Dance Ministry Ethics #4: Competitions
October 26 – 30, 2009 is Dance Ministry Ethics Week here on Paneh’s site. Each day a new topic will be featured for discussion. The scenarios presented are based on real events however no actual names will be used.
The topic for day 4 is Dance Ministry Competitions
I must admit that this is a topic I have been wanting to discuss and avoid discussing at the same time. I purposely put it near the end of the week because I "ranked" it as a more difficult discussion. The topics for the first three days had a general consensus, even if we all did not agree on the finer details. Typically, praise dance competitions generate a variety of responses that can be narrowed down to two categories:
Praise Dance Competitions are OK
Praise Dance Competitions are NOT OK
Before listing the arguments for each category, let’s define "Praise Dance Competition"
Praise (in the Biblical context) - Expression of approval, extolling or exaltation of our Lord
Dance – To move rhythmically usually to music, using prescribed or improvised steps and gestures.
Praise Dance - A way to praise the Lord through movement
Competition – a contest for some prize, honor, or advantage. A rivalry between two or more persons or groups for an object desired in common, usually resulting in a victor and a loser
Then by definition, a praise dance competition is a contest where the factor determining victory is how well you express approval of our Lord (praise) through dance.
Arguments supporting praise dance competitions
- It keeps the dance ministry motivated with something to strive for
- They are great fund raisers for the competition host (charging entry fee) and cash prize for winning team
- Competition is everywhere! There is nothing wrong with friendly competition
- The level of exposure for entering and winning can be high
- It is a way to fellowship with other dance ministies
- An opportunity to gain constructive criticism regarding choreography
On the other hand…
- How can "praise" be measured in a contest? The entire nature of a competition is to determine who is better by ranking and labeling a victor.
It is in our human nature to want to know who is "the greatest" , here is what Jesus said:
Then a dispute arose among them as to which of them would be greatest. And Jesus, perceiving the thought of their heart, took a little child and set him by Him, and said to them, “Whoever receives this little child in My name receives Me; and whoever receives Me receives Him who sent Me. For he who is least among you all will be great.” – Luke 9:46-48
Competitions, by design, have winners and losers. How do the "losers" feel? Inadequate? Insecure?
Can you focus on pleasing God (with your praise) and pleasing man (the judges)?
What does the Bible Say?
Competition can be found in 1 Kings 18:20-40. This is a great story of how Elijah defeats the false prophets. Not only did he shamelessly annihilate them, he boasted in it! The difference in this competition is that it was about bringing glory to God. Elijah realized where his power and authority came from. I do not see a biblical precedence for vessels of God competing against each other using the very same gift that is used to glorify God.
It’s your turn!
Do you believe there is a place for praise dance competitions? Why or why not?
Vote in the poll below!
Share your own stories / testimonies, insights and questions below!
Posted by Lakita Humber
Lakita Humber serves as the founder of Paneh Praise Dance & Mime Ministry and host of the Equipping the Saints Dance & Worship Arts Conference. Find out more about her or follow her on Twitter (@Paneh).
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I voted ‘No.’
No, no, no, no!
Sis. Lakita, I’m so happy you dared mention this topic.
I don’t understand how we can take something intended for ‘God’s glory’ and His blessing and try to present it to someone other than to him, for ‘their’ approval. Then, it ceases to be called ‘praise dance,’ and is just simply ‘dance’ — performance (vs. ministry), as we try to win ‘man’s approval.
I suggest the time we spend perfecting and trying out for competitions be spent on our ‘knees’ praying to learn and dance the heart of God. I don’t believe that those ‘competitive spirits’ can be easily laid aside when one returns to ‘true ministry.’ Some of us have probably knowingly and unknowingly witnessed what happens when we as praise-dance-ministers dance in a competitive vain: to me, it seems obvious that the people involved are ‘over-trying,’ resulting in something that seems un-natural at times. I might also say that we should be on guard in this arena, lest we fall victim to a trick designed to raise up disdain again for praise-dance.
I love watching those competitive dance shows that are popular on TV and remember one night watching as a young man tried out, ministering so beautiful a ‘praise dance’ number. They rejected him, and I remember one of the judges telling him that his praise seemed to be narrow or singularly focused on his ‘God.’ — Wow! We should be glad that the world rejects us!
“Finally, brothers (and praise-dance-sister-ministers), whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is lovely, whatever is pure, whatever is admirable — if anything is excellent or praiseworthy — think about such things.”
Philippians 4:8
Very sensitive topic – I am not in favor of such. Competition (no matter how well intentioned) simply brings out feelings and actions that would test even the most seasoned saint.
By it’s nature (and your definition) it ultimately ends in a black and white scenario – “winner” and “loser”.
Dance ministry is MINISTRY. I think the body of Christ has teetered too close to the edge…we are standing on the precipice – and it’s time for us to back up and get back to the basics. We’ve allowed the world to really seep in and influence what we do and how we do it. We risk minimizing the true impact of what we are doing when we emulate people and things that do not line up with Christ.
I thank you for bringing this up…
We are performing for an audience of 1…then only One who really matters…the One who gave us this talent & it is up to us to show only Him that we are using what we were given & turning it back to praise. That’s what we should be doing with praise dance. And then if any others happen to be … Read Morewatching & want to come along for the ride, the better. If we dance in true passionate praise, that is all that matters. God rejoices when we rejoice with our talents & time.
There is already such petty competition within our own churches, the only prize to be won is His acceptence & a place in heaven. AND…how do you measure & judge what a person feels at the moment & when or if the Spirit is moving…the Spirit is always moving as long as we are praising Him. Plus, we have to show there is no judging on Earth…the judgement is not up to us…
The lure of fame and fortune are the driving forces behind many competitions. Even popular television shows are designed to find the next “big” star. We must pray for humility to continue in our lives so that we do not seek to be the “PRAISE DANCE POWERHOUSE” or be the most well-known. Jesus essentially became “famous” because of His power (and the masses were drawn). When He was being tempted to show Himself, He did not try to impress satan by turning rocks to bread. Understanding our function will prevent us from abusing the gifts God gave us.
i agree with all of the comments…Praise Dance Competition is an oxymoron. you can’t praise the LORD, and compete at the same time! now on the other side of that, there are people who do not understand what Praise Dance is, they just feel it is dance to gospel music, it is just another style of dance form. they have no revelation that it is a form of worship, which is why GOD is not in it!
*a side note: i don’t have a problem with the term “performance”, because doing something in front of an audience is a performance. if it done in God’s name, for God, it then becomes ministry. there are a lot of Christian ministries that do need to develop their performance skils, because presentation is everything! so many still do not understand the basics of stage vocabulary, how to use space, their movements are too small or unclear for the congretaion/audience, they dance or mime and look at the floor, etc. i think it is good for ministries to present their work for others who are more knowledgeable to see and give CONSTRUCTIVE critique, so that they can improve. a case in point–i went to technique class last night and got a major correction on the carriage of my arms, that i didn’t see, but the teacher did!
i do not believe that we as movement ministers should ever so things for man’s approval, to impress others, to compete, belittle, or hurt others. competition is for the world. if we are highly skilled, yes! go out and show the world what Christ is about, if they hate it, the performance still evoked a response that will leave a lasting impression, i promise you.
OMGoodness…you hit another hot topic:-) Personally, I think any type of competition in church settings among the saints of God, only contributes to jealously, strife, anger, and division. As I look in the Word, none of those things are Christ-like. If you wish to grow in your skills as a dancer, singer, actor, etc. you can certainly ask a trained… Read More professional to evaluate your skill and offer you constructive suggestions. But no one can rightly judge your heart, your praise,or your worship and deem it better than someone else’s.
over the summer i had the opportunity to teach a praise dance class to a group that does competitions. the director is Christian. she formed the company to give young ladies a creative outlet for their talents, to teach them dance, and to keep them out of trouble. they are not a dance ministry, although what she does is a ministry. the do competitions and win a lot of awards for their dancing. BUT she also lets them know that there is another side to dance…which is why she exposes them to praise dance. it is a way to witness to those who do not know anything about God.
competition of that type is not wrong, it is simply different groups doing drills, cheers, dance that you would see at a football game etc. they are not using God’s name, it is a secular activity. there is a big difference between this type of activity and the mess that some are promoting, having praise dance competitions…it makes no sense!
why not have preaching competitions? i don’t agree with the choir competitions either. to me it is all the same thing, Lucifer stirring up trouble among the saints and the aints…
If my sweet daughter is with me when I minister. i ask her to wisper in my ear often,”this is not about Jocelyn, this is for Jesus.” this helps me keep my mind and heart on leading worship and not performing or competing.
This has been a lively discussion here and especially on Facebook!
Is praise dance an art form?
Can the ministry (praise) be separated from the art (dance)?
Can a “praise dance competition” judge the dance and not the praise?
I guess your answer will depend on if you think they can be separated.
I like DANCER246 example — that is a company…not claiming to be a ministry…but still ministered too. So when they enter competitions, they don’t enter as “praise dancers” correct?
correct, they are a dance company, they perform at special events as well as competitions. but they are not a dance ministry and are not promoted as such.
Wow!! another topic … I never really thought about …..I say no we should not be competing. If it is a secular dance team that is fine. But I again agree with the dancer246 some people who don't understand what praise dance is would think competitions are okay. Now here in Philadelphia for the last 3 years there is a performance featuring praise dancers from churches in and out of state….its called Dance Saints Dance nothing competitive there, but we all enjoy the this form or worship to God and it is a fellowship…..not a competition.
When you are talking about praise dance ministries competing in competitions you have to look at it at different angles. One angle is that we should not compete because we don't need man's approval only our Heavenly Father's. Another angle is the it is an opportunity to share the message of God with dance to an audience that might have never experience God in that form of worship before. We should see it as a privilege to be able to share the Gospel to people who might not be Christians. We might be the only thing that draws that person or persons to Christ.
I believe you want to compete, pray first. Ask God do my members and I have the mindset to go to this competition and to do the work of the Lord or do we need to stay and only minister in churches. Lets stop sharing our ministry only in churches where mostly everybody is save and go out into the streets and bring those lose souls to Christ. That is why I'm starting my own praise dance company so that the Word of God through song and be reach people outside of churches.
So if you have the mindset to do the work of God even in competitions then you can compete. Take it as a opportunity to show the world that the our ministry is ready to take down the world and win souls for Christ.
Be Bless!
Nicole,
You bring up another good point. It is about reaching the lost….some of the competitions I've seen are praise dance ministries competing against each other.
So I guess there are two questions:
The original – Is there a place for praise dance competitions?
And – Should praise dancers compete (or participate) in dance competitions?
Another loop…. I know many youth will choose to do a praise dance in a school talent show. Is this the same as competing? Why or why not?
I agree that Nicole makes a pertinent point about going outside the walls of the church to minister and reach the unsaved/unchurched — that is excellent and pleases God — but we still have to do a self-check and know what are the secret desires of our own hearts. Perhaps, those praise-dance-ministers wanting to participate in these events could enter in a non-competitive track — just tell the judges and organizers, "I want to 'present,' but simply 'present,' not be judged." As I write this, I'm reminded of the time when one of my church's little elementary-aged praise dancers asked to use garments to praise-dance in her school's talent show — I was slightly 'stabbed' at the thought. She was granted permission to use the garments, and, if I remember correctly 'won' the competition . . . but what message did she internalize from that? (And as I don't know what message she internalized or took from that, guess what will be a future topic for our devotion sessions?)
In touching this topic, I was blessed by what Dr. Ann Higgins said at the Equipping the Saints conference this year. She stated (not a direct quote, this is generalized…LOL) that we should compete against the world. I was blessed to hear this and have a shift in thinking. I do believe that it could be problematic to have christian teams compete against each other (as well as those same teams competing against others). If we do compete, it is important for the body to remember our truest enemy…and ultimately compete against him. We must also remain humble and respect the authority of those in judging positions…remembering that our character and how we live will rate higher than any award we may gain (what will we gain if we own the whole world, but lose our souls).