CATHY GROSSMAN: There's a revival under way today. Christians and Jews are returning to their most ancient form of prayer and worship. They are dancing. Clergy of all denominations and traditions, from conservative to liberal, invite dancers to perform sermons and liturgy. And the movement to explore the soul in motion combines core theology with today's emphasis on mind-body connections.Ms. CHRISTY EDWARDS-RONNING (Mustard Seed Dance Company): When I dance, I feel great emotion and joy and peace and real -- like I'm doing exactly what God has wanted me to do my entire life.
Ms. JOANNE TUCKER (Avodah Dance Ensemble): I think there's a real yearning for using our bodies to convey spiritual longing, spiritual thoughts. That was our first form of prayer.
Mr. JOE NASH (Dance Historian): Sometimes, audiences, when they do enter into the spirit and nature of the work, they encounter a feeling of awe and astonishment, which we call contact with the divine.GROSSMAN: Sacred dance can be found everywhere, from majestic churches to fellowship halls, in performance, in worship, and in teaching. The Mustard Seed Dance Company offers the Bread Dance as part of first Communion instruction at First Lutheran Church in Kearny, New Jersey.
Christy Edwards-Ronning founded Mustard Seed four years ago. Her dancers are among thousands of people worldwide who have joined groups like the Sacred Dance Guild or the Christian Dance Fellowship. While still not common, the religious dance movement is widespread and growing. The Internet lists scores of religious dance groups looking for new ways to express their beliefs.Ms. EDWARDS-RONNING: When I dance and worship, my goal is to touch hearts and to bring the gospel to people in a way that they've never seen before.
GROSSMAN: In the first millennium, Christians danced on their way to church and pageantry abounded. In later centuries, dancing fell from favor. Today Christy's husband, a Lutheran pastor, sees a renewed interest in religious dance as churches encourage more active worship and prayer.
Reverend MICHAEL EDWARDS-RONNING: This is a time when ordinary Christian people are finding their voice and are finding leadership within the church.GROSSMAN: Not everyone in the pulpit or pews embraces this movement.
Rev. EDWARDS-RONNING: I've heard a lot of different reactions to sacred dance. Some people think, "Oh, brother, what are they doing?" Other people have thought that it was sinful or somehow dishonoring.
GROSSMAN: Is dancing in church sinful?
Rev. EDWARDS-RONNING: I don't believe that's true at all. Rather, dance is a birthright of God's people. You see it all through Scripture.
Ms. TUCKER: M'Chamocha is a prayer that's part of Jewish liturgy. And in fact, that's a first reference to dance in Torah. It's interesting to me that no matter what Jewish service you're in, there's always the M'Chamocha. And so we're always reminded of this journey from slavery to freedom but, for me, I'm also reminded that dance is always an important part of our Jewish tradition.
GROSSMAN: Modern choreographers have long used sacred imagery in music. Today there's more audience demand than ever for these works. Here at New York's Riverside Church, the Jose Limon Company presents "Missa Brevis," a vision of hope rising from a world in ruins.
GROSSMAN: Alvin Ailey's "Revelations," a dance of salvation and celebration, has stirred audiences for 40 years. Dance historian Joe Nash traces the revival of sacred dance to the cultural upheaval of the 1960s.
