Jesus as Dancer, Jyoti Sahi

Genesis 1: 26 – Then God said, “Let us make humankind in our image according to our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the wild animals of the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth.”

—

            Jyoti Sahi artistically employs vivid colors and lines to create the illusion of movement in this dynamic image, Jesus as Dancer. Green and yellow are analogous colors that work well together to create this lively, vibrant garden image. The character on the left is placed at an angle to the baseline, with one foot raised above the ground as if in a dramatic leap or dance-like position. This intentional angle creates an illusion of movement, visualizing Jesus in an energetic dance. The idea of Jesus as a dancer is explored further with Jesus’ hands. His right hand is clutching a drum, and his left hand is on a rebound from striking the drum as he dances to his drumbeats. While Jesus’ body faces the viewer, His face is looking away, perhaps at the Father because the Son can do nothing by himself. He does only what he sees the Father doing. Whatever the Father does, the Son also does. (John 5:19). Even so, He enjoys the wind of the Spirit through creation. So, in essence, this image represents the Triune God creating and re-creating humankind in His image (new creation).

      Christ leads the dance of creation with his drumbeats. The sound of the drum and his dancing feet draws out the lotus plant from the earth’s mud. The plant blossoms into the mirror image of Christ, a human made in God’s image (Genesis 1:26). Just as the lotus rises from the floor of the pond in the mud, Adam is created from the dust of the earth (Genesis 2:7). Adamah or humanity is like no other creature, humanity is the crown of God’s creation, created from the dust of the earth, to bloom. The breath that fills Adamah also fills the world. The bold curved lines give a playful impression of the foliage fluttering in the wind of the Spirit. God’s creation is sustained by the Creator’s drum’s rhythm in the Holy Spirit’s presence. The Lord of the dance, Jesus Christ, is the Creator and preserver of creation in whom all things hold together (Colossians 1:17). He is also the destroyer of evil. As humanity springs forth from the lotus, it is hard not to recall the work of Christ on the cross and the empty tomb as part of this dance of re-creation and new life in the new Adam.

      Jesus, the Dancer, focuses on the creation and extends this motif to the new creation in Jesus Christ. Christ, a human made in God’s image (Genesis 1:26). Just as the lotus rises from the floor of the pond in the mud, Adam is created from the dust of the earth (Genesis 2:7). Adamah or humanity is like no other creature, humanity is the crown of God’s creation, created from the dust of the earth, to bloom. The breath that fills Adamah also fills the world. The bold curved lines give a playful impression of the foliage fluttering in the wind of the Spirit. God’s creation is sustained by the Creator’s drum’s rhythm in the Holy Spirit’s presence. The Lord of the dance, Jesus Christ, is the Creator and preserver of creation in whom all things hold together (Colossians 1:17). He is also the destroyer of evil. As humanity springs forth from the lotus, it is hard not to recall the work of Christ on the cross and the empty tomb as part of this dance of re-creation and new life in the new Adam.

           Jesus, the Dancer, focuses on the creation and extends this motif to the new creation in Jesus Christ.