Tamika Hall

This week on Exploding Worship Arts Podcast with/Tamika Hall I am sharing with you my conversation with Jocelyn Richard of ThePraiseDanceLife.com. In this interview we talk about the Power of Praise Dance and how to make it explosive in your own personal life and ministry.

About Jocelyn Richard:
Jocelyn has served as the chief dancer and choreographer for the Elim International Fellowship in
Brooklyn, New York under the visionary leadership of Archbishop Wilbert S. McKinley for ten years. As an anointed dance minister and conference speaker, Jocelyn has ministered for churches and Christian organizations throughout the United States and the Caribbean. Jocelyn has also been involved in arts education in both public and private schools for over twenty years. She began her formal dance education as a child, studying at the Joffery Ballet School, and the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre School. Jocelyn has a BA degree in Dance from The City College of New York.

In This Episode we Highlight:
-How Jocelyn balances life in full-time ministry, motherhood & marriage
-How she makes decisions about ministry engagements
-The history of her online school, The Praise Dance Life
-Google Keyword Research
-What the Power of Praise Dance Is
-Dance as a visual language
-Jocelyn's dance experience
-How and When Jocelyn recognized the call to dance for the Lord
-If it is necessary to receive formal training in order to Praise Dance
-MY MOTHER JOINS THE CONVERSATION TOO :-)
-If there is an age limit for those desiring to dance
-The role Miriam played in the art of Praise Dance
-Jocelyn's course, "Dance Ministry 101"

Resources Mentioned In this Session:

The Praise Dance Life Online School
www.thepraisedancelife.com

Jocelyn Richard, a 25 year veteran in dance ministry and founder of The Praise Dance Life joined the Christian Arts Examiner in an exclusive interview to talk about the power of Praise Dance, "It is a visual expression of our great and majestic God who is real and alive," Richard explained. "Dance is powerful because is a non-verbal language and it is universal. It doesn't what your language, your background, your spiritual maturity. You can look at someone and understand the story they are telling. Dance can touch every mind and every heart."


Richard spoke about receiving Christ through a friend in College. It was during that time she discovered her purpose, "I asked God what he wanted me to do for Him, and He told me to dance for him. It was interesting that He said that because it was 1984 and there were very few churches that allowed dance in the church and embraced it, but He said that's what He wanted me to do, and that He would open the door."

Richard, a trained dancer from childhood spoke on dancing in excellence, "I don't want us to water it [praise dance] down and not pursue it in excellence. You never hear a musician say 'should I know how to read music?' or a singer say, 'does it really matter what key I'm on?'" Richard explained with a warm laugh. "Know that the Holy Spirit is not so limited. We can be used even if we point our feet."
Richard has been using the power of the internet to reach out to praise dancers around the world and will be offering an online class beginning Tuesday, October 16, 2012.

"I tell you how to improve on your dance ministry leadership based on biblical principles. If we understand what the Bible says about the place in dance should be then we will be comfortable and powerful," says Richard. "I tell you how to lead a team and how to lead in unity and successfully, choreography strategies, technique videos, and give you a DVD for you to have and share with your dance teams."

The training is accessible via telephone or your computer and will run each Tuesday and Thursday through October 30, 2012. There are five live classes that will be recorded for those not able to join the live calls. "Give me five weeks," Richard asks. "I will help you be equipped for the next level in your ministry."

For more information on Jocelyn Richard and The Praise Dance Life log onto: www.thepraisedancelife.com. To register for the course log onto: http://falldance101.eventbrite.com

To hear the interview log onto: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/tamikahall/2012/10/11/jocelyn-richard-discusses-the-power-of-praise-dance