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Jingle, jangle, thump, jump

Twenty years after the dance at Banff sparked a year of consternation, dancing was again on the mainstage at convention.

It wasn’t teenagers spontaneous gyrating this time, though. And it performance, not participatory. First two jingle dancers filled the room with tintinnabulation and invitation, then the hoop dancers wove their figures imbued with energy and passion.

Contrary to what my straight-laced upbringing tried to instill in me, I don’t believe dancing is dangerous or sinful, and tonight was no exception. I tend to agree with the elder who introduced the drum as a sacred circle and dance as healing. God gave us bodies, not just minds. There is something sacred about rhythmic, artistic, creative movement: the interplay of physical, mental, emotional, and social aspects in dance make it a rather wholesome activity for the restoration of the soul.

Could it be possible that this time we would allow the dance to invite us to something new? Will we have the humility to walk toward something uncomfortable, something out of our control, something that makes us the learner (of hard lessons, like how we have been oppressor to others). Can we learn to follow someone else’s lead and begin to dance the steps of reconciliation?

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