Worshipping with Mind, Body and Spirit - The Leap of Faith Liturgical Dancers

“Let them praise his name in the dance: let them sing praises unto him with the timbrel and harp.”
Psalm 149:3

On April 1st & 2nd, 2006, Federated Church held a Delight in God Festival. Hamilton invited everyone
from the congregation to bring forth his/her artistic and creative talents. One church member, Dawn Dole, decided she would like to share a “liturgical dance” with the congregation. In the 1970’s, her mom, Fran Cooperrider, introduced her home church to liturgical dance and founded a group of young dancers called the Worship Choir. Dawn was part of that group and it influenced her greatly. She had been thinking about bringing liturgical dance to Federated for many years and when the Delight in God Festival was planned it became the perfect opportunity to share this gift with the church!

Taking a “leap of faith”, she invited three women who were interested in liturgical dance to join with her: Kris Tesar, Bev Mills and Susi Kawolics. Together, this group, now known as the “Leap of Faith
Liturgical Dancers” choreographed a piece to the song: The Lord’s Prayer. It was a spirit-filled and
prayerful piece which was well received by the congregation that Sunday, April 2nd during the worship service. Since that time, this small group of women has shared its ministry six more times in the worship service. Renee Munday has recently joined the group.

Dance in worship is not a new concept. People, throughout time, have always communicated religious questions and expressions in the language of movement and dance. According to Adelaide Ortegel, author of A Dancing People, dance as "a total act of worship and prayer" helps human beings grasp their relationship with God. While the forms may have changed, dance still serves to unite people to one another and to God, whom we experience largely through nonverbal forms of communication.

Liturgical dance is an invitational art. It invites both dancers and observers to respond to God with their whole being; it helps all of us move beyond verbal expressions to a fuller experience and expression of our relationship with God. Liturgical dances are choreographed to bring life and form to the joys, visions and struggles of a searching heart. When the dancers are dancing with the sincerity and confidence and spiritual discernment that worship requires, the Christian message is brought to life. Judy Bagley-Bonner says, “It gets us out of our head and into our heart.”

After experiencing a liturgical dance in our worship service, church members often come up to us and say they are moved by the power of the dances' simplicity and the prayer-full intention of the movements. Reflective or interpretive dances are meditations and involve thoughtful expressions of a Scripture, music, hymns, or poetry. The purpose of the dance is to draw the members of the congregation into reflection concerning the meaning of the message.

By bringing our whole selves, body, mind and spirit, into the movement, we have hopes that the liturgical dance enhances the worship experience. We invite you to let yourself be open to the spirit of our dance, and be moved by it next time you see us, the “Leap of Faith Liturgical Dancers” participate in the worship celebration.

"And David danced before the LORD with all his might.”
2 Samuel 6:14 (about David's behavior when he moved the Ark the second time)

On April 10, 2011 the dancers performed a dance to Malotte's "The Lord's Prayer". Click here for that YouTube video.

On February 14, 2010 the dancers performed a dance based on First Corinthians.

The dancers performing to "Surely The Presence"

The dancers performing to "Spirit"

The dancers performing on Mother's Day, May 10, 2009.