Mega Manila Holds Tambourine and Dance Workshop: Motion, Music, and Hearts on Fire!
Participants put their newly learned skills into practice during the Tambourine and Dance Workshop held at Grace the Christ-Centered Church in Caloocan City. (Photo by Paolo Amparo)
MANILA, PHILIPPINES. The Mega Manila Annual Conference of the Global Methodist Church (GMC) recently held its first-ever conference-wide Tambourine and Dance Workshop, gathering worship dancers of varying skill levels from across the Philippines and beyond for five weeks of motion, music, and hearts on fire for Jesus.
Guided by the graceful trio of Dr. Rommel Mangila, Marifel de Leon Li Fong, and Imelda Pedida Fleischer—pioneers of worship dance ministry in Philippine Methodist circles—the workshop brought together more than sixty participants from churches across Mega Manila and the Covenant Annual Conference, as well as from Qatar and the United Kingdom.
After five two-hour weekly trainings via Zoom, the lessons leaped from screens to two in-person sessions. Over twenty young dancers first gathered at Luna GMC in Santiago City on October 25. The final in-person workshop followed on November 8 at Grace the Christ-Centered Church in Caloocan City, where more than forty participants shooked tambourines and waved ribbons, banners, and flags in beautifully choreographed praise.
Organized by the Worship Committee of P.O.W.E.R. Ministries, chaired by Edmar Cachuela, the workshop was more than choreography—it was discipleship in motion. “Our goal,” said Cachuela, who is also a candidate to the ministry from Overflow Christian Community in Pililla, Rizal, “is to enrich worship through the arts and raise leaders who can help others glorify God through movement.”
Throughout the sessions, participants learned twenty-two dance patterns originally developed by the late Margaret Yap, a celebrated worship artist from Singapore. To help everyone continue honing their skills after the workshop, Dr. Mangila prepared individual video tutorials for each pattern—an act of generosity that ensures the rhythm of praise continues.
Yet beyond the steps and patterns came deeper lessons. Imelda Fleischer, who began her dance ministry at Knox United Methodist Church in Manila, joined from her home in California—waking at 5 a.m. Pacific Time to meet the group online. She reminded participants that true worship through dance flows from a life of holiness and daily devotion. Marifel Li Fong, also originally from Knox and sister to Pastor Julbert de Leon of Rock of the Nations Gospel Fellowship, emphasized modesty and reverence in attire, noting that “what we wear in worship should reflect the God we serve.”
Both Dr. Rommel and Marifel, who serve as school principals in Manila, modeled servant leadership by carving out time amid their demanding schedules to lead the in-person workshops in Isabela and Metro Manila.
The workshop in Manila concluded with a Certificate of Completion ceremony, though many said it felt more like a commissioning. As one dancer reflected, “This wasn’t just about learning moves—it was about meeting God in motion.”
From tambourines to testimonies, Mega Manila’s Worship Committee hopes this marks the beginning of a vibrant revival in worship dance. Plans are already underway for future workshops in other places, including the Middle East, that will continue to unite worship teams in skill, spirit, and joy—so that every leap, every wave, and every beat becomes a living offering of praise to the Lord.
