*Theatrics ~ Since you alone carry the weight of expressing the message of your song, in order to GRASP and KEEP your congregation’s attention, you need excellent “theatrical” expression. This means you need strong facial expressions, body language that “speaks loudly”, graceful poise, and innovative movement. The person in the back of the sanctuary needs to both see and feel what you are communicating through movement.

*Using pageantry aides ~ Especially if you have a limited movement vocabulary (and
assuming you feel God has anointed you to minister as a soloist), I suggest using various pageantry aides (cloths, streamers, flags, etc.) to enhance the message of your song. Sometimes movement alone will not convey the message of a song with precision, and therefore a visual aide is necessary.

*Use ALL of your dance space ~ I still make the mistake of dancing towards the front of
the platform through much of my solo dances, and not utilizing ALL of the space available to me – ugh! Make good use of ALL the space you have…and face various directions throughout your choreography…facing downstage, upstage, right stage, left stage, and all points in between. This ensures that EVERYONE will be able to see your movement clearly and will avoid that “flat” view of only facing forward.

*Should I use my own choreography? ~ Unless you feel the Lord leading you to use
someone else’s choreography, I suggest using your own, so that the expression comes from YOUR heart/soul. If you use someone else’s choreography, you MUST internalize it and “make it your own”, altering it “here and there” with your own particular “style” that God has anointed you with. This requires a process of TIME in prayer and rehearsal.

 *How long do I prepare for each song? ~ I suggest at least 3 months of prayer, worship,
scripture meditation, choreography composition, and rehearsal to adequately prepare to
minister a song alone. While the Lord may lead you otherwise ~ spending much longer, or slightly shorter, periods of preparation ~ know that sufficient preparation is necessary even for extremely talented dancers. (NOTE: this point is probably the most important topic I can address in this article…for a fuller expression of ministry preparation, please make reference to my mini ebook called Become a House of Prayer ~ Dance Ministry Fueled by a Spirit of Prayer)

Dance-Ministry-Bible-Studies

*Ministering a “vertical” song ~ When the Lord leads you to minister a song that expresses worship or prayer that is “vertical” to Him alone, you MUST bring your congregation “into” your personal worship experience. If you don’t, they will simply be watching you worship. It is essential to involve the congregation in some way (through eye contact and gestures directed towards them) so they become part of your “vertical” song of worship or prayer. This is where even a talented, anointed dancer can lose a congregation’s attention and create a “wall” between him/her and the congregation.

*How do I avoid redundant or repetitive movement? ~ This is where increasing your
movement vocabulary becomes absolutely essential! If you have mastered only a few
movement disciplines, you will have a very limited amount of ways to creatively communicate the message God has anointed you to express. This is why continued skill training is so important…

*How long is too long of a song? ~ I suggest no more than 4-5 minutes when ministering
ANY song, either solo or in a group. Unless you use a large amount of creativity, and have sufficient talent & stamina to express the message of a long song, you may lose your congregation’s attention and defeat God’s purpose for your dance. Knowing when to cut or fade a song is absolutely necessary. Bringing in extra dancers, to put “exclamation points” on parts of your song that climax, is a wonderful way to enhance a solo.

*Do I dance the song in my prayer closet only? ~ Discerning God’s will in the place of
prayer is soooo necessary when choosing a song to minister alone. There are many, many songs I have danced in my prayer closet ONLY, because they were messages God was speaking to me personally. These songs were NOT His message to my church body, and while they ministered to me in a very personal way, they would not have had the same impact on my congregation had I ministered them in dance.

I am certain there are many more topics I could address in sharing choreography & ministry suggestions for solo dance ministers, I will conclude with this thought…through prayerful and disciplined preparation, the result of your solo ministry, will be written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone, but on tablets of
human hearts. (2 Corinthians 3:3)

 We appreciate your honesty in not allowing this article to be copied or reproduced without written consent by Dawn Churchill. No portion of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means, electronic, photocopy, recording, or otherwise without expressed written permission by Dawn Churchill. Permission is granted for copies to be made for use within your immediate family.

Blessings to you in abunDANCE, Dawn Churchill
Director/Founder ~ Extravagant Worship Dance Company
Midwest Regional Coordinator ~ CDF USA

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