Devotional - Audience of One?

“Audience of One?”

Audience:
a : a group of listeners or spectators
b : a reading, viewing, or listening public

Many artists are independent types. We live in a country where independence of mind and spirit is one of flags we waive proudly over our beautiful America. Christian children are taught to be God pleasers. For the last two years, Christian dancers are now being told taught in many circles to dance for an “audience of one”. The intention behind this phrase is to teach dancer’s to solely focus on God’s opinion of them when they dance. This truth is crucial for young people, and yet also calls for a balanced teaching on basic respect and love for authority figures and peers. Each time I hear “audience of one” falling onto young ears, I become concerned. Let me explain.

After teaching young people dance for twenty years, and growing up in the dance arena since the age of seven, my heart is compelled to give my dancers a healthy and balanced view of life as a believer. If not, our desire to teach our children to be independent and ‘God pleasers’ can grow quietly into a spirit of rebellion or isolate the dancer from the body of Christ. This can lead to low self-esteem issues or pride and haughtiness. If a dancer can worship the Lord in their dance but can’t even get along with their peers in dance class, then how will he/she function in ministry as an adult? No pastor or dance company can work with a person who is not sensitive to others.

A few years ago I was holding auditions for the lead parts in our upcoming ballet performance. One student arrived in the lobby and announced to her peers that she was going to get the lead! Another student asked her how she knew she was going to get the lead already. The girl’s reply was “mom and I prayed and we claimed it in Jesus name!” The mother continued to peek through the window and view the closed auditions...praying out loud the entire time. The young girl left auditions without a lead role, other girl’s feelings were hurt, parents in the lobby were bothered. It was not the mother’s place to tell the girl who would get the lead. It was the teacher’s panel decision to make. This was a degrading of authority wrapped up in religious lingo that ultimately bore bad fruit for many. It most likely confused the little girl and sent her away with the impression that either 1) God had failed her, or 2) her teachers had not heard from God that day. Both were degrading authority.

As believers, we must keep our Lord as our focus, passion, motivation, our source of confidence. Yet, our young people must learn to have their hearts turned towards the people—turned towards other believers and turned towards the lost. We do not want to raise up a religious generation that has no heart for humanity. My brother Chris told me a phrase concerning this topic that has stuck with me for many years. He is a Chaplain in the Air Force, graduated with his masters from ORU, and served on their staff. He said, “It is was not our humanity that separated Adam and Eve from God in the garden. It was their sin.” Jesus was often “moved with compassion” for the people who needed him as he ministered on earth. There is a very practical side of Christianity our children need to learn. Dance is praise and worship to God. It is also a powerful language to mankind that breaks through barriers spoken language cannot pierce.

We must remember to teach our dancers to respect their parents, teachers, judges when they are critiqued, or master teachers when at a convention. I do want my students to value what people in authoritative positions share with them. We care about what our children’s grades are in school, their score on a piano evaluation, an update on behavior from the Sunday School teacher or youth pastor. So why should dance be any different? A submissive and teachable spirit welcomes input. I have heard dancers say “It doesn’t matter what anyone thinks of me—I dance for an audience of ONE!”. If the dancer has a submissive heart, this phrase doesn’t put a red flag up to me. If the child is non-compliant to teachers and rude to peers, then this phrase is troublesome to my heart.
Always remember, respect is one of the most practical forms of love.
Mrs. Daphne

“If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.”
1 Corinthians 13:1-3