Praising God through dance

You’ve probably heard the joke: What is a Mennonite dilemma? Free dance lessons!

I was born in Saskatchewan in 1949 and the only dancing I ever encountered was square-dancing on the TV show, Don Messer’s Jubilee. My parents played circle games in their youth, but after the American-based tent revivals travelled across the Prairies, they believed that there was a very real possibility of being struck by lightning if any kind of dancing happened at youth events.

Meanwhile, I remember hearing quotes from the Bible with references to dancing and worship in the same verse. Verses like Psalm 149:3, which encourages worshippers to “praise God’s name with dancing, making melody with tambourine and harp,” seemed like an oxymoron to me.

Times changed and our three children learned how to dance. They enjoyed this social activity, especially at weddings. So when Quinlan Sharkey, our first granddaughter, celebrated her fifth birthday, I gave her a year of ballet lessons at the local community centre. To my surprise, for the next decade she dedicated her free time to ballet.

Now, she’s at the dance studio five nights a week and helps younger dance students learn their routines, but she still puts other things ahead of dance. She and her family live on a pure-bred sheep farm with us and she loves to help groom and show the sheep at inter-provincial shows. When she applied to an arts school in Calgary recently, she listed all the ballet competitions and awards she’d collected, noting, “I love to dance, but I’m a farm girl first.”

Faith-wise, Quinlan appreciates that a favourite ballet teacher of hers is a Christian, who, on occasion, prays with her students. Also, it’s important to her that our congregation at Foothills Mennonite in Calgary is supportive of her dancing passion.

Clearly, I’m delighted in my granddaughter’s accomplishments and pray that if dance is indeed “the hidden language of the soul,” as Martha Graham says, Quinlan’s soul will be blessed and that she will be a blessing to others as she praises God through dancing. l

Kate Janzen is president of Alberta Women in Mission and a member of the executive of Mennonite Women Canada. She attends Foothills Mennonite Church, Calgary, where she leads an intergenerational women’s group.

Interview with a young Mennonite dancer

Kate Janzen: Do you think dancing could be part of worshipping God?

Quinlan Sharkey: Of course, because I feel connected to God. When I dance, it feels like a prayer, and I can communicate feelings that are too deep for words. God made me in his image and he says my body is his temple, so dance is praise to the Creator.

KJ: Has your congregation included your talent during worship?

QS: Yes. I was asked to dance in a talent show and was invited to perform an interpretive dance on Christmas Eve to a solo piece, “I Will Trust in You,” that my mom sang. My grammy thought I danced like an angel!

KJ: Does dancing help you understand your emotions?

QS: All music has emotions and dance helps me express my feelings. When I feel angry, dance helps me change the anger into more positive feelings. Dancing is a great stress reliever for me.

KJ: Has dancing contributed to your character building?

QS: I think so because it’s hard work. I practise about three hours every day. When I first started competing on stage, alone or in a group, I would be disappointed if I got a low score. Now, I take the comments more seriously than the score and apply them to improve my routine.

KJ: What keeps you dancing?

QS: I enjoy the atmosphere of the studio. It is a friendly and a comfortable place to come to after school.