I was a mime in my homeschool group back in ’97. Nevar again! Most of the songs were Ray Boltz or Big Tent Revival.

isn’t this more signing with white face than actual mime? I mean since none of them were actually trapped in a box?

I’m seeing the horrific future of iMovie on the iPhone 4 with this video.

Just think of how easy it will be to make these and throw them on YouTube…oh I shudder in anticipation…a cold, fearful, soul and art sucking shudder.

I have never…. NEVER understood this…. thing.

I am ALL for the arts being used to advance the gospel and even to entertain. But WHAT IS THIS?!?!?!? It’s like their destroying Interpretive dance, lip-synching and Mime ALL AT THE SAME TIME!!!!

Still… I applaud their willingness to do it. I admire and appreciate their work and the time that they put into it.

But I still wish this kind of thing would just stop.

I didn’t mean for that to sound as mean as it did. I have a problem with most “youth group dancing” type of pursuits… Here’s why:

1) It’s some kind of strange amalgam of signing and something else.

If you’re going to sign it, then sign it. If you’re going to dance to it, then dance to it. Do one or the other… or BOTH. But do both all the way through. You belittle the craft of either when you don’t commit.

2) What’s with the lip-synching?

Why not get a track (or, better yet, teach your young musicians to play well enough to play the song) and have the group ACTUALLY sing while you do your sign/dancing amalgam thing? Is it that you think if you mouth the words people will understand them better?

I think, underlying all of this, is a frustration i have with something that I see far FAR too often in Christendom. And I am trying very hard to come up with a way to say this and not sound horrible…

Why do offer up to God that which costs us nothing?

Or, more simply, Why don’t we just play a CD (let’s not worry about paying the writer or performer of the song for use of his song that inspired us to create this project in the first place) instead of investing time to learn how to play and/or sing the song, create some exaggerated moves that resemble dance without actually studying the craft, figure out how to sign a few of the words in the song so we can incorporate those into our “choreography” and then present ourselves as relevant…

Please understand that this is not an attack on this particular group. I meant what I said… I appreciate what they are doing and the spirit in which they are doing. But this is applicable to countless youth groups (and adult groups as well) across the nation. Further, it breeds a mindset that says I can give halfway to God. It’s ok if I stand up in church on Sunday morning to sing and say RIDICULOUS things like, “Now don’t listen to me sing, just listen to the words.” Well, then why don’t you just put the words up on the screen, or put them in the bulletin as an inspirational poem. Why are you up there improperly rehearsed? Why are you giving to God that which cost you NOTHING???

My apologies.

They did get one thing right: if you’re gonna wear stripes, wear them at right angles to one another!

I totally used to do this when I was a kid.

YOU CAN’T WEAR HORIZONTAL AND VERTICAL STRIPES AT THE SAME TIME!

i have 2 kids that are deaf. my son watched it and only understood two words “country” and “hope”. my daughter did not understand any of it. she said they looked funny.