Is It Wrong for Christians to Dance?

There are many different kinds of dances, just as there are different circumstances in which dancing takes place. A square dance in a well-lit civic center is much different than a slow dance between strangers in a dark, smoky bar. Similarly, a romantic waltz by a bride and groom and their entourage is different from dances with movements clearly intended to be erotic. I recall feeling mildly scandalized when a girl in the public elementary school I attended in conservative West Michigan tap danced at a Christmas assembly. Today, however, when I see 1950s tap dancing and ballroom dancing on television it appears nostalgic and completely unobjectionable.

Cultural conditions vary a great deal from place to place and time to time. The joyous whirl of a Polish polka is foreign to a staid Dutch Calvinist. Cultural conditions also change. For example, the relationship of men and women in many conservative Arab societies more closely resembles the way men and women related to each other in biblical times than the way that men and women interact with each other in daily life in America and other parts of the Western world. (In biblical times men and women were strictly segregated. It was improper for unrelated men and women to even carry on informal conversations, much less touch each other to make a point — or dance.)

The attitudes that people bring to dancing are also extremely important as well. I’ve attended weddings where an occasional unmarried couple on the dance floor was interacting inappropriately, while at the same time grandfathers were dancing with granddaughters, cousins were dancing with cousins, friends with friends, sweethearts with sweethearts — all in ways that were respectful, joyous, and honorable. Should the lovely interaction of the vast majority of the people at the wedding who were dancing have been forbidden in order to prevent one couple from making a spectacle? Or would it have been better, perhaps, for the master of ceremonies to approach them tactfully about the need to change their behavior?

Dancing, like many other issues, is governed by the principles of Christian liberty — that freedom from bondage to sin ( Romans 6:18-23 ; 1 Corinthians 15:56 ), the power of evil ( Colossians 1:13 ), and the law as a means for salvation ( Galatians 4:21-5:1 ) that results from voluntary submission to righteousness ( 1 Corinthians 6:12;10:23 ).

Some circumstances, like high school dances, present today’s Christian parents and young people with difficult decisions. Given the influence of our popular culture, girls tend to dress and behave seductively, and boys tend to pay more attention to girls who do. Unfortunately, under such circumstances dancing can easily degenerate into inappropriate behavior. Concerned parents need to take the lead in a culture that no longer can be expected to be an ally in rearing morally and emotionally healthy young people. For example, Christian parents in a school district — along with others who share their concerns — should work for a consensus about attire and behavior that will protect and benefit all of the young people at school events. In some cases, Christian leadership for both parents and young people might best be expressed by holding an alternative social event. In other cases it might be expressed by permitting youth to attend the event modestly dressed, and behaving in a dignified and respectful way.

Relying on Christian liberty to govern behavior rather than rules makes life more complicated. But such liberty also acknowledges the reality that different Christian people will have different perspectives on issues with no clear biblical support or prohibition.