St. Andrew AME Church
Starting at USD 16
Thu, 24 Jul, 2025 at 07:30 pm - Sun, 27 Jul, 2025 at 10:00 pm (GMT-05:00)
St. Andrew AME Church
867 South Parkway East, Memphis, United States
TRANSCEND Liturgical Dance Conference
Come join Ministry in Motion of St. Andrew AME Church for TRANSCEND as we celebrate our 30th year in ministry at our bi-annual liturgical dance conference for a weekend filled with dance, worship, and community. This event is a celebration of movement and faith, bringing together dancers of all skill levels to learn, grow, and connect. Whether you're a seasoned dancer or just starting out, this conference offers both workshops and worship to inspire and uplift.
TRANSCENDING means not only serving our respective churches and faith communities, but also ministering choreography that inspires spiritual change, transforms lives and helps bridge communities. TRANSCENDANCE requires a willingness to learn, unlearn and relearn. It calls for humble hearts and yielded spirits for dancers to be mentored by those younger and more seasoned, to embrace challenges and stand or rather dance through adversity and seasons of change. To TRANSCEND is to be open to new ideas and innovative approaches to ministry, while maintaining the integrity of the movement, the ministry and the message.
Don't miss this chance to TRANSCEND through liturgical dance!It’s time to move out of your comfort zone, above the ordinary and past the traditional. We’re going to another level. Beyond human boundaries into the spiritual realm. DANCE THE WORD! Move and TRANSCEND!!
Dancing on the Promises,
Rev. Dr. Sarita Wilson-Anderson
"For the Lord is high above the nations; His glory is higher than the heavens."
Psalms 113:4 NLT
Info: Facilitators: Dr. Kathleen Turner, Dr. Amanda Standard, Minister Karen Farnum-Williams, Minister Paris LaGrant, Rev. Dr. Sarita Wilson-Anderson
Info:
Participants of all ages and skill levels will come together to transcend barriers and celebrate the unity of worship. This workshop invites all to rise above generational divides, embracing dance as a universal language of praise, worship and faith.
Info: Transcending Beyond Movement- Ministering through Change
Movement becomes ministry when we can reflect on how to navigate life's challenges with grace, strength and spiritual resilience. Participants will learn to express themselves in movement beyond what words can say, moving them through personal and congregational healing and ministry that transcends life’s circumstances.
Info: Learn how to transcend from traditional elements of choreography to incorporating the use of pageantry into dances that lift worshippers into a higher spiritual realm. Experience the use of pageantry to inspire profound moments of connection that transcend into divine worship.
Info: Transcend the Sound- Dance the Word
Traditionally liturgical dance is choreographed to music that may feel comfortable, but not be The Word for that particular ministry moment. Transcend the music and what's popular. Listen for the sound and the rhythm of the Word as you learn to minister through scripture, prayers and sermons.
Info: Move beyond a love for dance and transcend into the full calling of dance ministry with a spirit of commitment and faithfulness. Return to your 1st love as the workshop draws on the core teachings of liturgical dance ministry.
Info: Transcending Beyond the Wall
Reconnecting the space that divides the church and the community by connecting with our community schools to unite our children through the art of dance, the joy of worship and the language of faith.
Info: Transcend the Heart of Worship to combine the spiritual depth of worship with the discipline of dance technique. This workshop will delve into fundamental skills needed to better understand how dance technique, physical and spiritual training and Biblical truth combined equip liturgical dancers to minister with a spirit of excellence.
Info: Kathleen S. Turner is Director of Christian Education/Discipleship at the Greater Allen AME Cathedral of NY. She is a lecturer at the Institute of Sacred Music/Yale Divinity School and a continuing contributor with the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship Liturgical Dance and Theology. Kathleen contributed a chapter in Readings in African American Church Music and Worship, Volume 2, published her first manuscript , And We Shall Learn Through the Dance: Liturgical Dance as a Religious Education, and has been commissioned to contribute a chapter on the relationship between sacred music and liturgical dance in the 2025 publication of The New Oxford Handbook of Music and Theology. Kathleen is the founding director of the Allen Liturgical Dance Ministry (ALDM) of the GAC, choreographing over 75 dances for ALDM and has coordinated several international conferences on liturgical dance and worship at GAC. Kathleen is married to Curtis Turner, and they travel in ministry together.
Info: A graduate of LaGuardia High School of the Arts, and Howard University with a BS in Biology. Amanda serves as Founder, ED/AD for both Divine Dance Institute, Inc. and Sound Express Dance Company (Washington, DC). Through each, she's provided novice, pre-professional and professional dancers the opportunity to study and perform nationally and abroad. After almost 20 years of owning and operating DDI, the Dance Education Association presented Amanda with the Dance Educator of the Year for Private Studios Award in 2018, FAME Educator of the Year in 2019, and the National Dance Education Educator of the year award (Private Sector) in 2020. She has taught K-12 while tackling multiple subjects at various levels and currently serves at Benjamin D. Foulois Creative and Performing Arts Academy. Through DDI, she has launched the Emerging Artist Showcase, The Pneuma Dance Project Summer Intensive, Seedz Summer Dance Lab, PG Powerdanz Project and the Divine DESIGN Summer Enrichment program.
Info: Karen Farnum-Williams is a native of Queens, NY. Karen attended LaGuardia HS of the Performing Arts, majoring in dance. She graduated Magna Cum Laude with a BA in Fine Arts from Adelphi University. In 1999, she obtained a MA in Performing Arts Administration from NY University. Karen is employed as the Student Affairs Officer at Dance Theatre of Harlem. She also teaches in public and private schools. Karen works with various churches and their dance ministries. Over the years, as a member of the Greater Allen AME Cathedral, Jamaica, NY, Karen has become a devoted dancer, Advisory Team member and co-choreographer of the Allen Liturgical Dance Ministry. Twenty-One years ago, Karen created Dance4Life, a line of Liturgical Dancewear, which caters to the needs of the solo dance minister, larger dance ministries and dance schools. Above all, Karen has dedicated her life to the Lord and His service through dance. She is married to Lloyd Williams and is the mother of Kadin.
Info: Paris LaGrant currently resides in Milwaukee, WI, where she has lived most of her life. She is the Assistant Director to a preschool of over 200 children and over 50 staff. She has been dancing since she was five years old and a part of a dance ministry since the age of seven. She has a passion for teaching children and is currently pursuing higher education for Early Childhood Education with emphasis on Administration. The Lord has blessed her with a beautiful family, in which she devotes most of her time and attention.
Info: Dr. Sarita Wilson-Anderson serves as an Associate Minister at St. Andrew AME Church in Memphis, TN. She is the Director of Spiritual Care and DEI at Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital. Additionally, Dr. Sarita is a board-certified chaplain, pediatric chaplain and a certified grief counselor. She is also certified as a Trauma Informed and Team Resilience Specialist. In 2022, she founded Women of Color in Chaplaincy, a Sister Circle to support women in professional chaplaincy. She is also the Founder and Director of Dance the Word Ministries, a unique combination of liturgical dance and support for self-report mood disorders, specifically designed for African-American women. Currently she serves as the Connectional Director of Dance for the AME Church. Dr. Sarita’s mission is to restore hope and bring healing to all. She received her Ed.D. from Argosy University; her M.Div. from Payne Theological Seminary; and her BA from Howard University. She is a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority.
Info: Diamond Freeman, a native of Baltimore, MD is a dance educator, choreographer, and artistic leader grounded in academic excellence and purpose driven artistry. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Dance from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County and an Associate of Arts in Dance Performance from Howard Community College. Currently, she is pursuing a Master of Arts in Teaching Dance, a testament to her unwavering commitment to cultivating the next generation of dancers. In 2014, Diamond founded Divine Purpose Dance Ensemble (DPDE) a dance ministry built to inspire, empower, and develop dance and worship artists through excellence and faith centered movement. Today, she leads DPDE while also shaping minds and bodies as a dance educator at the Maryland Academy of Dance and Baltimore City College. With a legacy rooted in education, community, and creative impact, Diamond Freeman continues to influence the field of dance with vision, integrity, and transformative leadership.
Info: Nightly Worship Services held each night at 7:30pm. Worship Services are Free and Open to the Public.
Also check out other Arts events in Memphis, Workshops in Memphis, Business events in Memphis.
Tickets for TRANSCEND Liturgical Dance Conference can be booked here.
| Ticket type | Ticket price |
|---|---|
| Adult Friday & Saturday General Admission | 162 USD |
| Copy of Adult Friday & Saturday General Admission | 150 USD |
| Youth Friday & Saturday General Admission (13-18) | 130 USD |
| Children - Saturday ONLY General Admission | 93 USD |
| Adult Friday ONLY General Admission | 93 USD |
| Adult Saturday ONLY General Admission | 93 USD |
| Youth Friday ONLY General Admission | 93 USD |
| Youth Saturday ONLY General Admission | 85 USD |
| Youth Medium | 16 USD |
| Youth Large | 16 USD |
| Youth XL | 16 USD |
| Adult Small | 20 USD |
| Adult Medium | 20 USD |
| Adult Large | 20 USD |
| Adult XLarge | 20 USD |
| Adult 2XLarge | 22 USD |
| Adult 3XLarge | 22 USD |
| Adult 4XLarge | 25 USD |
| Adult 5XLarge | 25 USD |
We have gathered all the information for you in one convenient spot, but please keep in mind that these are subject to change. We do our best to keep everything updated, but something might be out of sync. For the latest updates, always check the official event details by clicking the "Find Tickets" button.
