{"id":2969,"date":"2026-10-07T14:31:42","date_gmt":"2026-10-07T14:31:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/miles2go.ca\/?p=2969"},"modified":"2026-10-07T14:31:42","modified_gmt":"2026-10-07T14:31:42","slug":"i-dance-in-the-morning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/miles2go.ca\/index.php\/2026\/10\/07\/i-dance-in-the-morning\/","title":{"rendered":"I dance in the morning"},"content":{"rendered":"

Clenched fists and open hands.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

My title is “I dance in the morning” yet I begin with clenched fists and open hands. Stay with me.<\/p>\n

Something happens when a person moves to the dance floor. They may have entered the hall with clenched fists – tight emotions, wound up inside with the cares of life.<\/p>\n

But the very act of moving to dance loosens the hands, lightens the spirit, and releases the tension. It is a revealing contrast.<\/p>\n

Religion and dance.<\/strong><\/p>\n

I don’t think it’s accidental that strongly religious people include dancing on their list of forbidden activities. The clenched fist of legalism has little room for the joyous wonder of opening your spirit to move freely with the music.<\/p>\n

My childhood years included dancing. I learned Ukrainian dance as part of the Greek Orthodox Church culture. And, at school dances, I stood against the gymnasium wall with other frightfully shy Grade 8 boys. We gazed longingly across the great divide wishing we had the nerve to cross that floor to the other side where the girls were seated.<\/p>\n

My entry into the Pentecostal Church culture removed dancing (and many other pleasures of life) from my portfolio of acceptable activities. Ironically, that same culture smiled on ‘dancing in the Spirit’ during worship services. Go figure.<\/p>\n

As the present article indicates, I have certainly moved into new domains of thought and practice regarding this topic.<\/p>\n

Back to clenched fists and open hands.<\/strong><\/p>\n

This contrast applies not only to how we respond to actual music but also how we respond to the music of life.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

On the dance floor of life, you cannot enjoy new experiences when all decisions are governed by predetermined summary judgments against anything that threatens a restricted worldview.<\/p>\n

The closed fists of many people rob themselves of the joy of dancing (literally and figuratively). They pass through life denying themselves the liberating power of open hands.<\/p>\n

Perhaps that is why dancing is so popular. Participants are able, even for just a few moments, to forget about the cares and troubles of life and release a spirit of energy and joy. It can be a soul-cleansing activity, and cheap therapy. With open hands.<\/p>\n

A nod to line dancing.<\/strong><\/p>\n

At this point I must grudgingly offer a compliment towards country music. The phenomenon of line dancing has been a source of great joy for many people. It requires joining with others in expressions of collective freedom in movement. With open hands. And cowboy boots.<\/p>\n

Personally, I will continue to find my joy elsewhere. But I applaud the ability of any wholesome activity that can send people home with a smile on their face, a bounce to their step, and a lighter burden in their spirit.<\/p>\n

Update – One line dance is called the Church Clap. I thought, “What have I got to lose?” So I tried following the tutorial. It was hard. I’ll stick to clapping and a bit of swaying in church, and dancing alone to my music.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Tuesdays with Morrie<\/em>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Morrie Schwartz, a university professor, loved to attend dance events in the basement hall of a church.<\/p>\n

And he didn’t need a partner. With arms raised high and eyes closed, Morrie spontaneously moved around the dance floor without a care about what others might think.<\/p>\n

Mitch Albom immortalized the life and dying of this man in his book, Tuesdays with Morrie<\/em>. He chronicled Morrie’s gradual decline as ALS overcame his body. And their Tuesday discussions of all matters of life, aging and dying have inspired tens of millions of readers.<\/p>\n

Zorba the Greek.<\/strong><\/p>\n

In this novel, first published in 1946 and made into a movie in 1964, an English writer (Basil) has an encounter with a Greek man that transforms his life.<\/p>\n

It is interesting to note that the restrictive ‘religion’ in this story is Buddhism not Christianity. Basil’s Buddhist faith has been primarily intellectual, a methodology “to protect him from the chaos of normal existence.” One commentator describes it as “an emotional anaesthetic that prevented him from participating in the actual realities of life.” [I find it refreshing to see the same criticisms against conservative Christianity being applied to other religious and philosophical faiths].<\/p>\n

Then Basil met Zorba.<\/p>\n

The final scene in this classic movie summarizes Zorba’s philosophy and Basil’s transformation. Basil has followed Zorba in a crash-course on real living, crazy ideas, and losing most of his money in a failed business venture. His life has been turned upside down, inside out.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Now, gazing over the beautiful Greek landscape and reflecting on his life, Basil finally lets go. He turns to Zorba and says, “Teach me to dance. Will you?”<\/p>\n

Zorba responds, “Did you say. . . Dance!?” He rips off his jacket, rolls up his sleeves, throws up his arms (like Morrie), and laughs.<\/p>\n

As Basil watches Zorba, he sheds any remaining constraints, begins to laugh, throws off his coat, and joins Zorba to dance.<\/p>\n

“You can laugh too!,” Zorba tells Basil. And they dance. And they laugh. Arms are linked together and stretched out to embrace the beautiful Aegean setting that frames their spontaneous joy.<\/p>\n

To live is to dance, to be free to capture the joy of the moment, to release the spirit of adventure and spontaneity, to declare to all the artificial regulations that restrict our humanity – “Fie on you! I am free!”<\/p>\n

Dynamic tensions.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Of course, the other side of freedom is responsibility. They are always in tension with one another. We can talk about that another time. Right now, let’s take in the liberating force of genuine, and even godly, freedom.<\/p>\n

Another major tension in life is between joy and sorrow. Once Basil was finished with his dance finale, he still had to figure out where his life was going. He had no direction and was somewhat impoverished. Soon there would be sadness to add to his current hilarity.<\/p>\n

A close friend who is dealing with a serious medical condition recently shared with me how, in the span of two weeks, she attended a funeral, a wedding, and ‘celebrated’ a rather large number personal birthday. Reflecting on the cumulative experience, she said, “We must hold the joy and sorrow of life in hand at the same time.” Then added that we sometimes desire to go back in life.<\/p>\n

During our conversation, I mentioned the Beatles song, “Get back!” She later told me that she found that song, played it, laughed, and danced. And, for a few moments, she had the joy of going back in time to remember things before the present things.<\/p>\n

Lord of the Dance.<\/strong><\/p>\n

“I danced in the morning” is a song about Jesus Christ, Lord of the Dance. It narrates a Christian understanding of the unfolding revelation of Christ from Creation to Resurrection.<\/p>\n

Well they cut me down but I lept up high<\/em>
\nI am the light that will never, never die<\/em>
\nI live in you and you live in me…<\/em>
\nI am the lord of the dance, said he<\/em><\/p>\n

Dance, then, wherever you may be,<\/em>
\nI am the Lord of the Dance, said he,<\/em>
\nAnd I\u2019ll lead you all, wherever you may be,<\/em>
\nAnd I\u2019ll lead you all in the Dance, said he.<\/em><\/p>\n

This final verse and chorus summarize the song’s powerful statement of life, light and liberty. It is a call to rise above all the forces that would pull us down.<\/p>\n

A call to approach life with open hands rather than clenched fists.<\/p>\n

A call to dance. Especially in the morning.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Clenched fists and open hands. My title is “I dance in the morning” yet I begin with clenched fists and open hands. Stay with me. Something happens when a person moves to the dance floor. They may have entered the hall with clenched fists – tight emotions, wound up inside with the cares of life….<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[24,20],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2969","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-issues","category-religion-spirituality-faith"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/miles2go.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2969","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/miles2go.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/miles2go.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/miles2go.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/miles2go.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2969"}],"version-history":[{"count":59,"href":"https:\/\/miles2go.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2969\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4245,"href":"https:\/\/miles2go.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2969\/revisions\/4245"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/miles2go.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2969"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/miles2go.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2969"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/miles2go.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2969"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}