I suppose I ought to move out of my rut in writing about dancing, but it clears the brain, so I will go on.
Why is faith like dance? Obviously, there are some interesting parallels between the church and contra dance groups. But beyond that, I think the faith life intersects with Contra Dancing in several areas.
First, everyone can do it. Contra dancing isn’t particularly hard. At some level, it really just involves walking in time to the music. Likewise, the faith live isn’t really too difficult. It does require moving in step with the music provided by God. But really, anyone can do it at some level.
Second, becoming and accomplished contra dancer allows one to create within the framework of the boundaries of the dance. What do I mean? Well most dances have a framework, an established set of moves that allow couples to move up and down the line. Beginners need to stay with these forms, otherwise they get lost and mess up the dance for others. But once one moves into the realm of expert, one is able to improvise in the midst of those forms. The basic moves are always present, but additional spins are added, or flourishes to the move which make it more enjoyable. Likewise, the faith life requires participation in certain forms, certain practices, which define the life. However, with time, one can learn how to improvise on the forms, not to cast the forms aside, but to add beauty and grace to these forms.
There are other commonalities, but I’m too tired and our church’s Fall Fair is tomorrow. So I’ll hold off for a while.
Only Wonder Understands 