivious to how ridiculous they look ( me being one of them ) although I wouldn't classify that as evil, just humiliating.

Anyway that's all I can think of off the top of my head.

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Matthew Minica

All of what you guys have said is pretty good. I was actually the director for the music of VBS (which includes what you might call "dancing") this past week. I believe that it is probably not wrong in that kind of situation. But still, I try to be very careful. IBLP and Bill Gothard have brought up some good points about dancing. I'm not sure if I totally agree that dancing is a sin, but what they have said has certainly made me think.

About ballet: This is definitely border-line for me. Almost all ballet dancers dress immodestly. This is probably the thing that makes me wonder if ballet is good. Does anybody know who or what started ballet in the first place?

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Christian Alexander

GMOV's ballet/dance company is very careful to make sure that all of the girls' costumes are totally modest. They are nothing like the typical ballet dancers that you'd see. So if that's your only problem with ballet, then it wouldn't apply here.

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Sarah B.

I don't believe dancing is wrong.

Psalm 149:2-3
Let Israel rejoice in their Maker; let the people of Zion be glad in their King. Let them praise his name with dancing and make music to him with tambourine and harp.

Psalm 150:4a
Praise him with tambourine and dancing praise him with the strings and flute

There are other verses that talk about dancing, but as I see this, there is nothing wrong with dancing to praise the Lord, provided you comply with the other Biblical standards such as modesty, not tempting your brother, etc. (This would obviously exclude worldly, sensual dancing.)

About ballet specifically, like Aidan said, I've done it for 13 years, and I can say from experience that a lot of it depends on where you go and also on the attitude you go into it with.

To answer your question, ballet originated in the Italian and French courts in the late Middle Ages. It originally drew on elements from fencing and mime, as well as the formal court dances of the day. From there it has evolved into a highly technical, physically demanding art form.

About modesty, I have two things to say:
As far as the movements, classical ballet is about as modest as it gets. Some of the more modern interpretations are definitely iffy, but old-fashioned ballet focuses on ponsture, strength, and extension with very little hip or upper-body movement.

As far as costuming, I can understand there being some concern. Tight-fitting garb is rather necessary to ensure proper body placement during practice. It would depend on your standards, but I would say that it is possible, if difficult, to find modest leotards. For performance, I would say pretty much the same thing. The costumes for some shows are rather skimpy, but there are plenty of ballet costumes out there which are pretty, elegant, and yes, modest. You definitely need to be careful, but ruling out ballet entirely because the dancers are sometimes immodest would be like forbidding all swimming just because some swimmers do not wear enough.

To summarize, not all ballet is immodest.
With all of that said, I'd like to give a few personal reflections.

Ballet keeps me fit, flexible, and mentally fresh. It is great excercise and is wonderful for clearing the head after a long day of schoolwork. But even more than that, ballet is beautiful, and I believe that using the amazing bodies He has given us brings glory to the Lord.

Sometimes, my teachers will remind us to "perform for your audience" (The reflection in the studio mirror.) What they mean is that we should practice putting life and expression into our dancing, but I always think to myself, "Performing for yourself and your reflection is so hollow. I serve an amazing God who is watching me and rejoicing over me right this second." And then I try to do my best and be beautiful for Him.

Dancing is a powerful art form, combining music and motion to touch the soul. As with any powerful medium, the danger is that it will be used wrongly. However, when done right, it can communicate a powerful message to the glory of God. I especially love dancing to Christian music because it has the added benefit of God-honoring lyrics.

For example, this spring, two Christian girls from my studio chose to choreograph their senior solo to "You are More" by Tenth Avenue North. Watching them sent shivers down my spine. Their interpretation brought the lyrics to life and I hope touched many in the mainly secular audience.

Three years ago, a friend of mine died of cancer. That summer I believe God gave me the choreography for "I Will Rise" by Chris Tomlin. Rehearsing that piece and eventually performing it for our church helped my friends and I to grieve and then to move beyond grief and into the hope of eternal life.

I appologize for that lengthy post and applaud you if you read all the way through it. Matthew, I hope this helps to answer some of your concerns.

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Christian Alexander

I agree, Sarah B. And Christian music is definitely the best to dance to. I've danced to songs by Steve Camp and Jeremy Camp. And I've watched other guys dance to Group 1 Crew and DC Talk and Kutless. I'd love to dance to Tenth Avenue North, if given the chance! ;)

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Porque Él Me Amó Primero

I have been taking dance lessons (ballet, tap and jazz) for five years. I think that dance is a great way to praise the Lord. However, you do have to be careful. My family is actually leaving our current studio (a Christian studio, for that matter) and looking for another one because of some spiritual issues.

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Matthew Minica

@Sarah: Thank you for the post, and yes, I did read all of it :)

I just wanted to comment briefly: I have read somewhere (probably from IBLP) that the verses you brought up are not talking about dancing; they are talking about a musical instrument. This may or may not be true, but I just wanted to bring that up. The KJV translates the Hebrew as "the dance", not "dancing". It seems more logical that a noun, rather than a verb, might be referring to a musical instrument. Is this mistranslated in newer translations? Or is the original meaning of the word really "dancing"? Please understand: I am not arguing with you, I am only bringing up something I have heard and see if you know anything about it.

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Sarah B.

That's an interesting thought, Matthew, and honestly, I hadn't heard that question before. I don't know much about Hebrew, so I can't say whether or not that interpretation fits with the context or not.

I did find some verses that I think shed some light, though, besides what John project mentioned about David and Michal:

Thou hast turned for me my mourning into dancing: thou hast put off my sackcloth, and girded me with gladness (Psa 30:11 KJV)

Again I will build thee, and thou shalt be built, O virgin of Israel: thou shalt again be adorned with thy tabrets, and shalt go forth in the dances of them that make merry. (Jer 31:4 KJV)

The same Hebrew word (machowl) is used here as in the verses I posted earlier, and in the first one even the KJV translates it as a verb. In addition, I think you'll agree that dancing as a musical instrument of some sort doesn't really fit with the context.

You'd have to do a lot more research to verify this, but it seems to me that when the majority of Bible scholars, translators, and editors translate the word as dancing, it probably means just that.

That's just my thoughts. Interesting question, btw :)

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SavedByGrace

I decided to check up on the original Hebrew on biblos.com (if anyone hasn't heard me say this yet, that website is incredible!!), and the Hebrew word "machol," used in all the verses Sarah B. showed, according to Strong's concordance, means, "a dance" or "dancing." And, as Sarah said, every translator of the Bible has translated it as "dancing," even in the most word-for-word translations, so it seems that that is what it means. I cannot be 100% positive about this, but it's what the facts seem to indicate. Interesting point.

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Christian Alexander

But Matthew, even if those verses are not referring to the kind of dancing we think of, I think we can draw principles from the Bible and use logic, like we do with other issues, to conclude that dancing is permittable if done for God's glory and not sensually or provocatively.

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GlorifyGod<3

I take ballet, and I do it to glorify God. I dance at Houston Ballet, and many girls just want to do it to become popular…I take it as a chance to witness to them. Some girl think I am weird, but why should I care? Why should I be worried about being a Christian? (Don't answer that :) )

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SavedByGrace

I like to think of how scared I feel when I witness like this: God may be using me to keep a person from burning forever in hell–who cares if I feel a little uncomfortable in telling them about it?? :D

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Random Narnian Warrior (Tarva/Abi)

I don't think dancing solo is neccesarily wrong as long as you're dressed modestly and the dance doesn't have some sort of weird other meaning. And I'm personally not planning on dancing with anyone else until I get married.

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biblebee

So most of you think dancing is okay. What about dancing with the same gender? Or dancing with the other gender? Are they both okay? Is one right and the other wrong?

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Sarah B.

Hi Sarah B. I’m Sarah B. too! :)

Dose anyone have any thoughts on touching (boys/girls) when dancing? Some people say that kind of dancing is inappropriate.

Edit: Sorry maybe you guys already touched on this aspect of dancing…

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Sir Walter (Jimmy)

It seems a little difficult to actually "dance" unless you do, in some way, touch the one with whom you are dancing. The question is whether you touch in the wrong way. I think the traditional position of the boy's arm around the girls waist (like you see in ballroom dance scenes in movies) is generally fine, but more than that is leaning toward the bad side of dancing.

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Sarah B.

I agree with what you said Jimmy!
Sam, your right… but some squire-dancing dose. I have never danced with a boy… I can’t ever make up my mind wither I would want to even if I did get asked.

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Sarah B.

I don’t like modern dances for that reason… to awkward for me.
Edit: Have you ever been to a dance? I’ve only been to one in my whole life!
Edit#2: I think its even more awkward at a squire-dance when no one asks you to dance and your just standing around the whole time.

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In It Not Of It

irk????? I have done a pretty good amount of various dancing in my lifetime…..square dancing, swing, tap, irish……
Its really bad when you dont know anyone either, and the rest of the girls do because they have practically paired off already …….and ur like…….um……im going to go eat cheesy popcorn in the corner of the bathroom, and lock the door……

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biblebee

Well you're coming to the square dance with me and we can do it together that way if it is awkward we will be together :)

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God's Maiden of Virtue

Hmm…glad I'm not going to that. :P There is no getting me to do a square dance anymore – NO question about that. Way too weird. Way too awkward. Way too complicated (okay, maybe not complicated, but whatever :P).

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His Servant

Sorry, I must spoke. Not the fair (though the Friday evening event is at the fairgrounds). My question is are you going to the event Friday evening - where the Wissmann's are singing, the horse rides are happening, and the square dancing is taking place?

Does that make sense now? Sorry for confusing it.

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God's Maiden of Virtue

@Soli Deo Gloria: puts on innocent face What did I do??
And hey, that doesn't mean I'm against all dancing. Though, the only dancing I really like is ballet – and that's limited too….like for example, I don't like people doing 'pas de deux'.

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Cryptologist

Although there can be some types of dancing that crosses the line, not all dancing is bad.

I always think of Mr. R.C. Sproul Jr.'s thoughts on dancing:
"Pain is weakness leaving the body. Joy is dancing leaving the body."

:D

But if you live in this house… you know how to dance. ;)

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Andrew

scowl Making me use a Bible!

1 Cor. 7:1 -KJV
"Now concerning the things whereof ye wrote unto me: It is good for a man not to touch a woman." I see what you mean.
1 Cor. 7:1 -NIV
"Now for the matters you wrote about: “It is good for a man not to have sexual relations with a woman.”" And I don't see what you mean.
I looked it up in Strong's. The subtitle over that section is "He discusses marriage." His word "haptomai" is used only in connection with marriage, or that someone had been changed by it. For example the woman who wanted to touch the robe of Jesus so she would be healed of her infirmity has the same word used.
In other words. I don't know. Which is why you were asking Jimmy.

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