How to choreograph dances for church dance team ministry that will bless and impact others     

As a dance minister, you want to choreograph beautiful dances that will bless your Audience of One and your audience of many. Sometimes you will have brilliant ideas for your movements, and sometimes you may draw a blank.

These ideas and techniques for your praise dance or worship dance choreography will help you to create beautiful choreography. Whether you are creating dance moves for yourself only, or for your dance ministry team, these praise dance tips will impact your audience and bring the change that you know God wants to see in their lives.

Here is how you can design Christian dance moves to put God’s Word in Motion so that it blesses your audience.

Let’s use a dance of joy as an example throughout.

1. Be clear on God’s message 

This is your first step. Trying to choreograph your dance message without first knowing what it is God is asking you to say through dance, is like trying to cook without knowing what dish you’re preparing. Here are some tips on how you can be crystal clear on your dance ministry message.

1. The message to you

   Find and meditate on scripture verses that are related to the dance message you are trying to convey. Go beyond the ones you already know, and use your Concordance to search for the meaning and related verses. When you see how often a message is repeated in the Bible, and the various contexts, this will add to your Biblical vocabulary, and therefore your praise dance movement vocabulary.

2. The message to the people

  You want to be clear on your dance message for your church congregation or your dance ministry audience. This is slightly different from the overall message. For example, the message may be that there is joy to be found in every circumstance, but the message to your audience might be that they can find joy in every circumstance as they step out in faith.

3. The outcomes they should experience.

   This continues from the above and refers to how they might THINK or FEEL after you dance. For example, they might think “ I can find joy even though my future is uncertain” or “I feel so much calmer, I can trust God to find joy”

4. Their next steps. This is probably the most exciting part. This is where the members of your church will get a sense of what they should DO after you dance. In the case of the dance for joy, this might be “I will give thanks in everything so I can have joy”

2. Good, now that they have the overall message, now think about what you would like them to know, feel, and think, with specific situations to which they might relate.

1. What do you want them to think during your praise dance movements?is This should always follow the Biblical guidance of “Whatsoever is true, honest, good report.” Then everything about your liturgical dance should say that they are loved, they are special, they are free, and they can experience joy.

2. What is the range of emotions God wants them to feel when you dance - happy, blessed, hopeful, brave, encouraged? These can all relate to the message of joy and will help you to express them during your worship dance.

3. Lastly, what might their specific situations need? You can speak to this specifically using music, props, visual arts, and drama. For example, if they are struggling with finding joy because they are sick, your worship dance can include a brief drama showing a mother finding joy in the time she has left with her sick child.

3. Look in the above and your environment for inspiration 

1. Look for elements in the passages of scripture. For example, if one of the passages references “a cup that runs over’, you can use your hands to represent a cup. You can also use customized praise and worship dance garments or praise flags with the image of a cup running over. You can also use stage props with a cup, using it to show that you and your fellow church dance ministers have cups that overflow with joy. 

2. Look for elements in their situations. For example, if the situation is a broken heart, you can use choreography where a duet depicts praise dancers moving apart and healing together. Or even multiple worship dancers to show a shattered heart. You can also use custom worship dance garments and props that show brokenness and healing.

3. If your liturgical dance message is joy and restoration, in your environment, you may notice a plant being restored with care. You can use this to inspire the unfolding of a flower in your dance movements, and use the same imagery in your praise dance garments, props, and banners.

4. Use the elements of choreography levels so that you ensure you are using a wide range of these tools effectively and appropriately. 

You can use jumps at strategic points in your dance choreography to express great joy or use lifts to portray joyous praise after a breakthrough. In the same way, prayer before the miracle can be lying on the floor, or pain before healing can be a side-to-side sway in a low squat.

5. You can use the same approach in your liturgical dance choreography using different facings on stage

1. Use strong dance facings to focus on the message of joy or a particular praise dancer who is praying for a miracle

2. Use weaker facings to fade dancers away from the main worship dancer

3. Use transitions from weaker facings to stronger facings to build momentum in your dance, for example when the moment of breakthrough is going to be shown in your praise dance.

6. Change the dynamics of your movements

1. Change the speed. Joy can be shown both with slow and faster movements. Praise dance does not have to be fast, and worship dance does not have to be slow!

2. Change the style - from sharp to smooth. Beautiful flowing movements with your hands can be used to show joy for healing, and sharp feet movement can be used for praise and warfare dance. Both can be used effectively to capture your audience and make your dance ministry message of joy more impactful.

3. Change the intensity. As above, vary how strongly you and your praise dancers relate to your audience. It is okay to step back, literally and figuratively, to help your audience focus and pay attention when it really matters. This will help your praise and worship dance message to be clear to your church or public audience.

4. Vary your facial expressions. Your smile, frown, and laugh can all be used as part of your body movements for your praise and worship dance. This will make it even easier for your audience to feel God’s heart for them as they watch you dance. For a dance message of joy in the storm, they will relate to your emotions as you take them through the message with your Christ-centred dance.

7. Choose an accompaniment that speaks to your message. 

1. Music, spoken word, instrumental, and a combination of these can be powerful and speak in a targeted way to your audience.

2. Music that is applicable to your message, but also is right. Don’t just choose the latest song or the popular song. But choose the song that is aligned with the message God is giving you. At the same time, choose a song that you can dance to that will keep your audience engaged. Remember as well that the song in your personal ministry time, may not be the most impactful song for public ministry. This is about your audience, the persons God has given you to impact by showing them His word in motion.

Your goal for your praise or worship dance is to bless and impact your audience. These tips are meant to guide you as you develop your dance ministry choreography. I hope they are simple to put into practice so that you know that you are truly putting God’s Word in Motion through your liturgical dance.

Let me know in the comments below which were most helpful, and add any more of your ideas too!

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All garments are prayerfully designed with your message in mind. 

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