Second Step: Respond to at least 3 members of this discussion (response for Alyssa, Jessica, and Nicole) asking questions about their experiences with dance as religion or ritual.

Alyssa mentions that she has danced the Hava Nagila, but then goes on to note her surprise at the Dance of the Nigerian Christian Church:

This same dance shown in the Dance of Nigerian Christian Church and Communities section of the video also surprised me the most. I have never been to a church, and I was surprised to see that dancing took place in the church. I found it interesting and surprising that the dancing was not performed as a way of celebration and fun, but as a form of prayer and worship.

I was astonished at Alyssa's response since the Hava nagilla is the customary dance of Israel. It may be that Alyssa danced it out of Israel, but had she done so in Israel she would likely (although not necessarily) have become acquainted with synagogues. And in most synagogues in Israel, dance is a regular occurrence as part of worship. This is so regardless of denomination.

I was intrigued by Jessica's response and loved her connection of the Holy Spirit to dance. Meanings of rituals are deeper than these rituals appear to observers and they give the rituals a more meaningful import often making...

We were both surprised by the suggestive connotations. May that is because we are brought up in cultures where sacred has been made distinct from sexual?
Nicole talks about the horse that she saw in the Bat Mitzva of her friend. Actually, I have attended many Jewish bat Mitzvahs all across the spectrum of worship and am hearing about this for the first time. It may be that this is pertinent to that particular Temple or environment / community where the girl lived. Dance practices often reflect socio-economic and geographic influences too and are not as 'Jewish', 'Christian' or anything else as people may think but rather, frequently, a compound of influences.

Nicole talks about the dancers' focus in both church and Bat Mitzvah being on the center of the circle. She then talks about the Maypole. In the first two, the focus is on the celebrant or individual. Why -- I wonder -- would the maypole be the center of attention in the third? Does Nicole have an explanation for that?