Helpful but incomplete: What we miss in counting music and in theology

In the dance class today, the instructor said something about music and dancing that got me thinking about the role of theology in the christian life.

As part of every class, she would lead the small group of us through a small set of new choreography.  The choreography is usually pretty short, lasting about 32 counts, but boy is it challenging to the brain and the body!  Today, after going through the choreography a few times, she stopped the music, and said:

 "I am trying to count less when we go through the routine.  Counting is helpful, but when we count, we tend to get at most half of the music.  Like just the downbeats.  So instead of focusing on the count, I want you guys to listen to the whole phrasing of the music and dance to that."

I love that!  And immediately I thought about the helpfulness but limitations of theology.  Counting music is helpful in marking the movements to music, just like theology can provide a framework, especially for new christians, to understand and live out the faith.  However, if we only focus on theology (whichever flavor it may be), we can miss out on half of the music.  We can do all the right things but still miss the fullness of both the music and the movements.