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Dance and theological education? It may sound like a surprising combination, but at the Luce Center for Arts and Religion at Wesley Theological Seminary, they go hand in hand.

On Feb. 2, 35 people gathered at Wesley for a day of discovery with company members from the Liz Lerman Dance Exchange, an internationally recognized and pioneering dance company based in Takoma Park.

This was a one-day workshop, the most ambitious to date, in a line of dance workshops that have been offered at Wesley since 2002. The goal of these events is to further the conversation of what it means for the church to be embodied in the 21st century.

By bringing a variety of dance artists to campus, the walls between sacred and secular break down, the age old split between body and spirit has yet another chance for healing, ministers-in-training learn tools for rejuvenating worship through movement and dance, and dance artists who are working in churches receive continuing education.

The workshops complement the weekly practicum in dance which has been offered at Wesley since 2005.

Over the last 50 years, the dance has slowly been welcomed back into the church of the west.

While some term this a new phenomenon, the relatively recent advent of dance in the church is actually an ancient practice that harkens back to our Christian roots.

Biblically and theologically sound, the need for worship that directs our whole self toward God – not just our mind, ears or eyes – has become more and more apparent. The dance – as embodied prayer praise and proclamation – directs us toward God.

At its best, it enlivens those who sit in the pews Sunday after Sunday, invites a participation of the body that affirms who we are as children of God and honors the living God who came to us in the flesh and continues to work in this world.

I believe in the healing power of the dance. My journey with the art form began over 25 years ago but, in essence, it became my faith journey some 12 years ago.

It was my first dance in worship, in the old Benedictine abbey on the island of Iona, Scotland, that led me on a fervent exploration of my faith through dance.

Following my call, I have watched the church become enlivened with dance.

As a lay minister, the dance has carried me from founding the Wesley Dancers to directing dance for worship at the national assembly of the Presbyterian Church (USA); from creating a campuswide community dance event at Wesley, which explored the matriarchs of the Old Testament, to teaching at conferences and offering residencies in churches. My ministry has been about building bridges.

My hope for the church in this day and age, as it ebbs and flows in the midst of cultural tides, can be summed up in the words of the dancing matriarch, Carla de Sola in "The Spirit Moves: Handbook of Dance and Prayer:"

"...that everyone, sitting cramped inside a pew, body lifeless, spine sagging and suffering, weary with weight and deadness, will be given space in which to breathe and move, will be wooed to worship with beauty and stillness, song and dance – dance charged with life, dance that lifts up the body and spirit, and we will be a holy, dancing, loving, praying and praising people."

Kathryn Sparks is an adjunct faculty member in dance at Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, D.C.