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One year for our annual Christmas party, Joyce Rossignol decided that we were not going to have our usual Kris Kringle or Yankee Swap. She gave out one of her famous “homework” assignments. We had to write some sort of creative thing without spending money for a gift; I usually did a poem or a song. She randomized for whom the homework was going to be and I drew Kathy Bourque's name, Dave's wife. She was the leader of the dancers in the group. So I asked, ‘what can I possibly do this time, Lord’ and prayed for some inspiration that could be useful for her and us. I went to Chapel and got down on my knees to pray. (“How to say what Jesus means to do for you?”) I have to say, I think the Lord ‘opened my eyes’ to the role of the dancers in prayer; and she has been the epitome of prayerful dance.
Before this, I think I have to admit, I was usually too busy doing the music to notice or appreciate ENOUGH what they did. I ONLY saw them from the back all the time, after all, except when they would turn and glare at me when I randomly CHANGED THE WORDS TO THE SONG, rendering their movements comical or meaningless. The classic has to be with Make Me Free when I said something like ‘falling on my knees like a tree’ or some such nonsense. (Believe me some of the dancers had classic ‘death-stares’. It makes me wonder how I could get my own songs so wrong and how I survived to this day.) It’s human nature not to notice something really wonderful that is very close to you and I guess that was where I was.
But as I prayed about this homework, I think God truly let me see their ministry as He sees it, like Mike had expressed in “Lonely Dancer” (of which the video is so beautiful: www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-oN0Yw7AaQ ). The key image I built the song around is that of the two feet of Jesus crucified. They are nailed down and yet his gift on the Cross is the ultimate dance, {an idea alluded to in “Lord of the Dance”}. True love circumscribes our ‘freedom’ and causes pain, worry and sacrifice, yet, paradoxically, it is the only true freedom to tie oneself down in this way, the ultimate ‘rejoicing’. [In Aramaic which Jesus spoke, the word for 'rejoice' and 'dance' are the same.] Further, I really realized how much of a prayer our group’s dancing has been, so many times.
John Drahos told me once he was using this song with his church music ministry and that everyone always called it “The Two Feet Song”! That’s probably a better working title, but I’ve decided to keep the original title here as “Endless Dance of Love”. Greg really likes to play this and we all like Denise singing the lead on it. The version I have here is probably one of the first times we did it, live from our 1993 Sheepgate Coffeehouse concert; kudos to Joe Prunera for getting it to us. It gives you a great idea how it sounded. Later I heard that beautiful song “I Hope You Dance” by Lee Ann Womack and recognized a familiar invitation from the “Lord of the Dance”.
St. Cecelia loved music intensely, yet she was willing to “dance” as the Lord had, giving her life as a martyr. Her incorrupt body was discovered over a 1000 years later with three fingers extended on one hand and one on another, ostensibly expressing her faith in the Trinity. This miracle was recorded in the famous sculpted masterpiece of Stefano Moderno. “Fly free, life’s a dance.”
Rejoice!!
Mark LaJOIE!
One year for our annual Christmas party, Joyce Rossignol decided that we were not going to have our usual Kris Kringle or Yankee Swap. She gave out one of her famous “homework” assignments. We had to write some sort of creative thing without spending money for a gift; I usually did a poem or a song. She randomized for whom the homework was going to be and I drew Kathy Bourque's name, Dave's wife. She was the leader of the dancers in the group. So I asked, ‘what can I possibly do this time, Lord’ and prayed for some inspiration that could be useful for her and us. I went to Chapel and got down on my knees to pray. (“How to say what Jesus means to do for you?”) I have to say, I think the Lord ‘opened my eyes’ to the role of the dancers in prayer; and she has been the epitome of prayerful dance.
Before this, I think I have to admit, I was usually too busy doing the music to notice or appreciate ENOUGH what they did. I ONLY saw them from the back all the time, after all, except when they would turn and glare at me when I randomly CHANGED THE WORDS TO THE SONG, rendering their movements comical or meaningless. The classic has to be with Make Me Free when I said something like ‘falling on my knees like a tree’ or some such nonsense. (Believe me some of the dancers had classic ‘death-stares’. It makes me wonder how I could get my own songs so wrong and how I survived to this day.) It’s human nature not to notice something really wonderful that is very close to you and I guess that was where I was.
But as I prayed about this homework, I think God truly let me see their ministry as He sees it, like Mike had expressed in “Lonely Dancer” (of which the video is so beautiful: www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-oN0Yw7AaQ ). The key image I built the song around is that of the two feet of Jesus crucified. They are nailed down and yet his gift on the Cross is the ultimate dance, {an idea alluded to in “Lord of the Dance”}. True love circumscribes our ‘freedom’ and causes pain, worry and sacrifice, yet, paradoxically, it is the only true freedom to tie oneself down in this way, the ultimate ‘rejoicing’. [In Aramaic which Jesus spoke, the word for 'rejoice' and 'dance' are the same.] Further, I really realized how much of a prayer our group’s dancing has been, so many times.
John Drahos told me once he was using this song with his church music ministry and that everyone always called it “The Two Feet Song”! That’s probably a better working title, but I’ve decided to keep the original title here as “Endless Dance of Love”. Greg really likes to play this and we all like Denise singing the lead on it. The version I have here is probably one of the first times we did it, live from our 1993 Sheepgate Coffeehouse concert; kudos to Joe Prunera for getting it to us. It gives you a great idea how it sounded. Later I heard that beautiful song “I Hope You Dance” by Lee Ann Womack and recognized a familiar invitation from the “Lord of the Dance”.
St. Cecelia loved music intensely, yet she was willing to “dance” as the Lord had, giving her life as a martyr. Her incorrupt body was discovered over a 1000 years later with three fingers extended on one hand and one on another, ostensibly expressing her faith in the Trinity. This miracle was recorded in the famous sculpted masterpiece of Stefano Moderno. “Fly free, life’s a dance.”
Rejoice!!
Mark LaJOIE!
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