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Article: She teaches prayer to bless, teach, heal. (liturgical dancer Sandra Rivera)(Ministries)
- Article from:
- National Catholic Reporter
- Article date:
- January 20, 1995
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1995 National Catholic Reporter. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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When Sandra Rivera drops rose petals while dancing on the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, old ladies at the Spanish Mass eagerly gather up the petals, secure them deep inside their handbags and gesture for more.
"The objects have become sanctified" within the ritual of liturgical dance, Rivera said. So, too, has the space, the music, costumes and accompaniments of the dance. For Rivera, who dances with the Omega Liturgical Dance Company, in residence at the Episcopal Cathedral of St. John the Divine, New York, dance has become more than performance, more than art. "It is my ministry," she acknowledged.
Raised Catholic by "Eur-Rican" parents, Rivera said, "I ...