Beauty from the Inside Out
This weekend I had the awesome privilege of helping behind the scenes for the Annual Spring Showcase of Houghton Movement and Arts Center. My ballet teacher and dear friend Sarah Badger put together an amazing performance of tap, jazz, vocal, lyrical and creative movement pieces in the first half, followed by excerpts from Swan Lake for the second act. My husband and I were blessed to be behind the cameras for this event. What an absolute joy to experience.
I cannot say enough good things about this school ... so I will explain this one thing for now. In the arts world, the culture is typically cut throat and competitive. It is common for dance teachers to look down their nose at others, to compare, harshly critique or even steal students and business away from other schools. Though that is commonplace, it should never be the case for anyone who claims to follow Jesus Christ. Our relationships and businesses should be run with the same integrity, humility and generosity with which we seek to live our private lives before God. Sadly, this is not always the case.
Three years ago both Sarah and I suddenly found ourselves in new levels of leaderships in our own schools. We had never met before that time, but became connected with the heart to bless and somehow help each other. Being a lyrical / worship based dance school, my school Grace School of Dance did not have much classical ballet training at that time. Personally, I found myself teaching an intermediate ballet class out of sheer necessity, while directing the school, homeschooling for the first time, and raising our three boys. All of this I was seeking to accomplish with a lack of formal dance training - since my background is color guard, gymnastic and worship / liturgical dance based. It was an incredibly humbling experience, filled with opportunities for personal growth and a strong dependence on the Lord. It still is. But having someone to walk the road with you makes all the difference. Would I find someone I could trust to walk with me at Houghton Movement & Arts Center? Yes, yes, overwhelmingly yes.
There are wonderful things I could say about the quality of dance, discipline of students, and beautiful creativity found at HMAC. But all of this would pale in beauty, if cloaked in the typically competitive spirit of the arts world. What makes this school beautiful to me is the Christ-like character that is a part of everything they do. It gleams not only from the stage, but in everything - - from gentle and accurate corrections in class, affordable pricing for professional level training, to private conversations and text messages between us. It also shows in that Carolyn Fisher, Sarah and I literally teach together, learn from each other, and truly want the best for each of our schools. This rarity is one I will cherish forever and will always seek to handle with care.
Congratulations, Houghton Movement and Arts! Your beauty shines from the inside out.
I cannot say enough good things about this school ... so I will explain this one thing for now. In the arts world, the culture is typically cut throat and competitive. It is common for dance teachers to look down their nose at others, to compare, harshly critique or even steal students and business away from other schools. Though that is commonplace, it should never be the case for anyone who claims to follow Jesus Christ. Our relationships and businesses should be run with the same integrity, humility and generosity with which we seek to live our private lives before God. Sadly, this is not always the case.
Three years ago both Sarah and I suddenly found ourselves in new levels of leaderships in our own schools. We had never met before that time, but became connected with the heart to bless and somehow help each other. Being a lyrical / worship based dance school, my school Grace School of Dance did not have much classical ballet training at that time. Personally, I found myself teaching an intermediate ballet class out of sheer necessity, while directing the school, homeschooling for the first time, and raising our three boys. All of this I was seeking to accomplish with a lack of formal dance training - since my background is color guard, gymnastic and worship / liturgical dance based. It was an incredibly humbling experience, filled with opportunities for personal growth and a strong dependence on the Lord. It still is. But having someone to walk the road with you makes all the difference. Would I find someone I could trust to walk with me at Houghton Movement & Arts Center? Yes, yes, overwhelmingly yes.
There are wonderful things I could say about the quality of dance, discipline of students, and beautiful creativity found at HMAC. But all of this would pale in beauty, if cloaked in the typically competitive spirit of the arts world. What makes this school beautiful to me is the Christ-like character that is a part of everything they do. It gleams not only from the stage, but in everything - - from gentle and accurate corrections in class, affordable pricing for professional level training, to private conversations and text messages between us. It also shows in that Carolyn Fisher, Sarah and I literally teach together, learn from each other, and truly want the best for each of our schools. This rarity is one I will cherish forever and will always seek to handle with care.
Congratulations, Houghton Movement and Arts! Your beauty shines from the inside out.
Photos from the live performance are now available here.
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