Does size matter?

[HelenaZF]

Jireh brings up a really good point.



Energy and stamina are really the major issue in the body size question, IMO. There are things that an overweight body just cannot do gracefully or completely. I think you just have to adapt what you do to the condition you are in at the moment, and go from there. There are pieces I have done at a thinner body size, or when I was healthier, that I would not attempt now because of those issues.



The physical appearance thing is less important I think. With proper garmenting and judicious choreography, a large dancer can appear just as graceful and minister just as effectively as a lithe one whose body shape fits the accepted dancer image. And in a way, those of us with non-standard dancer bodies can be SO encouraging to others in the same condition who really want to be physically expressive in their worship but are self-conscious about their appearance. That example is a real ministry in itself.



I can also see why a large person wouldn't want to position themselves in a troupe of many other dancers who are all fit and slim. It's not completely a matter of self-consciousness. It is also a matter of not wanting to be a distraction. If people are concentrating on how out-of-place you look in a group, then you are diverting their attention from the message of the dance. It's crummy that it would be a consideration, but because of human nature it really is, and a valid consideration.



However, if you have something to do "up front" and it truly is a message to the congregation, not just an out-pouring of personal worship, I would get yourself up there and ask, girl! The message will transcend the limitations of the messenger. You just have to trust that that is true and go for it.