A Word for Non-Dancers

You don’t have to be a dancer to belong in these pages of Dance the Word: Healing Grief and Trauma Through Liturgical Dance.

You don’t need a praise garment, a sanctuary, a studio, or a spotlight.
This book is about the movement of life—the rhythm of life—and the breath that carries all of us through seasons of joy and sorrow.

Every person, whether they ever step into a sanctuary or not, is moving through something. Every living being daily sits in life’s paradoxical truths.
We all know what it means to rise and fall, to sway between hope and heartache, to stumble and start again.
We all know what it means to hold grief in our bodies and faith in our hearts at the same time.
At some point in our lives, we will all experience both joy and pain—or mourning and dancing—simultaneously.

Liturgical dance is simply my language for what life teaches us: that movement can heal, that worship can be embodied, and that God meets us not only in our words but also in our motion.
For some, that motion looks like dance. For others, it’s the courage to get out of bed, to keep breathing, to forgive, to try again, to love again, to hope again.

So if you’re reading this and thinking, “I’m not a dancer,” let me assure you—you are.
Every breath is choreography.
Every tear is rhythm.
Every heartbeat is a divine drum keeping time with grace.

This book is for anyone who has ever loved deeply, lost deeply, and dared to keep moving.
It’s for those learning to dance again after life has broken their rhythm.
It’s for those who stand still and listen for the next beat of hope.

Because whether your dance is visible or invisible, you are already part of the movement.

We dance the Word—the sacred Word—and the words written on our hearts.

So dance the Word as you dance to the rhythm of life—because life keeps moving, and so must we.