On Faith: ‘Praise and Sweat’ at Grace Church

With dance, light weights, and music, the spirit moves and strengthens.

0
Grace Episcopal Church in Vineyard Haven. — MV Times

Every Saturday morning, Grace Church in Vineyard Haven hosts “Praise and Sweat,” a new dance-based worship service hosted by Maranda Post. Visitors can expect a dance-style fitness format featuring a full-body cardio workout, mixed with light weights and stretching, all set to popular praise and worship music. Childcare is provided for those with little ones.

Post was inspired by the words of Psalms 149:3: “Let them praise his name with dancing and make music to him with timbrel and harp.”

She says, “We have an amazing group of individuals, especially women ranging in age from their 20s to their 70s, all seeking a meaningful way to worship God and express their faith. Together we’re creating a unique experience where we combine movement and music, working on our physical health while lifting our hearts to God.

“Each session, we follow the beat and flow of Christian music with beginner to moderate dance movements, allowing the powerful, biblically based lyrics to resonate even deeper.”

Dance has not always had positive associations across world history, and to this day it sometimes has an ambiguous place in spirituality. Many Americans grew up in religious environments where the extent of the choreography was standing up and sitting down. There was no room for dance in the Puritanism imported from the Old World to the New. Locally, dancing was banned during the early days of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Dancing was considered scandalous by those who identified the passions as both cause and effect, while any rhythm with the power to get the hips swaying raised suspicion of paganism, or even demonic influence. Surely it could only be the most bawdy and unholy of spirits that gets people so riled up?

And yet, this skepticism of dance is perhaps a minority attitude in the broader expanse of world religion. Sure, it might be a bit unusual to see a whirling dervish, or a dancing houngan in a Voodoo ceremony as he invokes a loa; but maybe a bit less unusual to encounter the singing and dancing Hare Krishnas (especially in Union Square in NYC), or the sacred dances at the annual Wampanoag Powwow in Aquinnah (Gay Head); and it is certainly not uncommon to end up dancing in a soul train at a Baptist or Pentecostal church.

“Praise and Sweat,” in fact, is cozily situated in a long, rich Christian tradition chock-full of dancing and dancers. Long before Christ, His anointed ancestor, King David, was known to break into dance out of sheer love of the Lord. The sister of Moses, Miriam, was known to lead women in dance with tambourine and song to celebrate the God of Exodus. The priesthood convened by Moses was a school of singing prophets, and often in their psalms they would rouse the people to dance. Jesus sang these songs. While several Bible passages depict Christ leading the disciples in song after the Last Supper, the apocryphal Acts of John suggests that this song was also a dance, “the Round Dance of the Cross.” How profound that the prelude to his suffering and passion was not mourning, but celebration — in dance. Scripture says that divine power can in fact transform grief into joy through dancing: “You turned my wailing into dancing.” (Psalms 30:11).

When I brought my daughter to “Praise and Sweat,” I sat on the sidelines with a couple of other husbands and dads, and watched this transformative power in action: smiles, laughter, and even joyful tears.

“I’m overwhelmed by the beautiful community that’s come together,” says Post. “There’s something transformative that happens when we connect these movements with the words we hear — it’s as if the lyrics touch a new place in our hearts, often moving us to tears as we feel the love of, and for, Jesus.”

While music and dance certainly have a certain power of their own, there might be something supernatural afoot at “Praise and Sweat,” Post notes: “The Holy Spirit moves through the room in such a powerful way. I don’t know if it’s the endorphins from working up a sweat, or the beauty of communal worship, but the Spirit’s presence is undeniable.

“When we allow ourselves to be vulnerable, to submit our whole selves — mind, body, and spirit — to God in a room full of faith, something powerful takes place. This isn’t just a workout; it’s a deeply spiritual experience that strengthens not only our bodies but our connections to God and to each other.”

“Praise and Sweat” meets at Grace Church, 36 Woodlawn Ave., in Vineyard Haven every Saturday, 10 to 11 am. Free admission, childcare provided; donations welcome. Bring a water bottle, towel or yoga mat, hand weights (optional).