"Let them praise His name with dancing..."
Psalm 149:3
What is Messianic Dance?
The purpose of dance is to worship the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob as David did: “Let them praise His Name with dancing” [Psalm 149:3]. Our Dance Ministry serves to complement and enhance the experience of congregational worship.
Davidic dance is a physical expression of praise, thanksgiving, and joy to God. The Hebrew word for dance is “rikud”, which means “to skip or leap for joy”. This describes how King David “was dancing before the LORD with all his might” [2 Samuel 6:14] as he expressed his joy with bringing the Ark to Jerusalem.
Praise dance is a unique, God-ascribed dance form [Psalm 150:3-5], indicating God has ordained the dance to be a physical expression of our acknowledgement of Him [Psalm 150:2; Colossians 1:16] and our joyful relationship with Him [Psalm 22:3; Psalm 30:11; Zephaniah 3:17], thus communicating the divine message of the good news of Yeshua, the Messiah.
Messianic dance incorporates Jewish folk dance steps into choreography for traditional and contemporary worship music. Some dances are patterned after traditional Israeli folk dances; others are originally choreographed by Messianic believers. Messianic dances range from reverentially devotional to exuberantly joyful. All life-cycle celebrations (i.e., bar-mitzvahs, weddings, Festivals) as well as worship services are appropriate times to dance.
Davidic dance is a physical expression of praise, thanksgiving, and joy to God. The Hebrew word for dance is “rikud”, which means “to skip or leap for joy”. This describes how King David “was dancing before the LORD with all his might” [2 Samuel 6:14] as he expressed his joy with bringing the Ark to Jerusalem.
Praise dance is a unique, God-ascribed dance form [Psalm 150:3-5], indicating God has ordained the dance to be a physical expression of our acknowledgement of Him [Psalm 150:2; Colossians 1:16] and our joyful relationship with Him [Psalm 22:3; Psalm 30:11; Zephaniah 3:17], thus communicating the divine message of the good news of Yeshua, the Messiah.
Messianic dance incorporates Jewish folk dance steps into choreography for traditional and contemporary worship music. Some dances are patterned after traditional Israeli folk dances; others are originally choreographed by Messianic believers. Messianic dances range from reverentially devotional to exuberantly joyful. All life-cycle celebrations (i.e., bar-mitzvahs, weddings, Festivals) as well as worship services are appropriate times to dance.
Learn to Dance!
Beginner dance class is held from 2:00 to 3:00 PM every Shabbat after Oneg;
No prior dance experience required, just a heart to learn to dance!
Intermediate dance class is from 3:00 to 4:00 PM.
Once a month we have a Dance Fellowship on Shabbat from 4:00 to 7:00 PM where we teach some dances, review previous dances, take requests, and have lots of fellowship.
Refreshments are provided, but not childcare.
No prior dance experience required, just a heart to learn to dance!
Intermediate dance class is from 3:00 to 4:00 PM.
Once a month we have a Dance Fellowship on Shabbat from 4:00 to 7:00 PM where we teach some dances, review previous dances, take requests, and have lots of fellowship.
Refreshments are provided, but not childcare.
Shabbat Morning
A “warm-up” dance review is held every Shabbat morning, prior to the start of service, in sync with the worship team’s rehearsal time. This is not a dance class; it is a time to quickly review dance sequences for songs done by the worship team that morning. This review is open to anyone who would like to practice the dances. Our goal for dancing at Beit Tikvah is to be an outward expression of praise and worship to the Lord. Therefore, dancers are expected to have learned the dances prior to service and dress appropriately. Dancers will be asked to leave the circle to prevent injury or distraction from occurring at the discretion of the dance leader. We encourage participation and hope that everyone who has a heart to dance before the Lord will remember to keep a spirit of worship.