I have been reading the Divine Office for a couple of years now and I guess I have been doing Vespers all wrong. I must have missed out on the dance steps in the guide book I buy each year. Just look through these photographs of some Canadian Dominicans doing Vespers starting here. [Via Being! or Nothingness]
Update: Somehow I think original sin might be involved in this, but I just couldn’t stop myself from creating the following animated gif I call the Domini can – can.
This exactly how William Shatner would do interpretive dance.
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Alrighty…
Exactly what psalm is he supposed to be acting out?
http://www.dominicains.ca/providence/Album12/images/DCP01063_JPG.jpg
The old guys don’t seem to know what’s going on either…lol
But yeah, those dance steps are pretty key. Jeff you’ve been doing it wrong the whole time.
Words fail me.
Let’s hope these guys’ next Vespers are the Sicilian kind.
A click on the “home” link and some browsing shows that these are not Canadian Dominicans but photos (posted on a Canadian OP site) from the 2001 General Chapter, held in Providence, RI, with the outgoing Master General Tim Radcliffe presiding. That makes it worse, I guess. The photos from the evening recreation are likewise less than edifying.
Uhh I know this is the wrong place but does anyone know of a saint who had a great love of nature?
“The photos from the evening recreation are likewise less than edifying.”
Sorry, PM, Dominicans aren’t Baptists. They’re allowed to dance, even at the grave risk of earning your scorn three years after the fact.
Jeff, the reason you’ve missed out on the dance steps is because you’ve been skipping the homily after the reading.
A description of that Vespers dance: “Very special was the homily after the reading from the second letter of St. Paul to Timothy. Friar Angel M�ndez expressed in dance what it is to preach when it is opportune and inopportune. That for Paul things did not always go well. But he ran in hard competition and finally succeeded and kept the faith. It could be that the dance also expressed that we too have kept the faith after this month-long race which has been the chapter. Finally I believe that it expressed with its rhythmic movements that for us there is a crown waiting as a prize.”
Wow. Intertretive dance set to bell choirs should not be allowed! This kind of activity only reinforces the conspiracy theorists’ rantings of rampant homosexuality among the clergy.
Forgive me Father.
I suppose I’ve just never been one for expressing things through dance, partly, no doubt, because I’ve never had the figure to look anything but silly in a leotard. I find I muddle along all right expressing myself in English.
As we all know, there will be plenty of time for liturgical dance in purgatory. Just save it for them, please.
Good grief!
Dancing Dominican, Angel M�ndez, has gotten famous!
The Dancing Dominican is featured on today’s CruxNews.com
http://www.cruxnews.com/
Unfortunately, the Western Dominican Province has gotten famous for other reasons, as is illustrated by these articles in the San Francisco Faith:
(November 2004) “Soft Men”:
http://www.sffaith.com/ed/articles/2004/0411rk.htm
(January 2005) Editorial Response To “Soft Men” From Fr. Roberto Corral (Prior Provincial of the Western Dominican Province):
http://www.sffaith.com/ed/letters/2005letters/0501lett.htm
(February 2005) Editorial Response To Fr. Corral’s Response:
http://www.sffaith.com/ed/letters/2005letters/0502lett.htm
(March 2005) Latest Article On The Dominicans, “More Than A Witch Hunt”:
http://www.sffaith.com/ed/articles/2005/0503rk.htm
(March 2005) Latest Letters to the Editor On The Dominicans (2nd & 3rd Letter):
http://www.sffaith.com/ed/letters/2005letters/0503lett.htm
Then there’s the ABC news coverage the Western Dominicans have received (be sure to click “watch this report to see the actual news footage”):
Oakland Seminary Housing Sex Offender Priests:
http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/news/iteam/112804_iteam_seminary.html
Outrage Over Sex Offenders At Seminary:
http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/news/iteam/112904_iteam_seminary.html
Yet another article on the Dominicans of the Westwern Province:
http://www.renewamerica.us/columns/abbott/050303
Hi I wanted to know where and how I can find and/or buy, download the dance steps to “Now Behold The Lamb”, a song sung by Kirk Franklin. If anyone knows where i can find it I ask that u please send me the link to y email: shawtyjumpoff@yahoo.com
Oh no! This Providence College alum did not need to see this post. That certainly looks like the interior of St. Dominic Chapel.
I’d expect this from Jesuits or the Holy Cross Fathers at Notre Dame, but Dominicans?
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