This post showcases a video of the 2006 Gospel line dance song "Gospel Slide". This post also includes my comments about Gospel line dancing and my transcription of the lyrics to Dana Divine's song.
The content of this post is presented for historical, entertainment, religious, and aesthetic purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
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EDITOR'S NOTE ABOUT ADDING COMMENTS ON THIS BLOG
With considerable regret, I have disabled the comment feature on this blog (and on my other blogs except for https://pancocojams.blogspot.com, because of the large number of spam comments that I received on those blogs.
Comments for those blogs can be sent to my email address azizip17 dot com at yahoo dot com for possible inclusion in a specific post on those blogs.
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COMMENTS ABOUT GOSPEL LINE DANCING
Contemporary line dancing is a choreographed form of group dancing that incorporates a repeating sequence of fixed steps. In the United States these contemporary group dances are done in horizontial lines. Since the 1950s in the United States line dancing has been usually done to recorded music. Any song may be used for line dancing. However, some line dance songs are instructional songs, meaning that the lyrics song used for the dance consists of directions for that particular dance. Learning the steps to that dance is faciliated because those lyrics giving the steps to the dance are repeated throughout the song.
Dana Divine's "Gospel Slide" is an example of an instructional dance song in the Gospel line dance sub-genre.
Gospel line dancing is a relatively new phenomenon in the United States. It's my sense that Gospel line dancing begun in 1997 as a result of the popularity of Kirk Franklin's hit Gospel record "Stomp".** To be clear, the dancing movements in that video may not have been line dancing, but that record helped to legitimize the idea in the United States of doing social R&B/Hip Hop dancing to religious music. The only difference between Gospel line dancing and non-Gospel line dancing, is that Gospel line dancing is done to Gospel music.
In the late 20th century United States a number of African American and non- African American churches begun to recognize dance ministries, including mime, as part of their approved list of church ministries. R&B/Hip Hop dances weren't acceptable forms of dancing for these ministries. Instead, those Christian dance groups and mimes performed modern dancing, ballet, and - less often - African dancing.
The recorded music used for those performance may be religious music or other, usually slow examples of popular music. Gospel line dancing and Gospel stepping (also given as "steppin")*** are other more recent forms of Christian dance ministry. (Gospel stepping and Gospel line dancing are equivalent terms for some, but not all forms of Gospel steppin.) However people who Gospel line dance (or Gospel step) don't consider these as being part of a dance ministry, but as activities that people engage in for exercise and for social fellowship.
Proponets of Gospel line dancing regularly remind those opposed to that activity that the Bible mentions David dancing before the Lord. Proponents of Gospel line dancing also remind people that Gospel line dancing (and dance ministries in general) are a way of attracting young people to the church and a way of helping retaining them in the church. In spite of the fact that some Christians still consider dancing to religious music to be an anathema, Gospel line dance songs are an increasingly popular form of Gospel music. Songs like Dana Divine's Gospel Slide use the same beats as R&B/Hip Hop music, and include such familiar phrases in their lyrics from R&B music as "throw your hands up" and "back it up". Dana Divine's record also gives a nod to Kirk Franklin's "Stomp". Her repeated instruction to "turn yourself around" is lifted from "The Hokey Pokey", a children's singing game that is well known in the United States.
* Examples of 1950s & 1960s American line dances are The Madison, The Stroll, and The Hulley Gulley.
** Click http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_AdYnFY_bZ0 for a video of Kirk Franklin & God's Property's "Stomp".
*** Click http://cocojams.com/content/fraternity-sorority-step-stroll-related-videosfor information and examples of steppin.
FEATURED VIDEO - g slide by Dane Divine [gospel slide]
soulmuzick, Uploaded on Jan 20, 2008
Gospel Slide Demonstration for those that want to know how to do it.
-snip-
This song is also referred to as the "g slide". However, it should be noted that there is a 2007 Hip Hop song called the "G Slide (Bus Tour) by Lil Mama. Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2013/03/lil-mama-g-slide-tour-bus-video-lyrics.html for a post on my pancocojams blog about this song.
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LYRICS - GOSPEL SLIDE
(Dana Divine)
Choir:
Let’s praise the Lord
It’s time to get down. [sing this entire portion 2x]
Lead: Calling all saints* to the dance floor.
Calling all saints to the dance floor.
We’re gonna Gospel slide and
give the devil a fit.
Just come on and bring your good time with ya.
Put on your dancing shoes
Because the Scripture says
“Exalt Him. Praise Him with songs and dance.”
Callin all saints to join me in the Jesus apostles march
Two times to the right.
Two times to the left.
Throw your hands up.
Now stomp that devil down. Right foot
to the front.
Left foot, back it up
Two rocks to the right
And turn yourself around
Now two times to the right.
Two times to the left.
Throw your hands up.
Now stomp that devil down. Right foot
to the front.
Left foot, back it up.
Two rocks to the right.
And turn yourself around.
Don’t stop.
Choir [continues singing while Lead gives instructions]
Let’s praise the Lord.
It’s time to get down.
Lead: To the left
Throw your hands up.
Stomp!
Right foot to the front.
Left foot back it up.
Two rocks to the right.
Now turn yourself around.
To the right, clap your hands.
To the left, clap your hands.
Raise your arms, wave your hands.
Now stomp that devil in.
To the front, clap your hands.
Back it up, clap your hands. Hands together.
Pray, rock it out and turn around.
To the right, clap your hands
To the left, clap your hands
Throw your arms up.
Wave your hands.
Now stomp that devil in.
To the front, clap your hands.
Back it up and clap your hands. Hands together.
Pray, rock it out and turn around, and sing:
I wanna get pumped** for Christ.
I wanna get pumped for Christ.
You sing:
(Choir sings):
I wanna get pumped for Christ.
I wanna get pumped for Christ.
Lead: Come on now.
I wanna get pumped for Christ.
I wanna get pumped for Christ.
Your turn.
Choir: I wanna get pumped for Christ.
I wanna get pumped for Christ.
Lead: Come on.
To the right. To the left.
Choir [sings in the background]
Let’s praise the Lord.
It’s time to bow down.
Lead: Throw your hands up
Now stomp.
To the front, y’all.
Back it up, y’all.
Rock it out, turn around. Pay attention.
To the right, barack
To the left, barack.
Throw your hands up.
Shabbat
On the devil we stomp. Right foot
to the front, left foot back it up.
Feel the Holy Ghost
and turn yourself around.
To the right, barak.
To the left, barak.
Throw your hands up and sha bock.
On the devil we stomp. Right foot
to the front, left foot back it up.
Feel the Holy Ghost.
And turn yourself around.
Lead: Hallelujah!
Choir: Shabbat!
Lead: Praise the Lord.
Choir: Barak! [sing this entire portion 4x]
Lead: Here we go now.
Choir [continues singing in the background]
Let's praise the Lord.
It’s time to bow down.
Lead: To the right.
To the left.
Throw your hands up.
Now stomp that devil down.
Right foot to the front.
Left foot, back it up
and turn yourself around.
One time to the right
and hop.
One time to the left
and hop.
Throw your hands up.
Turn around.
Now stomp that devil down.
Right foot to the front.
Left foot, back it up.
Rock it out to the right.
And turn yourself around.
One time to the right and hop.
One time to the left and hop.
Throw your hands up. Turn around.
Now stomp that devil down.
Right foot to the front.
Left foot, back it up.
Rock it out to the right.
And turn yourself around.
Choir: Praise Him.
Lead: We gotta praise Him.
Choir: We love Him.
Lead: ‘Cause we love Him.
Choir: Show Him.
Lead: We gotta show Him.
Choir: You need Him.
Lead: That you need Him.
Choir: Praise Him.
Lead: We gotta praise Him.
Choir: We love Him.
Lead: ‘Cause we love Him.
Choir: Show Him.
Lead: We gotta show Him.
Choir: You need Him.
Lead: That you need Him.
Choir [continues singing in the background]
Let Praise the Lord.
It’s time to bow down.
Lead: To the right.
Choir [sings in the background]
Praise the Lord.
It’s time to bow down.
Lead: To the left.
Throw your hands up.
Now stomp that devil down.
Right foot to the front.
Left foot, back it up, y’all.
Rock it out and turn yourself around.
To the right, to the left.
Throw your hand up.
Now stomp!
To the front, y’all.
Back it up, y’all.
Rock it out!
And turn yourself around.
-snip-
Transcription by Azizi Powell. Additions and corrections are welcome.
NOTES ON SOME TERMS FOUND IN THIS SONG
Saints - Christians
**
getting pumped - getting excited
**
barak - Hebrew word meaning "to bless God", to kneel in adoration to God
**
shabbat - Hebrew word meaning "He rested".
From https://www.alephbeta.org/shabbat/what-is-the-sabbath
..."The Torah tells us that God created the world in six days, and on the seventh He rested – which means “Shabbat,” in Hebrew. Later on, after God took the Israelites out of Egypt and gave them the Torah at Mt. Sinai, He commanded them to keep Shabbat – to desist from all labor every seventh day, just as He did. But this command is not some meaningless call for mimicry. It’s a way of recognizing where the world came from, and it gives us time away from the daily grind to focus on becoming a little closer to God.
All of the little details of Shabbat all connect back to this central idea: acknowledging that God is the Creator of all."...
**Feel the Holy Ghost- on this instruction in the video, the dancers put their right hand over their heart, raise their left hand chest height, and slowly turned around.
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RELATED LINKS
Click http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-swSwt1B7ks for a video of a Gospel line group dancing to Dana Divine's "Gospel Slide".
Click http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AxGPaWyGv_0 for a video of a Gospel steppin group dancing to Dana Divine's "Gospel Slide".
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT AND THANKS
Thanks to Dana Divine for composing & performing this song. Thanks also to the other vocalists and to the musicians and line dancers who are featured in these videos. My thanks also to the producers and publisher of this videos.
Thanks for visiting zumalayah [zoom-ah-LAH-yah].
Zumalayah showcases videos of dances & singing games done in circles or in lines, and other movement performance arts from African American culture, from African cultures, and from other cultures of the African Diaspora.
Visitor comments are welcome.
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