Are You Worthy Of Dance?

Are you worthy of dance or to be called a dancer? 

What is worth? Something is worthy because someone has assigned a value to it. Designer clothing, art, furniture, paper dollars - all of these things are worth something because we have assigned a value to it. 

Societal examples: we value fancy clothes. We value fast cars. We value big houses.

Dance examples: we value a certain type of body because of what it can do, what it looks like, and how it makes us feel when we watch it. The typical "ballet body" that we think of started with somebody long ago (King Louis the something) placing value on tall, thin, prepubescent white girls doing movement. Because of his influence, lots of people started valuing tall, thin, white girls for dance. 

Our collective value of the dancers body has shifted over time (thank goodness), so now we tend to value an athletic, graceful, emotionally versatile dancer who can do things with their body that impress or move us. 

I'm actually not here to make a judgement on why we value certain parts of a dancers body, or make a case of why we should or shouldn't…I'm simply pointing out that the worth of a dancer comes from someone placing value on that dancer. “I like their movement. I like how they did that. I enjoy their creativity. The way they danced moved me.” Etc.

Placing value on something is normal! God places value on things all the time! How does he value things? He pays a high price for them. He valued people so much that he paid the highest price of dying on the cross so that we could be free with him. The difference is that God's sense of value is perfect, and the world's value system (or our own personal value system) is not perfect. It's often incomplete, lacking, or influenced by the enemy's lies. So when we try to dance - either as a budding, young trainee, or a professional, or a mom who has a changed body - we're constantly measuring ourselves and weighing our worth based on somebody's value system. That could be your own, That could be the world's. That could be the Lord's. 

Side note: It's not always a bad thing to measure yourself against someone else's value system. When you're pushing yourself to learn a dance technique, you are absolutely trying to train your body to achieve a standard of movement and you're waiting to hear from your teacher, "Yes, that was it!" Or, "No, not quite." So it's not always a negative experience, but it can be incredibly destructive when idolized.

What I mean by that, is if one value system becomes the ultimate system that you measure yourself by, with no other input from other value systems, then chances are you're probably going to be left with feelings of extreme discouragement or despair.

Something to be aware of is that you might personally value a certain dancer body type, technique, and artistry, but there is another value system at play here. The one you grew up with or adopted is not the only one to be measured by.

Jesus values your dance, not just based on all the things you love, but based on the things that he loves. So getting a revelation of what he love is crucial for being able to step into the confidence of knowing you are "worth" being called God's dancer.

One question I love asking to help me connect to God's value system of me is, "Jesus, if I were a jewel or a precious gem, what would I be and how would you wear me? And why?" When you take time to listen and soak in God's adoration of you, it actually becomes hard not to value yourself highly.

Many years ago, I was laying on my couch and God showed me a scene of us dancing a duet  together. I was overwhelmed with the knowledge that God was having so much fun dancing with me. He adored my movement instincts and the creative partnership we had. He loved my dancing body and he took pleasure in moving together. 

I left that encounter thinking to myself, "Never again will I ask the question, 'Am I good enough?', but only 'Is this the right fit for me?'" Auditions, performance opportunities, teaching, choreographing, leading a group…it could be any opportunity. I will not ask, "Is my dance good enough for this?" but, "Is this opportunity the right fit for my dance?" 

A beautiful side affect of understanding your own worth based on God's adoration of you, is that competition and comparison get really quiet. You're free to love and admire the dance of other people because you're not having to fight for love. God's love is not a pie that is cut up into pieces, God's love is outer space! It extends and extends and extends. I'm not worried or threatened or dismayed when I see someone else dance. I can actually be free to be inspired and encouraged and built up by their testimony. So it's a worthwhile endeavor to align with God's value system of you, because many other things fall into place. 

Practical steps for different dancers!

To the dancers who have taken a break due to injury, motherhood, or other life changes, the best encouragement I can give you is to start taking class again. Yes, it is a struggle because you are facing a lot of your insecurities when you take class. But in my personal experience, and in the experience of many dancers I've talked to, you build confidence when you start to oil the machine and simply build back strength and mobility again. If getting back into the studio doesn't feel safe for you, then by all means, don't do it. But if you're wanting to get back in touch with how it feels to be a dancer then you have to start somewhere. Class is a great place to start!

To the dancers who are dancing a ton, either professionally or you just have a lot of it in your life, but you still struggle with knowing your worth, I would recommend putting yourself in spaces where you are affirmed and loved for yourself, not just your dance. That might be church circles, friend circles, and being around people who love you for you. I'd also recommend taking time to move in a way that just feels good to you. This is really important, especially when you're constantly training or working hard to improve. You have to do something that you actually feel strong and capable in. Try a different dance style, or do a dance meditation that helps you engage with movement in a way that is organic and feels good. When you tap into the part of you that experiences pleasure and enjoyment while dancing, it can set you free from a lot of insecurity based on "how you measure up".

I hope this helps! Happy dancing!