Coming home from Kansas City

Today we are making our way back home, an eleven and a half hour drive day towards Jackson MS, from a weekend in Kansas City where we spent our time performing and teaching a master class.

Work . 

Our sponsors were a Ballet Company known as Dramatic Truth Dance Theater. It was special to be brought in by this particular company because apparently their artistic director and ours, have been long-time companions over 30 years, and surprisingly this weekend was the first time ever that we've partnered together! On Friday, one of our dancers taught a ballet master class at the Dramatic Truth facilities and on Sunday we, both Dramatic Truth and Ballet Magnificat put a show on together at the Bell Center of MidAmerica Nazarene University in Olathe, Kansas. Dramatic Truth opened up the night presenting 'Passionate Pursuit' and then we did our ballet called 'Strategem' which is inspired by a book written by C.S. Lewis called The Screwtape Letters.

Our performance that evening was monumental, not only because we got to work with Dramatic Truth but also because it would be the last performance done on tour by our long-time, well-loved company member, John Vandervelde. He has been dancing with Ballet Magnificat for several decades and now is being called away elsewhere, by God, unto something new. He has been such a friend, role model, and teacher to us all. He is a staple to our ministry, an overseer, and holder of numerous responsibilities. His resignation with Ballet Magnificat will be made official come the fall and we will all be sad to see him go; His absence will be felt, but as one of my peers has said, 'This could be the best thing that has ever happened to this ministry.' Though change is sometimes sad and hard, it is also good and promotes growth.

John and I after a show

Play .

Prior to this past weekend, and being that it was my first time ever in Kansas City, I knew not what to expect of it. I was very confused that Kansas City was not in Kansas, but we had fantastic, hospitable, accommodating, hosts who taught us all the random facts we needed to know about Kansas City like how it is the largest city in Missouri or that the official nickname of it is the City of Fountains with over 200 fountains in the city which supposedly makes it the second with the most fountains in the world, just aside from Rome! They also told us about the best places to go sightseeing.

We had a day off on Saturday. It was a gorgeous chilly day. I did not pack the right kind of clothes for the Missouri climate, but I made due. A few of my friends and I decided to visit one of the places that our hosts mentioned called The Country Club Plaza. The Plaza is a beautiful, outdoor, 15 block, shopping mall with tons of stores, restaurants, and fountains! The air deliciously smelled of BBQ there. I thought the architecture was so beautiful! The orange shingled upon the roofs everywhere gave it a Tuscan feel, but the ornateness and colors of the archways and tiles made me think Moroccan. I had a blast exploring The Plaza and shopping with my friends. I've been on a mission to find a new purse; One that is big and durable and tough enough to handle the rigors of my tour life. Unfortunately, I did not find the perfect one for me that day. What stores do you recommend for finding a good purse at a good price?

The Country Club Plaza, Kansas City Missouri

We also made it a priority to stop at Trader Joe's, which you must know is a Ballet Magnificat Dancer's favorite, though unfortunately, we do not have one in Jackson, MS. All of us stocked up on our favorite goodies to take home with us!

I discovered Kansas City to be an altogether charming place! Great memories and friends were made there and they will be forever cherished.

This run-out to Kansas City, Missouri was actually our last stop for the season. Though I thoroughly enjoyed Kansas City, finishing with it seems kind of anti-climactic in comparison to the previous years finishing the season touring in other foreign nations. But that is okay. Things are winding down and for the next couple of months we will be laying low at our home base in Jackson, MS preparing for our big 4-week summer dance intensive(SDI) workshop held in July.

SDI is always a highlight of our year! It attracts hundreds of students from all around the world and we delight in teaching them dance classes and bible studies, mentoring them, and worshiping with them. We sometimes say our summer program is a Christian dance camp, but not only just for Christians! It is so exciting to witness how the Lord moves among the hearts of all the students, and ours! If you would be so interested to stick around, I will be sure to keep you up to date with all the details and exciting happenings leading up to our summer workshop and then on into it. Also, now that my company is spending quite sometime slowed down, settled, and at home, you can expect to see some more posts about my recreational ongoings. Yipee! One of the pros to the "off season" of touring is that now that I am home, I can return to my own cooking, and sewing, and crafting and creating! It is so nice to be reunited again with all of my supplies here at the homestead! Creativity coming soon to a blog entry near YOU! ^_^

Today I will leave you with a song I discovered by Sandi Patti, that I have just fallen in love with, as being a performer, but perhaps you might find appreciation for it too?!

  Lyrics to THE STAGE IS BARE  -by Sandi Patti
the stage is bare The crowds are gone
The love we shared still lingers on
We sang and played and we laughed and cried
And in our fumbling way we tried
To say what only hearts can know
And all too soon we had to go
But now here in this darkened room
Just empty seats there's just me and you

It was so easy to call you Lord
When a thousand voices sang your praise
But there's no one to hear me now
So hear me now, be near me now

The stage is bare
The crowds are gone
Lord now the time I need your song
To give me joy and certainty
When no one else is watching me
I need you more than words can say
Tomorrow's such a daily day
And so I need to feel you then
Holding my hand
Please hold me then
I need you, Lord

Blessings dear friends,

Thank you for reading!

comment, follow, subscribe, and don't be shy! 

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Twelve Hour Travel Day Thoughts and Toilings

We are more than half way through tour and it has been going so wonderfully well. Unfortunately, I have been so busy that I have not been able to update you guys about it until now. Today we are on our way from Phenonix, Arizona to Amarillo, Texas, a twelve hour drive. I really love long drive days on the tour bus because I can get a lot done!

My To Do List:

• Bible reading
• Nap
• Study Spanish
• Write/and decorate junk journal
• Bible study with Alpha at 2:00pm
• Edit photos
• Plan class I am going to teach for the workshop in Amarillo
• Write, edit, submit new blog entry: ^_^

Unlike the tour we are currently on, our tours are usually comprised mostly of performance bookings. This laid-back 18 day south western tour consists of only 3 performances and many more workshops. When I am not scheduled to teach and there is no performance, those days become free days! It is quite a treat to have a few days off sprinkled into our busy tour. I have only been scheduled to teach five times during this tour, but even those days are still more relaxing compared to performance days which are typically an all day process. We all agreed that the pace of this tour, due to all the workshop bookings is quite enjoyable, but I had to laugh when our boss Kieth said "Well, if we keep up at this pace... we will be put out of a job!" So I guess we better enjoy this tour full of workshops while it lasts.

So far we have had one performance of Deliver Us in Ft. Worth, Texas at the Scott Theater. In Dallas we held some workshop dance classes at First Baptist Dallas through their school of the arts program. I taught a creative movement class to 7-12 year olds. Next we passed through Mckinney, TX and held some workshop classes there as well, at the Texas Youth Ballet Conservatory. Since I didn't have to teach in Mckinney, I enjoyed my days off relaxing with my host family. The Texas Youth Ballet is one of my most favorite ballet studios across the country that we have worked withed. I have taught at their studio in the past and their students are so diligent, hardworking, and have an excellent foundation of strong clean ballet technique. Even though I didn't get to teach there this time, one of the highlights of being in Mckinney was when I got to reunite with some old students/friends I made last time our company visited.

Micky and I reunited with the cutest twin ballerina girls ever! McKinney, Texas

We then headed to Lubbock, Texas where we held a three day workshop that I did not have to teach or be involved with. We worked with an organization called Christ In The Arts (CITA) and I was hosted by the founders and directors of CITA during our time there. They were very hospitable and accommodating. They told us that there was not much to do in Lubbock but that they were willing to take us anywhere we wanted to go. We ended up finding ourselves content with just chilling and hanging out around the house, talking, taking naps and cooking. We also watched some DVDs of the dance productions that they have put on in the past. I thought they were phenomenal, entertaining and annointed! I was extremely impressed by their talent, passion, and professionalism. I had never heard of Christ In the Arts prior to us being booked there, but I had such a delightful time learning about them and getting to know the families and people there! All of their kindness and love is what made the experience so special! Christ In The Arts is another dance studio that has recently, also won a spot on my list as a most favorite studio that we have worked with. Way to go CITA!

 Next we continued our journey west to Albuquerque, New Mexico. I SO enjoyed watching the scenery transform as I have never been so far west before! While traveling I took hundreds of photos of the landscape, though in the end they all seem to resemble one another. I have included a number of the photos below. At the National Hispanic Cultural Center in Albuquerque, we performed Stratagem for only the second time this whole season; It went well.

I fell in LOVE with Arizona, where we went next to teach workshops at the Experience Arts School; I taught beginner ballet and a creative worship class. It was SO beautiful. America is SO beautiful. I knew it before...but now I know it better! ^_^ America is a wonderful diverse country both in its people and terrain. In Arizona, I experienced many 'firsts'. First time seeing the desert, first time picking a fresh grapefruit from a grapefruit tree in my hosts front yard, first time visiting a Hillsong church, and first time seeing a saguaro cactus in person. I LOVED IT! Be sure to check out the pictures I snapped below!

It feels good to be on the road again. The Lord has been teaching me SO much on this tour. All that is to be shared another time. The tour is not over. In fact, we only have a couple more miles to go before we return back to Texas. Amarillo here we come. THANKS FOR READING! ^_^

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