Davidic Dance...

[Elizabeth]

So I think we agree the purpose is primary in its usefulness for worship. I expressed how it appears to me, and how I think it is very likely to appear to outsiders. I can only comment on how it appears as I have never witnessed it and don't know the hearts of participants. I also think it is misleading to call it Davidic, which further calls the grounds for it into question for me.

I do worry about the impression we make. I googled it and Wikipedia seems to associate it specifically with Messianic Judaism; as opposed to Judaism. It also said, as previous posts mentioned, it is similar to Israeli folk dancing.

I don't know exactly what Israeli folk dancing involves, but the folk dancing I am familiar with is secular. If that's the case for Israeli folk dancing, then it seems like we we could just be creating one more uninformed and wanna-be stereotype to overcome.

I personally don't think the dressed up girls with scarves dancing in front of the congregation makes a good impression for us. I also don't see a biblical basis for it as done in the context we are practicing it in. Further, based on what little I know, there is also likely no basis for it in the traditional practice of Judaism. That's just my personal take.

[garrett]

Dec 22, 2015 15:01:07 GMT -8 Elizabeth said:

So I think we agree the purpose is primary in its usefulness for worship. I expressed how it appears to me, and how I think it is very likely to appear to outsiders. I can only comment on how it appears as I have never witnessed it and don't know the hearts of participants. I also think it is misleading to call it Davidic, which further calls the grounds for it into question for me.

I do worry about the impression we make. I googled it and Wikipedia seems to associate it specifically with Messianic Judaism; as opposed to Judaism. It also said, as previous posts mentioned, it is similar to Israeli folk dancing.

I don't know exactly what Israeli folk dancing involves, but the folk dancing I am familiar with is secular. If that's the case for Israeli folk dancing, then it seems like we we could just be creating one more uninformed and wanna-be stereotype to overcome.

I personally don't think the dressed up girls with scarves dancing in front of the congregation makes a good impression for us. I also don't see a biblical basis for it as done in the context we are practicing it in. Further, based on what little I know, there is also likely no basis for it in the traditional practice of Judaism. That's just my personal take.

I completely agree with Elizabeth's take on this. It's funny how something so "small" gets so much attention in terms of discussion. But...this really is stuff that's mostly coming from folks who left mainstream churches and still have a church state of mind - whether they know it or not. I have seen this before at a Messianic Congregations (and even at a church for that matter) and it basically boils down to everyone watching a bunch of ladies dance! Would I let my wife do that? NO. Because she is my wife and no one needs to see her body moving. This is not something you would see in a synagogue (orthodox synagogue) unless it was maybe Simchat ...but the men would still be among themselves.

There's a reason it's called a shul - it's a place of learning. Granted, prayer and worship happen too. But dancing before others' eyes? Nope. 

[alon]

This came up in discussion tonight. We don't normally do any kind of dancing, but when it is done it is apart from any service or study. One of our congregations did apparently have a spontaneous time of dancing last week. By all accounts it was done very well. Men danced together as men instead of the effete mixing of men and women you usually see in "Davidic Dance" videos on the net. Men are not supposed to dance like women, nor they like men. However in our culture today it seems that men and women together means men have to priss and prance like they are women. This is an abomination, as is women dancing lewdly (which I've seen in more than one church, but not in any synagogue- not to say that doesn't happen). Any how, the dancing was done outside the synagogue and as I said it was not 'mixed' dancing. Apparently it was very good (no recovering Baptists there ).

Dan C