Light of the World Ballet

Word of Life

2012-02-09T18:11:00.000-08:00

We had the privilege of performing Living Hope for Word of Life Academy on Wednesday, February 1. The huge benefit to this performance was that the floor was already set up from our performance on Sunday. Overall, I think that Living Hope went very smoothly, and all of us are now more comfortable with it. My favorite part was at the end when we did arm motions with the kids to Carry Your Name. It was such a blessing to see all those kids raising their invisible “torches” and claiming to carry the light of Jesus into darkest of places. Praise the Lord for raising up another generation who belong to Him! Many special thanks to Miss Karen for bringing us there and being such a blessing to me and the rest of the company.

Karissa

Syracuse Jail

2012-02-02T16:04:00.000-08:00

On Wednesday January 25th, we had the privilege of performing for a sector of women inmates in the Syracuse prison. Most of us had performed there the year before as well, and it had been one of the most powerful performances of the year; God really anointed the place with His presence. We were looking forward to going back with Living Hope, our ballet about the persecuted church in China, and seeing how God moved this time.
The staff and the women were excited about having us back; the deputies are very friendly and welcoming! While setting up, we realized that we would need a dressing room on each side because of the quick changes, and so they opened up an unoccupied jail cell. This was certainly a Light of the World first; we have changed in closets, tents, mall secret passage ways, and many other unusual places, but never a jail cell! Luckily, no one ever got accidentally had the door shut on them.
Once again, God really blessed our performance there. Things went really smoothly, and Miss Ashley spoke at the end, sharing the salvation message and leading the group in a prayer to receive Christ as their personal savior. Several raised their hands indicating that they had prayed this for the first time! We are hoping to get Bibles to them and follow up soon. The women are so open and grateful, and I believe God really uses that each time we are there. I love getting to go to places like that, and I am looking forward to more opportunities like that! God bless!

Cayla

Syracuse Home

2012-02-01T14:57:00.000-08:00

On January 19th we performed for the residents and staff of the Syracuse Home in Baldwinsville. The trainees did their repertoire called All I Need and the company performed Lifesongs. The facility was very nice and our dressing room was fabulous! Gwen shared her testimony and, even though it was cut off, she did get the most important aspects across. Everyone we talked with afterward said that they thoroughly enjoyed the performance and I think that many hearts were blessed by it. All the glory goes to Jesus!

Love,

Ashley

Shoppingtown Mall

2012-01-05T17:07:00.000-08:00

On December 16th the company and levels four through six from the school performed at Shoppingtown Mall at 7:00pm. This was our second time performing with Mission Syracuse. They had live music, singing, and there were other dancers as well. We performed "Christmas Celebration" with a few additions. The mall had a family area with a bathroom, sitting room, some toys for kids to play on, and a baby changing area with a half wall surrounding it. This became our changing room. It was a huge blessing to have this right next to where we were dancing. Performing to live music for a few pieces and being a part of Mission Syracuse was quite exciting. They did a very good job using their talents for Jesus. Afterward, we were able to talk to some people that watched.

~Krystalan

Great Northern Mall

2012-01-05T16:55:00.000-08:00

On December 15th, with van loaded, hair twisted, and costumes/props packed, we made our way over to Great Northern Mall for the first of our five mall outreach performances. Alongside a group called Mission Syracuse, we got to share the gospel of Jesus Christ through Christmas songs. In addition to the dances that we were doing, there was also lots of wonderful live Christmas music played/sung by members of Mission Syracuse, and even some swing dancing as well! We knew there had been a lot of preparation that had gone into this outreach, not only on our end, but also for all the vocalists, musicians, and other dancers - it was cool to see it come together!

The place where we performed was a little off to the side and a little out of the way, but we had a pretty good sized space and there were benches that people could sit on as well, which was nice. The program went pretty well overall, it being the first time we'd done everything all together - it ended up being a little long, so we cut out a couple things, but it went quite smoothly! The gospel was presented and some raised their hands to received Christ. I also believe that seeds were planted, people were encouraged, and the Lord's name was proclaimed in that mall! Frankly, I'm still a little amazed that we were able to talk about Jesus....but all surprise aside, we will take every opportunity we can get! I sincerely hope we get the opportunity to take part in the outreach next year - what a different, exciting venue! It was a great experience to come alongside Mission Syracuse to use our different gifts to glorify the Lord together; may HIS name be glorified!

~Gwen

Eagle Wings Academy

2011-12-27T10:59:00.000-08:00

On Friday, December 16 we were happy to perform for Eagle Wings Academy. This small Christian school is doing great things for the Lord by investing in their kids’ lives. I have a lot of respect for what the teachers are doing to spread the light of Jesus Christ. We danced some of our Christmas pieces such as God Rest Ye Merry Gentleman, Joyful to the World, Noel, and Light of the Stable. Krystalan and Cayla spoke clearly to the school about what the Lord has done in their lives. God is always faithful to give us the right words when the time comes to get up and talk. At the end we finished with Carry Your Name, in which the audience did arm motions with us. I was happy to meet and pray for the precious students there. God is doing great things! It seemed like such a short performance, but overall the people were very hospitable, the space for our dance floor was great, and the Lord blessed us with His presence.

Karissa

Carousel mall

2011-12-27T10:58:00.000-08:00

On Saturday, December 17th, we had three performances at Carousel Mall as part of an outreach called mission Syracuse. A wonderful group of vocalists and musicians put together a delightful program of Christmas classics, dancing, the Christmas story told in Linus fashion and a salvation invitation.

It was clear from the very beginning that the Lord was working for us. There were some issues with the setup, but we were able to meet all of the mall’s requests and still have plenty of room to dance. The Lord also answered prayer regarding a dressing room. We were in a large maintenance hallway that was very close to where we were performing. It was a bit dusty, but we had plenty of space. J

The Lord moved and many people were touched and encouraged. Some wanted to know more about Christ and a few people were interested in attending a Bible study. Even through our exhaustion, (we were getting pretty tired by the end) the Lord gave us His strength and joy! It was such a blessing to be a part of mission Syracuse! It gave us the opportunity to meet some amazing people and work together to spread the message and joy of Christmas! I am excited to hear more stories about how God used these performances to draw people to himself! I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas!

Blessings,
Abi

Oswego Community Christian School

2011-12-22T14:26:00.000-08:00

On the 9th of December, we traveled out to the Oswego Community Christian School to perform for the students and teachers. We performed our series of Christmas dances, and Ashley and Karissa shared their testimonies. Karissa had found out rather last minute that she would be needed to share, and so she was feeling a bit nervous without her usual time to prepare, so several of the girls prayed for her before she went out to speak to the students, and God really used her powerfully. She really emphasized forgiveness, using her personal story to show how depending on Jesus to help her forgive overcame her bitterness. At the end of the performance, we had the students and teachers join us in arm motions to the song “Lord I Need You” by Chris Tomlin, and had the opportunity to pray with each person there. It is so encouraging to have the privilege of seeing God working, and being able to worship during these performances. Thank you and God bless!

~Cayla <3

Westcott Community Center

2011-12-13T14:54:00.000-08:00

On Wednesday December 7th we performed at Westcott Community Center for their after school program. It was our first performance of Living Hope for this year, as well as the first time ever for us new trainees! It went very well. Everything was totally from Jesus! We had a nice space and set up went very well. There were some things that weren't perfectly as we had rehearsed, but somehow it all worked out :) Abi shared her testimony and did an amazing job, it was definitely Jesus words speaking through her! The children and workers enjoyed it and were blessed by it; I pray that Jesus brings it back to their minds and that the message will sink into their hearts. There really is something worth living and dying for, and it's Jesus! Thank you Lord for blessing this performance :) All the glory goes to Him!

Love,

Ashley

HIM Ministry

2011-12-05T18:24:00.000-08:00

On the second of December, we performed for a Home School group at Believer’s Chapel. The Company was able to set everything up the day before, and that was a huge blessing! This was our first Christmas performance of the year, it was our first time dancing for an audience of mostly children, and it was also our first performance that included levels from the Ballet School.

The dancing went very well and all the credit goes to the Lord! We hadn’t had much time to work with the pieces and it was wonderful to see how everything came together. Krystalan gave her testimony and really engaged the kids. We invited them to join us in some arm movements for the last song and everyone participated including the boys! It was very encouraging to see!

After the performance the kids broke into groups and some of the company members got to share about their trip to Israel. The trainees had the opportunity to join Ashley in praying for the older group of girls. She talked about finding our identity, realizing that Satan wants to steal it away from us, but God wants to reveal it to us. The Lord used the performance as an encouragement and an opportunity to declare his name in praise!

To God be the glory!

Abi-

Birchwood Rehab

2011-11-26T19:55:00.000-08:00

On November 21st we performed at Birchwood Rehab. We spent quite a bit of time trying to decide how to position the floor in the room to make best use of the space. However, we made up for the lost time by doing a very quick and efficient set up. Go team!
The performance went very well. Everyone did a great job, and Karissa did a wonderful job sharing her testimony for the first time! After the performance, we were able to have some really good conversations with the residents. We prayed with many of them and all of them heard about God's love for them and the free gift of salvation. I pray that it really sinks in, and that they give their lives over to Him!! They were a very fun and sweet group to perform for and talk to!

~Breanne :-)

Word of Life

2011-11-26T19:46:00.000-08:00

On November 5th all of us trainees got to go perform at a women's conference at Word of Life Assembly of God Church in Baldwinsville. We didn't have a whole lot of time to lay out the floor because we came straight from teaching at the LWB studio, but we did it! Mrs. Taddeo (mom of former trainee Sarah) met us there and acted as coordinator and emcee for us, which was great! We did our ballet "All I Need," which went pretty well (well, it didn't feel like it went well, but when we watched the video later, it was not too bad!). Afterward, we had all the ladies at the conference stand up and do simple arm motions with us to the song "Lord I Need You" by Chris Tomlin. It was really well received - I looked out and I'm pretty sure that every single woman did it with us! Such a cool moment of being able to worship together through movement. I must say that song gets me every time - its about the Lord's strength in our weakness and placing the full weight of our confidence in God - very fitting for our time of doing performances and things while the LWB company was in Israel! I think that was my favorite part :-)
Afterward, we were each given a sugar scrub that the ladies running the conference had made! That was a fun and sweet gift! AND I ended up seeing my friend (who made the food for the event) as well, and she gave us the most delicious cinnamon rolls I've ever had......nice healthy dancer food, hehe.
We didn't get to speak with the women afterward, but I believe they were blessed and encouraged - I know I was!
~Gwen

Maple Downs

2011-11-22T13:16:00.000-08:00

We performed at Maple Downs Retirement Home on November 18th. The staff was very hospitable towards us. We were given a very large dance space in the dining room and a spacious room to use as a dressing room. It was great for the company and trainees to be dancing and praising the Lord together again. The performance started off great with the company dancing Song of the Ages, a piece in Hebrew. I really felt the Lord’s glory and presence filling the room as they finished up that dance. It was a fun experience for all 10 of us to perform Alive together for the first time. Although some of us ended up with too much space and some with not enough, Alive turned out just fine. After the company performed Lifesongs, Gwen shared from her heart about what the Lord has done in her life. I talked to only one lady named Hetti because we had to clean up the dining room for lunch. Hetti was impressed that all of our dances were centered around Jesus. After much prayer, we left with smiles on our faces, and I believe with God’s peace in the hearts of the staff and residents at Maple Downs.

-Karissa

Faith Heritage

2011-11-22T13:15:00.000-08:00

On Wednesday November 16th, the second year trainees went to talk to the students at Faith Heritage about our recent mission trip to Peru. Cayla had put together a slide show of pictures from our trip, but it wasn’t working quite right when she began so she did very well improvising until the problem could be solved. Then Julia, a student of Light of the World Ballet School as well as Faith Heritage, danced to Chris Rice’s song “Come to Jesus.” It was a blessing to watch her. She was so brave and did a wonderful job sharing her talent with her school. We were honored to get to be a part of their chapel that day.

~Krystalan

West Side Manor

2011-11-15T13:43:00.001-08:00

On Thursday November 3rd, the trainees performed at West Side Manor, an assisted living and retirement community. We again did our ballet called All I Need and it went very well. It was our first performance without the company while they were in Israel. Many thanks to Mrs. Taddeo for helping us out! The space was small and the ceiling was low, but we were able to work around it pretty well :) I shared my testimony for the first time and it went much better than I expected. Cayla also shared her testimony and the gospel message and the Lord truly spoke through us. We think that we were able to talk and pray with everyone that came to see it and we were told that it was a huge blessing to the residents and staff. Gwen was able to share the gospel with a lady and prayed a salvation prayer with her :) Yay! The Lord was truly glorified through this performance and I am so thankful for His faithfulness!

Love,

Ashley

Cornerstone Tabernacle

2011-11-14T05:38:00.000-08:00

Gwen, Krystalan, and I had the opportunity to talk about our missions trip to Peru to a group of girls in a youth group at Cornerstone Tabernacle. There were about 12 girls there between the ages of 13 and 16 who were very animated and easy to talk to. We arrived early to help set up, and the girls ate once they arrived, then we started to tell them about the culture differences between America and Peru. I shared about some of the highlights from the trip, the laid-back culture, and the church that we worked with while we were there, then we got to show them some pictures of the trip. Krystalan was able to tie it back to the Word by sharing on spiritual poverty, and how that affects us, not just those in countries where they might not have as much. Gwen closed with points of application, talking about how poverty and wealth are relative, but we should be focused on what is important; our stewardship is more important than the stuff we have. The girls were very engaging; at one point, some of them were becoming a bit distracted, and so one girl turned to them and shushed them, saying that we were not done. A week later, we heard back from the leader of the group, who said how appreciative they were, and that the girls seemed to really enjoy the message. The girls were a fun group to talk to, and I hope that they really absorb everything that was said. God bless!
~Cayla <3

James Square Rehab Center

2011-11-13T14:42:00.000-08:00

On October 28th we performed at the James Square Rehabilitation Center. This was our first performance of the year and it was very exciting to be a part of the ministry that took place. Being a first year trainee here at LWB it was intriguing to see how the whole set up process worked. We were each assigned a different task to ensure that everything ran smoothly and nothing was forgotten.
The performance went very well. The company performed Song of the Ages, and the trainees performed a ballet called All I Need which is a compilation of four pieces: Alive, God is in Control, Hungry, and Life of Praise.
In addition to the dancing, we also had a testimony during the performance and I was given the privilege to share. I was nervous, but the Lord gave me grace and a clear mind to remember what I had prepared. After we danced, we invited the audience to join us in some simple arm movements to a song called Healing is in His Hands. It was wonderful to see them participating with us in worshiping the Lord. When the performance was over, we had the opportunity to talk and pray with some of the patients and several of the girls were able to share their testimonies.
I pray that the Lord will continue to work in the lives of the people there at James Square and for further ministry occasions.

Blessings,
Abi

Exodus 3 Ministries

2011-10-16T13:33:00.000-07:00

October 24th, 2011

The Company performed for Exodus 3 Ministries’ fundraiser fashion show and dinner. The ministry helps women who are trying to get away from abusive situations and addictions to drugs and alcohol. They were raising money for their projects and one in particular; a new house that would be able to house woman with there children, so that the children would not have to be separated from their mothers while they get help. We performed Alive and Won’t Turn Back. It was really great to be able to partner with another ministry and to help them in what they are doing.

~Alyssa

Eastwood Baptist Church

2011-10-01T12:41:00.000-07:00

Light of the World Ballet company's first performance of this new year was at Eastwood Baptist Church on September 24. We had the opportunity to perform Lifesongs for a Mother/Daughter banquet. It was so fun to be able to minister to the sweet girls and ladies at this church that is only about one block over from the studio! Everyone looked so nice and the food smelled wonderful! The performance went smoothly. The stage was small but it worked out just fine. There were a few who came up afterward to try some ballet steps. There are some natural ballet giftings there! It was such a sweet evening with the ladies at Eastwood Baptist! I pray that they were blessed and that God continues to remind them of how much He loves and values them!

~Breanne

Lewis and Clark State College, Lewiston, ID

2011-06-29T08:39:00.000-07:00

Thursday, June 23rd
After a full day of teaching classes at the River City Dance Arise workshop we had our performance at Lewis and Clark State College. The theater was very nice. The students of the workshop performed pieces they had been working on before we arrived, as well as two pieces we taught them during the 4 day workshop. They did very well performing them with such little rehearsal! The performance was a benefit for Hopes Of Hope which is a program for foster care. I was given the opportunity to briefly speak at the performance about my family's stories of doing foster care for the past several years. It was exciting to be a part of this benefit for foster children! After intermission LWB company performed Alive, Mother India, Lifesongs, and Healing Is In Your Hands. Ashley gave the salvation message before Healing Is In Your Hands. The performance was well received. It was a blessing to be able to meet the people at River City Dance and to be a part of this ministry!

Amy

River City Church, Lewiston, ID

2011-06-29T08:33:00.000-07:00

June 19th, 2011
We arrived late Saturday night in Lewiston, Idaho and began our Idaho adventure! Sunday morning we performed at River City Church during the morning worship service. The service is held in an old historical church building in Lewiston. It was a beautiful building, inside and out and it even has a little dance studio upstairs where we warmed up. We performed Life of Praise and the stage was just big enough for the 4 of us! The church was very welcoming and appreciative of us being there.

Monday started the River City Church’s Arise dance workshop. The studio is an extension of the church. There were 2 levels in the main workshop as well as 2 smaller workshops going on at the same time. It was fun to be able to teach so many different levels and classes in a short span of time. The kids were receptive and pushed through longer and more intense days than normal to come out stronger and more inspired to use dance to worship the Lord!

I am grateful to have had the opportunity to teach and perform in ID!

Blessings,
Alyssa

Voice of the Martyrs Benefit

2011-06-25T18:10:00.000-07:00

Sunday June 5th

ऀ“Living Hope”, our new ballet based on the persecuted church in China, was premiered on Sunday at a benefit for the Voice of the Martyrs ministry. We were all pretty excited that the first time this ballet would be performed would be to raise awareness and support for the persecuted church through the ministry. We were also excited that Hannah Beaver, the choreographer of the ballet, was able to join us for a few days and be there for the first performance. For the first half of the benefit, local Christian worship dancers and schools performed, and then we performed “Living Hope” after the intermission. It was our first time performing the ballet, and so it did have some rough spots that will surely go smoother in the future. However, many in the audience were moved by the powerful portrayal of a young Christian girl being willing to give up so much for her Savior. Rehearsing this ballet has been such a good reminder of what those in other countries give up for their faith, and makes me want to take full advantage of every opportunity to share the Gospel when they are paying such a high price for it. I am exciting to see how the message of “Living Hope” affects people as it starts to be performed more often, and I look forward to seeing how God continues to move through this ballet. God bless!

~Cayla <3

Dewitt Community Church

2011-06-11T15:49:00.000-07:00

We enjoyed performing “You are Special” for the last time of the 2010-2011 year on May 22nd at Dewitt Community Church. The piece was based on Max Lucado's children's book “You are Special.” Each family that attended our performance received an illustrated copy of the book –a gift from the church. The kids not only enjoyed the performance, but also the chance to learn some dance steps and jumps on stage with us at the end. After the program, the kids were very excited to talk with each of us, and had us autograph their books. Many of them also eagerly took the brochures we had brought, which had information about LWB's summer dance programs. We had a great time interacting with them, and letting them know how unique and very special each of them is to their creator.

Psalm 139:14 “I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Wonderful are Your works, and my soul knows it very well.”

~Elisa~

Spring Program

2011-06-11T13:56:00.000-07:00

We just finished up our Spring Program which we performed on June 9th and 10th. It was our premier of the Company and School version of "Living Hope," a ballet choreographed by Hannah Beaver of Ballet Magnificat. The ballet shows the salvation message as well as the persecution in China and the boldness of the Christians who stand up for their faith even in the face of death.
We had a few technical issues with the lights and sound, but God is so much bigger than that and did awesome things in spite of it. Ashley shared the salvation message and several raised their hands to receive Christ. Praise God!! There were also several who expressed that the ballet had moved them to tears and challenged them in their faith.
In all, it was an awesome performance. I am so proud of all the students who really stepped up and put their all into their roles. It has been an awesome year of growing in our dancing as well as, most importantly, growing Spiritually. I am so blessed to see the ways that God has really developed each of the dancers in the school this year.
To God be all the glory for all that he accomplished in and through us! Thank You for using us as your tools to draw people to Yourself!

~Breanne

Arise

2011-06-06T19:23:00.001-07:00

On Friday, May 20th, Light of the World performed The Crown at ARISE, which is an activity center for individuals with special needs. ARISE provides a safe and entertaining environment for the physically and emotionally handicapped. Light of the World is one of several performing groups that come to ARISE periodically to entertain the attendees at the center. This was our last performance of The Crown for the 2010-2011 Light of the World year, and it went very well. The attendees had a lot of fun watching us dance, and they had even more fun learning some dance steps after the performance. Although these people may be handicapped, there is no limit on their joy and enthusiasm for life. They always have smiles on their faces and are eager to greet us and converse with us before and after the performance. We had a great time ministering to them—there were about 20 special needs folks in attendance, as well as at least 5 ARISE workers. Many of the workers expressed to us what a blessing it was to their program that we were willing to come and be with the special needs individuals. ARISE is not an explicitly Christian program, so we couldn’t share a testimony during the performance, but they seemed very open to the message of The Crown and Healing is in His Hands. I know that Christ made an impact on the program through our dancing! Overall a great end to Light of the World’s Company and Trainee performance year.

-Sarah

Lowville

2011-05-30T09:24:00.000-07:00

On Sunday, May 15^th, at about 11:45 am, we set out for a public performance at a school in Lowville . The Rollinsons and Jason accompanied us so we all piled into the twelve passenger van, reminiscent of Peru where we also took a few trips with lots of people in one van. Jason came to be our sound and lighting technician. It was just under two hours away so we prepared for a mini road trip.

We were early arriving so the doors were still locked. We decided to go look for somewhere to use the restroom. We stopped at a gas station and thought it would be funny if we all got out and found that there wasn’t a bathroom to use. That’s just what happened. So we all piled back in the van and headed for the nearest McDonalds. After that we headed back to the school and started setting up.

Sarah had fun playing with one of the pastor’s little sons after setting up the costumes and props. At one point the pastor went looking for his son so we told him to look for Sarah. They had fun drawing on the chalk board together.

Aside from a few sound difficulties, the performance went pretty well. At one point, when the sound wasn’t working well, Ashley asked one of us to quiz the kids on what pointe shoes are made of. Sarah stepped up and did a really good job. We were able to use the backdrop which was exciting. Mr. Rollinson was able to share a little with the audience at which time some raised their hands to accept Christ!

They were so nice and had dinner for us! It was the perfect dinner for after a performance too: sandwiches, fruit, veggies, and brownies. The pastor and his family ate with us and Jason had fun playing with the boys.

-Krystalan

Faith Heritage

2011-05-14T10:53:00.000-07:00

Last week we were privileged to perform The Crown at Faith Heritage, a local Christian elementary, middle, and high school. We actually were supposed to perform for the elementary school students back in in April, but that got postponed by the weather. It was a slightly early morning for us, but with some coffee (well, for some of us anyway!) we were fine. Set up went pretty smoothly, we did get some help from some of the high school students. The performance itself went pretty smoothly over all, despite having a slightly small space....everything was fine up until our finale, "Hail to the King." Then the music started having issues. You could hear the music fine, but the words were kind of quiet and hard to understand. We weren't quite sure what to do, but decided to 1) pray and 2) sing. Loudly. And so we sang the whole song. I must admit, we did sing a little more quietly while we were dancing though! :-) Later, Ashley remarked that it was probably a good experience for the kids to see some raw worship...it was definitely raw! Well, in our weakness, He is strong... His name be praised! I like that school, everyone was very kind and welcoming, I hope we get to go back there again!

~Gwen

Healing Rooms/Transformation Syracuse

2011-05-11T15:26:00.000-07:00

On Friday evening, April 19th, we danced for an event sponsored by “Transformation Syracuse.” We were asked to use the song “I Can Hear Your Voice” (which we've often used at dance class but had never performed to before), so Amy choreographed a beautiful piece specifically for that night. Before performing, we were able to join in worship with them and afterward stayed and listened to the speaker. They were very thankful that we came. A week later, while we were gathered at the courthouse steps for the National Day of Prayer, a lady who had seen us dance approached us. She thanked us and told us how much it touched her and many others at the event. I am glad that we were able to be a part of it as we worshiped the Lord through dancing. Let the name of the Lord be praised!

-Elisa-

Northside Learning Center

2011-04-26T19:36:00.000-07:00

We had the chance to give two performances of The Crown at the Northside Learning Center, a refugee center. The basement, where we were to perform, proved to be a bit of a challenge to perform in because of the support beams that were positioned throughout the room, but we were able to set up the stage so that none would block the view. The first performance was quite crowded, with about 30-40 students and teachers watching, and the second had about 20 people in the audience. They were very responsive and seemed to get quite a grasp on the story, even though some in the second class were just starting to learn English and the story is narrated. I am so grateful that dance is a universal language, and even when we can't speak to the audience in their language, we can use dance to share the Gospel message. Some of the teachers shared with us afterward that some of the students there were illiterate even in their own language, and that they saw how dance could be used to bridge the language barrier. I really enjoyed being at a refugee center with a mix of cultures and people especially after being on an international trip. I look forward to more chances like it! God bless!
~Cayla <3

Christian Community Church

2011-04-24T15:44:00.000-07:00

Easter Sunday April 24, 2011

The Company performed for the Easter service at the Christian Community Church in Central Square. The church was thrilled to have us and was very welcoming. We performed ‘Only One’ and ‘Life of Praise’. The church was small but it had a very relaxed and family atmosphere. They really have a passion for reaching their community for the Lord. Some people that had been invited to the service raised their hands to receive Christ! It is a blessing to see how the Lord is working in the hearts of His people all over and we were privileged to be a part of it.

Happy Easter! Jesus Christ is risen!!

Alyssa

Cathedral of Pompei

2011-04-13T13:53:00.000-07:00

Light of the World Ballet performed at the Cathedral of Pompei School last Thursday. The school has a great stage with wings and lights, which was exciting; it’s not too often that we get to have such a nice space. The school reaches out to a lot of kids from other countries—I’m assuming some of them were refugee children. It was fun to interact with them afterward; many of them were originally from African countries like Sudan, Egypt, and Congo. They were a very attentive audience, even though many of them were seven or younger. We were able to show them some ballet steps after the performance, which is always fun. The kids love when we teach them to run and jump over the bucket in the center of the stage! We had some great dancers at this performance—I don’t think anyone fell!
It was cute to see how many of them were interested in the brochures for the summer dance camps at LWB. They seemed really excited to learn more ballet! I hope some of them can actually come and learn about Jesus’ love for them. I am praying that we made an impact on them by using something they enjoy doing, like dance, to communicate the world’s most important and exciting message. To God be the glory!

Sarah

West Side Learning Center Benefit

2011-04-09T12:37:00.000-07:00

Last night the company performed at the Palace Theater for a benefit for the West Side Learning Center. The theater was decorated beautifully and it was a very fun and elegant atmosphere. The men were in suits and the ladies in fancy dresses. To start the evening, the director of the program spoke and then we followed as the opening performing group. We performed Alive, Mother India, and La Montana. It was a very international performance, which was perfect for the very international audience! We had a little mix-up with our play list and ended up having to do La Montana in our Mother India costumes, but it worked out just fine and made the evening a little more exciting :-) The audience seemed to really enjoy La Montana as most of them were from Spanish speaking countries. I, personally, really enjoyed the international experience. Though, it did make me sort of miss Peru.
I pray that the event was very successful and that many people were able to support the West Side Learning Center and the awesome work that they are doing as they help to educate internationals here in Syracuse. I was so blessed to be able to be a part of helping their event!
I also pray that many people were touched and felt the presence of God in that place as we danced.
To Him be all the glory!
~Breanne

St Augustine After School Program

2011-04-09T12:33:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday April 5^th we performed the Crown for the after school program at St. Augustine’s. We had plenty of time to set up as we arrived early. We analyzed the space to decide the direction we should set up the floor for a few minutes and then started getting ready. Their bathroom was our dressing room and was a little snug for all of us to fit in, but we managed. I don’t know about everyone, but this being our first performance back from Peru and on pointe it was a little rough going. Other than that, I think it went pretty well. The kids seemed to enjoy the performance and there were some kids that seemed very interested in the summer programs coming up! Cayla shared her testimony, which I didn’t really get to hear but I’m sure she did grand. Because of teaching engagements we had to rush to leave afterward but Gwen prayed that morning that God would expand our time. We were able to fit in healing hands with the children at the end which they were energetic about. We were also very impressed by our 14 minute strike. God was faithful in helping us with the time.

~Krystalan

Mission Peru!!

2011-03-29T08:51:00.000-07:00

LIGHT OF THE WORLD BALLET traveled for the first time to South America on its seventh mission trip. Our team of eleven flew into Lima then flew to northern Peru to the region of Piura. Our host, Pastor Jon Edwards, an American missionary living in Peru for 12 years, is associated with Betesda Lifeline Network and serves with Pastor Julio Cavassa and his wife, Janet. Their focus is to bring people to the Lord and help them overcome poverty and face today's challenges. Ps. Julio pastors Betesda church and is developing a training center.

The challenges Betesda is working to improve is the 21% illiteracy of women and violence towards them, the 49% of household heads with only an elementary education, and training and encouraging area pastors.

Ps. Jon and Ps. Julio with their family showed such hospitality and organization making this a smooth -running endeavor. They provided the team many opportunities for ministry time, relationship building, numerous performances and preaching opportunities in a variety of venues. We saw over 60 salvations!

Light of the Word Ballet dancers performed lively dances to Spanish Christian lyrics. And the

narration of LWBallet's story ballet "The Crown" was re-recorded in Spanish for this trip. The performances gave a deeper meaning to God not looking for our good works but for our hearts. The performances were enthusiastically received and prepared the way for Dave's preaching about identity in Christ. We saw salvations and hearts touched. Ashley shared and challenged the audiences with their walk with the Lord. Many dancers on the team had the opportunity to give their personal testimonies to the audiences.

There were short performances in public squares where crowds easily gathered. Also there were two school performances (17 saved) with an opportunity to visit school rooms to meet with the students.

It was at the school where the first salvation occurred with a 17 year old student with Dave. Later that week he came up to Dave saying, "I have Jesus in my heart." There were other performances and preaching in four churches, a mother-daughter dinner, and a pastor's conference.

While dancing in the town square, we met the governor of northern Peru who took the time to promote one of our large municipal performances. There was radio coverage and magazine photos taken. A truly divine appointment which opened the way for about 500 to attend the performance & approximately 40 raised their hand to receive Christ!

There was a precious mother-daughter dinner where 50 squeezed into Betesda church and Pat taught on relationship and the power of life and death in the tongue. They enjoyed the ballet company's dances and a drama. The mothers and daughters were led together in creative worship with the dancers.

Our team was able to connect with the people of the surrounding area of the Betesda church several times by a walk in the neighborhood and at gatherings at the church. Even though there was a language barrier, the people made it so easy with their incredible warmth, affection and eagerness to be with us.

Dios Le Bendiga (God bless you), Peru!

Thank you all for your prayers and support for this mission.

With our love & gratitude we give thanks to the Lord for you!

In the Light of Jesus,

Dave & Pat Rollinson, Mission Leaders

Ashley Rollinson, Performance Director

LWB Company & Trainees

Huntington Elementary School

2011-03-12T11:22:00.000-08:00

This past Tuesday we got the awesome opportunity to go perform and teach at Huntington Elementary School, a public school that is right down the street from our house! (We actually walked to the school, it was so close). A lady from Amy and Alyssa's church was kind enough to write a grant to have us come and perform U R Special (a short ballet based on Max Lucado's book) and teach some dance workshops for the kids. It is still so amazing to me that we got to go into a public school here in Central New York and share about the love of God, even though we didn't get to say it in so many words. But through the ballet they got a small picture of the way God loves us as our Creator and our Father.

We did the ballet 2 times for 2 different groups of kids, pretty much back to back (boy was that a workout!), and then had a little lunch break before splitting up to go teach the ballet workshops. That was pretty fun - I taught with Amy and Alyssa, and the kids paid attention pretty well! We actually taught three 40 minute workshops back to back, so by the end of it all we were definitely a little tired. Besides teaching them stuff like skips, chasses, the positions of the feet, etc., we also talked to them about the ballet, asking questions like, "did you understand it?" "who was caring in the ballet?" The thing is, since it is a public school, we can't share about the Lord openly, BUT if someone else asks us about it, we can share! And so in one of the classes, one of the kids did ask us - and we got to tell them that God is their creator and loves them because He made them! (To which the little girl next to me says, "but God died." I was a little shocked at that statement, before gathering my thoughts and saying, "yes, its true. But you know what? He came back from the dead He's alive!")

I'm praying that more doors would open for us to go into public schools and share the gospel, even if its somewhat of a secret mission, so to speak. :-)

~Gwen

The Determination Center

2011-03-12T11:13:00.000-08:00

On Tuesday, February 22, we had the chance to perform at The Determination Center, an after-school program and activity center for inner city kids. The children were very excited to have us there, and we had some special audience members that day- my Mom and sister were visiting! The company started the performance with “Alive”, and then we trainees performed “Digee Dime”, followed by “The Crown” all together.
We were performing in the gym, where they had a nice, large stage. There was only one problem with the stage- on one side, the door to get on and off the raised stage was locked, and there were no stairs to exit the front of the stage. We asked the woman running the activities to unlock the door, but she could not find the key, so we placed a bench beneath the stage to step up, decreasing the four foot drop to a three foot jump/step. We made our entrances and exits on that side as graceful as possible, trying to remain in character and not distract from the story. When we exit from the tormentors scene, we are running away from Wisdom because she brings out the Crown of Thorns. Rather than stop running, stepping down carefully, then start running again to reach our dressing room, Gwen took a giant leap off the stage! Breanne and I were not quite so adventurous, and took the step as smoothly as possible.
The children were a great audience, and afterward, we taught them some ballet steps, which they learned with a lot of excitement and eagerness. It is always my prayer that during these performances when we don’t have the chance to pray and talk with them, that they will really understand the message of the story, and that God will provide a Christian in their life who will be able to answer their questions and encourage them to pursue a relationship with God. Ashley was able to share her testimony and the salvation message from the microphone, and I pray that God used it to speak to them. God Bless!
~ Cayla

Believer's Chapel

2011-03-08T18:57:00.000-08:00

On Saturday, March 5th, LWB company danced at Believer's Chapel. We performed “Praise You In The Storm” in Spanish. It is so neat to dance to another language! After dancing, the leadership and congregation prayed for us for our upcoming trip to Peru. It is such a blessing to have a church who is so supportive of the ministry and who is committed to covering us in prayer. Thank you so much Believer's Chapel!

Amy

Eagles Wings Academy

2011-03-02T18:40:00.000-08:00

On Friday February 18th we were able to perform The Crown for the Eagles Wings Academy. The company performed Alive to start and we finished with healing hands. The audience did a very good job following the arm motions. Our stage was their cafeteria and we used the kitchen and the library as our wings and the bathroom as our dressing room. We were able to pray with the students afterward and the kids seemed to have a good time talking with some of us. I was blessed to be able to talk to one of the teachers. She seemed very kind. As we were getting ready to go, a few girls came into the bathroom and were quite astonished at our mess, as we had costumes and crowns all over (we thought it was rather cute). I pray that they were blessed by our coming.

~Krystalan

Word of Life

2011-02-24T15:56:00.000-08:00

Light of the World Ballet performed at Word of Life Assembly of God in Baldwinsville this past Sunday. It was our second performance for the kids at Word of Life school/church in the past week. The coordinators and leaders of the children’s program at Word of Life have amazing hospitality, and we felt very at home there. The woman handling most of our performance schedule was kind enough to have a full spread of food and drinks laid out for us in our dressing room for each performance, which was amazing. She was also very organized and helpful, and so were the men who handled the sound and stage sets. It’s so wonderful to arrive at a performance venue knowing that people there are going to make sure the performance runs as smooth as possible! It’s such a blessing to LWB.
The stage at Word of Life, although small and oddly shaped, is a joy to dance on for me because it has four wings, stage lights, and otherwise looks and feels like a real theater. LWB usually performs in gyms, fellowship halls, or other large rooms with no stage, lights or wings. So it was nice to be in a space that was meant for performance. There were about 75 kids in the audience, and maybe 20 or 30 adults. Then kids ranged from preschool age to around 8th grade, and all were very eager to watch the ballet and attentive throughout the show. Afterward, we got to pray with any children who wanted to come up for prayer, and then we taught them a few dance steps. We finished our time with them by joining in as the worship team sang and danced to a couple catchy worship songs.
It was great to spend Sunday morning worshiping with the kids at Word of Life, and I would love to perform there again in the near future!

-Sarah

Fayetteville United Methodist Church

2011-01-24T17:39:00.001-08:00

Sunday January 23, 2011

On Sunday the company performed for both services at the Fayetteville United Methodist church. It was a nice church with very welcoming staff. We were given the lounge to warm-up and hang out in between services. Ashley performed Give Me Jesus and Breanne, Amy and I did Share the Well. To close the service we did Healing is in His Hands, the people responded to it very well and most of them joined in with us. The first service was identical to the second except for the fact that there were more people in the second! The pastor and congregation were very encouraged and blessed by our being there. Praise God!

Alyssa

Women's Prison

2011-01-20T19:22:00.001-08:00

On January 12th the nine of us girls, accompanied by Mrs. Rollinson, performed for the female inmates at a local prison. They ranged in age from 16 to 87 years. Upon our arrival, Deputy Eagan (the lady who helped to organize our visit) escorted us to the administration office. She checked our I.D.s and had us lock up anything we had with us that was valuable, as well as cell phones, scissors, and any sharp objects (after the performance was over we also had to search around on the floor for any stray bobby pins that may have fallen out while dancing).

She then led us to the women's section of the prison. For security reasons, when we went down the hallways, we had to pass through rooms that had doors on both sides, and the one we had just come in from had to be tightly shut before we could proceed to go through the one before us. Also, we needed to have one of the deputies accompany us wherever we went.

We laid the floor for the performance in a large cement-block room, surrounded by the inmates' cells. During the set-up, as well as the performance, the ladies who were restricted from exiting their cells watched us through the small windows on their steel doors.

We had left some important costumes back at the studio by mistake, but were able to make due with what we had. It ended up looking great. One deputy commented on how impressed he was at the way the girls who were managing costumes treated one another when faced with a dilemma, and asked if they were always so kind to each other, or if it was just an act. I believe we ministered to him as much as to the prisoners.

We performed two shorter length pieces before performing “The Crown.” During the finale, one lady, who had been watching from inside her cell, began weeping and turned to kneel beside her bed with her hands clasped in front of her face. We could not hear her sobs or the words she was praying, but could tell that she had been touched deeply and the Lord was working in her heart.

At the end of the performance, Ashley shared the message of salvation from the microphone. The inmates, as well as the deputies, listened very attentively as she spoke. She then led in a prayer for anybody who wanted to accept Jesus as their savior. Although we were expecting them to pray silently in their hearts, most of them boldly repeated the prayer out loud after Ashley.

They were probably the most responsive audience we have had this season. There were women yelling and cheering from their cells and others crying. They asked many good questions afterward. One woman even yelled through the crack of her door and also rapidly flashed her ceiling light to get our attention, so that we would answer her question.

A couple of the women were pregnant and will have their babies while in prison --which makes me very sad. Mrs. Rollinson talked to quite a few inmates. One had already been there for 14 months and was going to be moved to a higher security jail soon, and for another, this was not her first time in jail.

We are thankful that the Lord used us to bring the message of salvation to these desperate women. Please pray that the Lord will continue to work in their hearts.

-Elisa-

Faith Chapel

2011-01-08T17:35:00.000-08:00

Sunday, December 12, 2010

At the Faith Chapel Christmas party, we had the opportunity to perform our Christmas repertoire. The church was beautifully decorated for the holidays, and everyone attending seemed glad for the break from hectic schedules. The performance went smoothly despite the tight spacing, and we finished with “Healing Hands”, a beautiful worship song with audience participation. It can be a challenge for the men in the audience to feel comfortable while participating in the movements, but by the end, those who do participate are so blessed. We are always in prayer before and during the song that self-consciousness won’t stop them from worshiping in this moving way. The Lord’s presence is always so evident during this song, and that night, I felt that it was so refreshing to everyone there. It is such a blessing to be an encouragement to other believers! God bless!

Cayla <3

Believers' Chapel

2010-12-27T19:03:00.000-08:00

LWB performed our Christmas repertoire for Believer’s Chapel Children’s Sunday School on December 5th, as well as leading the adult service in “Healing Hands”. Healing Hands, by Christy Knockels, is a song that has spoken greatly to LWB and to our audiences around the world. Ashley put arm motions to the music, and we invite our audiences to join in as we worship the Lord through music and dance. We have seen people from different places around the globe be touched by the song in various ways. On this particular Sunday morning, the sanctuary was full of people, many of which were willing to step out of their comfort zone join us in “Healing Hands”. It was a blessing to watch from the stage as people worshiped the Lord in unified movement.
Our performance for the Sunday School kids went well. We were in the Believer’s Chapel gym, which meant that we had unlimited space for flooring and high jumps. In this particular ballet, there are three dancers—myself and two others—who must share costumes during the course of the five songs in the ballet. Because this performance was in a large room with limited access to changing areas, the three of us had to make do with changing behind a stage curtain! But those adventures are what make performances unique and memorable. Many of the children were very receptive to us as we got to know them after the performance; it’s wonderful to be able to talk to kids in the audience about their different lives, and we usually get to pray with a number of the children about their families, studies, etc. It’s a special time that I always look forward to at every children’s performance. This performance was probably just as uplifting as encouraging to us as it was to the audience!

Have a blessed Christmas season and a Happy New Year! Sarah

The West Side Learning Center

2010-12-15T20:43:00.000-08:00

On Tuesday we had the opportunity to perform our Christmas dances for a class of refugees at the West Side Learning Center. All of the students are there to learn English. It was so neat to be able to perform for people from all over the world! It felt like a missions trip except without the long plane ride :-) After performing Christmas, we led them in arm movements to "Healing is in His Hands." Many of them easily joined in and it was a beautiful sight to see so many of them moving to this powerful song! I pray that many of them are really able to understand how very much God loves them and desires a relationship with them.

After performing, we proceeded into a classroom and spent time talking to the students and helping them with their English. I was very impressed with the amount of English that many of them already knew! It was neat to be able to listen as they excitedly shared about their countries and traditions.

I so enjoyed this morning of ministering to the refugees. You can join me in praying that God would really reveal Himself to them in an awesome way. I know that He loves them more than I could ever comprehend, and I just hope that they know that too.

~Breanne

Believers' Chapel

2010-12-15T20:42:00.000-08:00

On December 4th we were able to worship with Believers Chapel’s Saturday night service and lead them in “Healing Hands.” It was a blessing to see people step out of their comfort zone and join in the arm movements with us.

We also performed “Christmas” for the children’s Sunday school. Ashley was able to involve them in the performance as she danced in the audience for part of her solo “Give Me Jesus.”

We ended with “Healing Hands” and prayed for each one of the kids. We were able to talk with a few of them afterwards. Later we found out that one little boy had a sore throat but, after doing “Healing Hands” with us, felt better!

~Krystalan

HIM

2010-12-15T20:35:00.000-08:00

We performed for HIM (Home Instruction Ministries) on Friday December 3rd. HIM Ministries is a large home-school group that meets together monthly. They were very welcoming and cheered as we each were introduced. We presented our Christmas pieces and reminded the kids of the true reason for celebrating at this joyous time of year.

We did “Healing Hands” with them after Cayla shared her testimony. One lady, whose family has been struggling with sickness for quite a while, was in tears as she participated in the arm movements. We prayed for each child and parent individually at the end of the performance. One young girl asked Cayla what she should do next, since she'd already asked Jesus to live in her heart. We had many wonderful conversations with the other children there as well.

Later, we divided the boys and girls into two groups. The girls followed “Sugar Plum” Amy and her assistants from the “Land of Sweets.” Ashley had shown us some interesting costumes earlier in the week, and we thought it would be fun to dress up for the kids. I (Elisa) was “Princess Peach,” and Alyssa and Cayla were “twin” angels (even though the two of them look nothing like each other). Together the four of us danced with the girls to the music of the “Sugar Plum Fairy” from the Nutcracker.

The boys, meanwhile, followed “Sergeant” Ashley into the gym where they had a mini “Boot Camp.” They did push-ups, and also learned the army crawl and various marching routines. Ashley, Breanne, Gwen, and Krystalan dressed in black uniforms and carried large sticks as they commanded their “troops.” Sarah was also in the gym with the boys, but was not dressed in black. We thought the boys would enjoy having someone dressed in a cool costume as well, so Sarah volunteered to be a tomato --she did a great job!

The children and parents alike were very thankful that we came. As they celebrate Christmas this year with their families, our desire is that they will remember the message we shared through our performance and keep Jesus the center of their celebration.

Elisa

Baldwinsville Christian Academy

2010-12-15T14:20:00.000-08:00

Saturday morning we got to perform at the craft fair at Baldwinsville Christian Academy, where Sarah's brother attends school. We did Christmas stuff as well as "Alive" and "Digee Dime" (from Basic Instructions choreography). It went well overall, especially considering the slightly small space. I accidentally kicked Sarah in the face when we did Digee Dime...but luckily she was okay! We also led the audience in Healing Hands, which at first was a little awkward, but after some encouragement from Mrs. Taddeo, was really well received at this venue. There was one little boy in particular who had the cutest look on his face as he did the arm movements! Afterward, Sarah told us that she got to talk to this lady who had a very poor opinion of ballet prior to seeing us, and after seeing this performance was more open to dance - especially dancing for the Lord! It was a good start to our long day that had another performance later!

~Gwen

Believer's Chapel

2010-12-15T09:04:00.000-08:00

Friday, December 10th

On Friday night Light Of The World Ballet performed God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen at Believer's Chapel to open their Christmas production No Room. There wasn't much space left on the stage for us to dance so we briefly marked through it before performing and changed a lot of the spacing! It was very interesting using a third of the stage, the front slightly lower section of the stage with an extension cord coming down the center, and the floor in front. It was challenging but went well! After dancing we went out and watched the Christmas production. The kids were really cute! The story was focused toward people who may have accepted Jesus in their heart but have fallen away from Him as they have gotten busy with life and other things have taken top priority. The salvation message was given after and a former student of mine from the school I teach at was there and rededicated her life to Jesus! So exciting! It was a blessing to be a part of!

Amy

Calvary Chapel, Chester Springs PA

2010-11-28T12:53:00.000-08:00

Sunday, November 21, 2010

On Sunday we attended Calvary Chapel, Breanne’s home church. Breanne spoke in the 2nd and 3rd service announcing about the performance later that evening.
In the afternoon we set up in the sanctuary and then warmed up. After warming up we ran through our Christmas dances to refresh our memory before performing it. 

First off we did Alive, then Lifesongs, and then Christmas. In Alive, during the hip hop section, Breanne, Ashley and Sarah all hit the stall perfectly! Lifesongs went well, as did Christmas which was done for the first time this year. Breanne shared her testimony and did a really good job. Many of the people in the audience knew Breanne and were happy to see her. Ashley shared a word about believing in the dreams that God has given you and not letting them die. Afterwards we heard that it really touched a lot of people and the words were just what they needed to hear. At the end of the program we led the people in Healing Hands and it was beautiful to see the worship as the people followed along.
Our hosts, the Balmer family, took wonderful care of us. We really enjoyed their company and hospitality.

The church was very welcoming and it was a blessing to be able to minister there. Praise God for the work that was done!

Blessings,
Alyssa

Oswego Christian School

2010-11-24T08:40:00.000-08:00

On November 10th, we had the opportunity to perform at Oswego Christian School. I think we were all excited to perform and minister to kids as we traveled the 40 minute drive to the school. The company, Sarah, and I performed “Alive” to start, and then the company and the trainee’s performed “The Crown”. Krystalan shared her testimony, and did really well! I believe the dancing was stronger than it had been for some performances, and the performance went very smoothly until we had a problem with one of our props.
At one point in “The Crown”, Ashley, playing the part of Wisdom, calls out to the foolish villagers, but Amy, playing the part of Lachlana, is the only one who hears her. Wisdom encourages her, and tells her how she can attain the Crown of Life. During the scene, Wisdom and her Maiden, Alyssa, use a large white veil while dancing. The stage at the school has a low ceiling, and the veil got caught on a nail on the ceiling! They continued to dance around it, and at the end of the scene, Ashley tried to subtly tug it down, but it began to rip. At this point, we were all laughing backstage as we changed for the next scene. Eventually, Ashley had to pull out a chair to stand on and remove the fabric. It took some effort to keep serious faces as we played the part of the Tormentors, Foolish’s assistants, after that!
At the end of the ballet, the audience participated in the arm motions to a song called “Healing Hands”. Seeing how people worship in movement during that song is always one of my favorite parts of the performances. The Lord’s presence was so evident, and it was such a blessing to be there and see how they were encouraged. We were able to pray with each child afterward, as well as with some people from a nearby nursing home that came for the performance. It was such a blessing to share with and encourage other Christians. I look forward to more opportunities like it! God bless!

Cayla <3

Bowling Green Christian Academy

2010-11-23T15:08:00.000-08:00

Our performance at Bowling Green Christian Academy was the first of our OH/PA tour. We spent the morning relaxing at our host home, finding Waldo (please notify me if anyone knows where the barefoot waldo is on the last page :-), and playing Apples to Apples (I won...just thought I'd mention that).
We arrived at the school at 3pm and began setting up the stage. This took a while since the stage was a very unique shape and contained a nice carpet that seemed to repel duct tape. After set up, we had devotions and spent some time praying and worshiping through the auditorium/sanctuary. We were all so excited since we knew that there would be many people there who didn't know Christ. Alyssa and I were also excited because her sister and brother-in-law would be there as well as my parents and sister!
The performance went well. We performed Alive, Mother India, Lifesongs, and led the audience in hand motions to "Healing Hands". Ashley shared the salvation message and did a very good job of presenting it clearly and powerfully. We learned afterward that there were several people who committed their lives to the Lord that night!! How exciting!!! At the very end, we invited the children up to try some dance moves. I'm not sure if I've ever seen so many kids come forward!! They were a very fun, eager group. I think we all had a great time talking to the kids. Many of them wanted our "autographs" :-) I have decided that I should bring along a piece of paper to get autographs from those attending the performance. I know that God's plans for their lives are equally as exciting as His plans for mine!
I am so thankful that God opened up this awesome opportunity for us to perform in BG! I know that many were touched by God, and it is both humbling and exciting to be used by God to draw others to His kingdom! To Him be ALL the glory!!!

~Breanne

Holiday House

2010-11-17T19:30:00.000-08:00

On Saturday November 14th, Light of the World Ballet Trainee Company and Ballet 6 performed at the Holiday House at Faith Heritage School in Syracuse. Because of teaching obligations, Ashley, Alyssa and Amy were unable to attend the performance, which makes this performance the first time Light of the World has performed without Ashley! Breanne became our “fearless leader” for the day though, and she did a great job directing the whole operation. We performed Basic Instructions, which is a ballet composed of three songs by Burlap to Cashmere. We had a lot of space to lay our floor and a large dressing room, which was a welcome situation after several very tight performance venues in previous weeks. We had a slight problem with the sound connections, but believe it or not we worked it out by ourselves without help from technologically handy guys.
Holiday House was buzzing with people at the time we performed, so many people stopped shopping and chatting to watch the ballet. I’m glad the Trainees finally got to dance with the Ballet 6’s—it’s always fun when there’s new faces. Everyone danced really well and the set up and tear down went very well considering the amount of dancers participating and the fact that we were sans Ashley. Afterwords I was able to mingle with several friends a hadn’t seen in a while, and I was able to get my traditional Holiday House meatball sandwich, even though it wasn’t technically on the menu this year. Overall it was a great performance, and I hope we can come back to Holiday House next year!

Blessings, Sarah

Word Of Life Assembly Of God

2010-11-15T18:40:00.000-08:00

On Friday, November 12th, LWB company performed at Word Of Life Assembly Of God for a women's conference with Cheryl Salem speaking. Because of a tight teaching schedule that day, we had already brought the floor to the church on Wednesday and set-up the floor on Thursday. The performance was at 7pm. Ashley and I both finished teaching at 6pm so we all drove in our costumes to the church so that we could arrive, switch shoes to ballet slippers, set-up pointe shoes for quick changes, and go on stage! Thankfully we made it with a few minutes to spare! We performed “Lifesongs” and finished with “Healing Hands” in which we lead the audience in hand motions. This is such a powerful song and I love seeing the audience worship through their hand motions.

After we danced there was a time of worship and then Cheryl Salem spoke. We were going to get out of costume before joining in listening to Cheryl Salem speak. Breanne had left her black pants in the van so she and I went out into the very cold night to get them. After retrieving the pants we ran back to the church front door to find it locked! Neither of us had our phones. We tried knocking but there were double doors so no one heard us. We were wondering how long it would take before Ashley or Alyssa thought that we were kidnapped! We then decided to try and find our dressing room and see if there was a window we could knock on. Breanne and I ran halfway around the very large church till we found our window. There was an almost 5ft cement wall that Breanne jumped up onto to get to the window! She knocked and a very confused looking Alyssa came to the window. We then ran around again to the front of the church where Ashley let us in. Then we found we were locked out of another section of the church to get back to our dressing room. At least we were inside and warm! Someone from the church got a key for us and we finally made it back to the dressing room!

Cheryl Salem was such an amazing speaker! She has such an awesome testimony. We spoke with her for a while afterward. She was so encouraging! It was such a great night!

God Bless!
Amy

Summerfield Assisted Living

2010-11-11T16:56:00.000-08:00

It was still dark when we arrived at the studio. We raced through warm up class, packed up the van and headed out at 8:30am. We found Summerfield very nice and clean. The stage was set in their dining room and the library became our dressing room. The people who worked there were very kind and accommodating. I thought the performance went rather well for it being in such a tight space. It was Elisa's turn to share her testimony and she did quite well. Some in the audience were touched by the time the crown ended. We could tell by a few tears from the audience. We finished with Healing Hands. I'm always amazed at how much the people bless me when we're supposed to be the ones blessing them. One woman was very impressed by our smiles. For a couple people, this was the first live ballet performance they'd ever seen. What a joy it is to get to bless others in this way!

~Krystalan

Winds of Agape

2010-10-27T17:39:00.000-07:00

On October 20th we had the chance to perform for a group of special needs people from a place called Winds of Agape. We actually ended up having the performance at the ballet studio because it would give us more space to dance. We were a little bit worried about some of the logistics of getting everyone into the studio, but everything worked out just fine! The company performed Life of Praise, I gave my testimony, and then all of us (company and trainees) did The Crown. It was kind of nice being in a a familiar space, I must admit! At the end we did "Healing Hands," and got some of the people to join in with the simple arm movements.
It was neat to be able to minister to these people though - several of people with disabilities and the people helping them were believers. Another neat thing that we learned afterwords was that there were actually some refugees from Iraq and Cuba there as well. We really enjoyed performing for and talking with these sweet people! I hope and pray they were blessed by it :-)

Blessings!
~Gwen

Maple Downs

2010-10-19T17:01:00.000-07:00

We arrived at the independent living home of Maple Downs, at 6:00 in the evening, on October 16th. The residents were just finishing their evening meal as we unloaded our props and costumes from the van. The dining room was very large, with red mesh carpet, and big windows that could let in bright, beautiful light during the daytime. That night, the room was designated to serve as the place of our performance. Maple Down's events coordinator, a lively woman with a British accent, announced our arrival over the intercom.
We began to lay our floor, and had a rather difficult time getting it to stay flat, and not buckle, on the carpeted surface. It also wanted to slide away from where we had placed it. Through team effort, we managed to work the bumps out of it, and get the separate panels taped together. The main challenge
was to keep it attached to the carpet underneath.
The performance began at 7:15 P.M. First, Ashley introduced each of us, and told the audience which state we had come from. After the first piece, “Life of Praise,” Sarah Taddeo shared a story from her life, in a way that related to many of the residents. They listened very attentively as she shared how God desires to be their best friend, and whenever they feel alone or rejected, they can look to Him for
comfort.
After that, Ashley briefly explained the story-line of “The Crown,” before we performed it for them. Since our dance floor was set up over squishy carpet, our pointe shoes sunk into it, ever so slightly, as we danced. Thankfully, God protected our ankles from rolling.
The audience stayed very focused throughout the entire performance. Most of them sat in rows of leather chairs, directly in front of us, as we danced for them. Some other residents watched from the open hallway on the second floor, which served as a balcony.
Ashley shared the salvation message at the end of the performance. Then we led them in arm movements to a song called “Healing Hands.” It was beautiful to see their smiles as they participated, and mirrored our movements.
We had the opportunity to spend time talking with each one of them after we had finished dancing. We learned about their interests, joys, and sorrows. They all were thankful that we came, and we were grateful to get to share the love of Jesus with them and pray with each person individually. Some were not certain of where they would spend eternity and needed to hear of the hope they can have in Christ.
We are planning to take a follow-up trip to visit them again. Our prayer is that they will find comfort in Jesus, and have hope and joy for their future.

-Elisa

James Square Rehab Center

2010-10-18T19:12:00.000-07:00

This was our first performance as new trainees! We were all very excited, and it went very smoothly for the most part. The company performed “Life of Praise” and then the company and the trainees performed the ballet “The Crown” together.
We all have been working on acting our roles convincingly, and it worked a little too well! At one point in the ballet, Breanne, playing the part of Foolish, ambushes Amy, playing the part of Lachlana, who is searching for the Crown of Life. We trainees come out as tormentors, helping Foolish to discourage Lachlana. At one point in the scene, one of the elderly women cried out, “Oh! They’re terrible!” Apparently we made quite the impression. Luckily, we all come out during the worshipful finale, “Hail to the King”, so hopefully she realizes we are not like that usually!
We had the privilege of talking to the residents afterwards, and many seeds were planted. They were very appreciative of the performance and its message. I pray that God will continue to draw the hearts of those present towards Himself!
-Cayla <3

Hispanic Women’s Ministry Fundraiser

2010-10-03T13:15:00.000-07:00

Hispanic Women’s Ministry Fundraiser

September 25, 2010

Our first performance of the year!

The company performed Lifesongs and our Spanish piece ‘La Montana’, at the Hispanic Women’s ministry fundraiser. The event was well attended by members of the Latino community as well as supports of the ministry. Before dancing to ‘La Montana’, Ashley explained how we wanted the audience to stand and follow us in hand motions to the song ‘I Surrender All’, which we would do second. Well, something got lost in the translation to Spanish and as soon as Ashley started dancing, people got up and started trying to follow her! It was not simple movements either! It was so good to see their enthusiasm, but it was for the wrong song! We had to stop and re-explain that we wanted them to follow for the second song.  They thoroughly enjoyed participating in ‘I Surrender All’, and I believe many people really felt the Lord touch them. It was a privilege to minister and share the joy of the Lord with those who are working to reach the Latino community for the Lord.

Blessings!
Alyssa

Summer 2010

2010-09-07T15:14:00.000-07:00

It has been a busy, but blessed summer! We began with our "Ballerina" Camp for ages 4-11. The theme was "Going to the Nations". Each child had their own passport, filling it each day with a new "stamp"! They traveled to every country that LWBallet has been to and learned the ethnic dance of that country.

We had our first Summer Dance Outreach with several students traveling to Syracuse from out of state. The first week consisted of learning choreography and how to minister. The second week they performed 7 times: 2 Chapel outreaches, 2 Refugee centers, 1 adult home, 1 hospital, and a demonstration for supporters. I was so blessed by each of the students, allowing the Lord to stretch them!

The Company traveled to India and Sri Lanka for 2 weeks. We saw several people come to Christ and receive a healing touch. During that time we performed 14 times, and sometimes even on dirt, in front of Hindu temples. It was a life changing experience. It was great to see our contacts in both countries being used mightily of the Lord in what they are doing.

Hannah Beaver, from Ballet Magnificat, came and set a piece about persecution in China this past weekend ("Living Hope"). Hannah is our first guest choreographer and we were so blessed to have her.

Starting September 13th, this coming Monday, the School, Trainees and Company begin a new year! We all have raised expectations of what the Lord has planned for this new season! He is faithful- may we never forget!!

In November, the Company will be performing in Ohio and PA. In March 2011 we will be traveling to Peru.

The Crown

2010-06-14T16:55:00.000-07:00

Hello and welcome to our final performance of this year! It's so hard to believe! It has been a wonderful year of growing in God and watching Him work.
If I were to tell you everything about this performance, I would be here typing for a week, so I'll try to just pick out the important details :-) The day of the performance we all arrived at Believers' Chapel early to warm up and get the dressing rooms cleaned up. There was an excitement in the air, and I think we all were waiting with anticipation to see what God wanted to do through this final performance. All of the students arrived, and I was impressed by how smoothly the getting ready process went. Everyone had their hair slicked back and makeup on. We spent some time praying over each of the classes, and one of the Ballet 5's prayed for the Company.
I wasn't able to watch the whole performance, but what I saw looked good! I was so blessed by each of the dancers and all the hard work that they put in. The audience was so enthusiastic that it seemed to take the nerves right away! Before the final dance Ashley shared the salvation message. She said that it came very easily, and we were excited to see that at least 5 people raised their hands to say that they had accepted Jesus that night! Praise God! As the final dance, "Hail to the King" began, I watched students, from the very little ones all the way up to the most advanced, use dance to express praise to our Lord. My eyes filled with joyful tears as I entered into this celebration of who our God is and what He has done!! He has done great things! How can we do anything but bow before Him and praise His name! We serve an awesome, mighty, faithful God. To Him be all the glory!!!

~Breanne W

Civic Center

2010-05-18T14:25:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, May 15 we again danced at the Civic Center for the Syracuse Contemporary Dance Company's performance. We performed Praise You In This Storm and Lifesong. It went better than the night before. The floor didn't seem quite as slippery and I think we were better prepared for it. Once again God protected us!

It was exciting to dance right in the middle of Downtown Syracuse. A good opportunity to pray and dance over the city. The other performers were very encouraging to us. It was fun being apart of such a lively and energetic group! It was also encouraging that this year the performance was concluded with a Gospel Choir. Amazing that this secular event was concluded in this way. We will continue to pray that the name of Jesus will continue to be lifted up in these events.

God Bless!
Amy

Civic Center

2010-05-16T14:29:00.000-07:00

Friday May 14, 2010
Civic Center, Syracuse, NY

We performed Praise You in This Storm and Lifesongs at the Civic Center as part of the Syracuse Contemporary Dance Company's concert. It went well, we had been on the stage the night before for a tech run and the floor was slippery, so we knew a little of what to expect. I think we were the only group to dance on pointe. Overall it went good and no one slipped too bad or fell down! :) We were very well received by the other dancers and they were so encouraging to us.

It was our prayer that we could be a light to those around us and that the Lord would really speak through the words of the songs to touch people. It was really neat to be able to dance to Christian songs in a secular setting and be well received.

Alyssa

Hope Network- Northside Baptist

2010-05-15T13:18:00.000-07:00

Mother's Day Event
Wednesday, May 12, 2010 12:30

This event for the Hope Network was for the mom's of kids with disabilities. Northside had the room beautifully set up with vibrant colors! We had a nice spacious stage. The floor had to be kicked out in socks because our shoes were muddy. A tiny problem with the costumes popped up... but due to Mrs. Rollinson's kindness, it was soon solved! There was a good 45 minutes before we performed..so we relaxed :)... sat in our dressing room (a closet right off the stage). We performed Alive and Lifesongs. The dancing went well. Afterwards there were allot of leftovers and they generously gave some to us! Very yummy!! Delicious catered subs and amazing cupcakes!

I pray that this performance was an encouraging and refreshing time for all the mother's present!

-Rachel Meis <><

Home school Co-op

2010-05-12T16:06:00.000-07:00

On Monday we had the opportunity to perform for a home school co-op. It was an extra special performance since we last minute decided to add Taylor, Emily, and Sarah into one of the dances. I wasn't sure how it would go since we only rehearsed the dance together twice, but everyone did so well! Rachel shared her testimony and, from what I could hear, she did a great job. Her testimony really fits with high school kids who are unsure about their plans for the future. Wasn't that all of us at some point?...haha and even some of us now :-) It's so awesome that our God has a perfect plan and all that we need to do is walk faithfully in it! It was a fun time of performing for the kids and getting to talk to a few of them afterwords. Praise God for the opportunity to be used for His glory!

~Breanne W :-)

Community Wesleyan Church

2010-05-10T16:54:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, May 8, Light Of The World Ballet performed for a mother/daughter banquet at Community Wesleyan Church. We had class in the morning as usual and then went to the church to set up at 12:30. The set up was pretty easy. It was a nice, kind of small, stage. We performed Alive, Mother India, and Lifesongs. I shared my testimony at the end. Everything went well. A slight problem with the hanging microphones and the Mother India fabric but not bad! It had been a while since performing our full program so stamina was a challenge. Once again though, God brought us through it. Afterward we taught some of the little girls some ballet steps. They were so cute in their fancy dresses! We were then invited to stay for the lunch but unfortunately had to leave because of our tight schedule. They sent us with some little sandwiches and cookies to go which was really nice of them! It was another neat performance opportunity.

Amy

Westcott Community Center

2010-05-05T18:53:00.000-07:00

Westcott Community Center
April 30, 2010

We performed You Are Special at the Westcott Community Center. It was our last You Are Special performance for the year. We performed in their dance room that actually had mirrors on the walls! That was different! :) It went well; the kids were a very responsive audience and they really got into the story and were laughing a lot. When Amy pulls out her fake money and Ashley goes crazy trying to pick it up the kids were all asking themselves if it was real money! We had the kids come up and try some ballet steps at the end and they enjoyed that so much. Even a few adults came up to try! It was so neat to be able to sow good seeds into these kids' lives. So much of what the world is telling them is how much they are unloved and of little value but to God they are precious and so special!

Alyssa

Arise

2010-05-05T08:36:00.000-07:00

Thursday, April 29, 2010

Arise is an organization that helps people who are mentally challenged. This was Amy's booking :). Good job Amy!

They had a nice space... everyone was so excited about our being there! We performed 'You Are Special'. Very appropriate... So many times the world sees these people differently, but God sees them as unique and special! Because Arise is government funded we were not able say God and Jesus. I pray the Lord spoke right to each one of the people watching! After the performance- the demonstration- was quite funny! The people LOVED it! We had on man, "Butch", and he loved putting people in order and in line. He loved being in charge!!! One lady, as I was showing her 2nd position of the arms, she reached over and started tickling me... haha!!! She had a thing for tickling people. She got Breanne and Ashley also! There were so many stories!
They provided refreshments which was so nice for mingling with the people afterwards. One of the neatest parts was the 'jumping over the star' and seeing the people in wheelchairs being pushed over the star... they all had a blast!
The Lord indeed has made these people so Special!!!

-Rachel Meis <><

Panco Community Church

2010-05-03T19:06:00.001-07:00

The last performance of our trip was a second stop at Panco. This time there were quite a few youth-age kids in the audience as well as the pastor of the church (who had been gone during our last performance).
We arrived at Panco after driving around 8 hours from Memphis, and quickly stopping by my family's house to change and grab something to eat. Set up went well. After a whole tour, we finally found a trick to getting our marley perfectly centered on the floor (or, rather, Ashley discovered the trick :-).
We spent time warming up our bodies and stretching them out. I believe most of us were feeling tired and stiff, but God is so faithful and our bodies held up just fine for the performance. Between ballets Alyssa shared her testimony, which I'm sure was wonderful :-) We were feeling led to do something different for our last dance, and decided to improv to the song "Our God Reigns". We then led the audience in arm movements to "Let it Rain". Quite a few of the kids came up to try some dance moves.
After performing we spent time talking and praying with individuals. Mr Rollinson prayed with a young man and his mother. Both of them were filled with and touched by the Holy Spirit. This performance and the ministry that happened there were such an awesome ending to our tour. It was so wonderful to see God's presence rain down on KY. Please pray that God would continue to pour out His spirit and water this thirsty land!
"The parched ground shall become a pool, and the thirsty land springs of water" Isaiah 35:7a
~Breanne :-)

Oneida Baptist Institute

2010-04-26T12:28:00.000-07:00

Monday, April 19, 2010 7:00 PM
Oneida, Kentucky

We had a wonderful relaxing afternoon in Kentucky. After performing for the Chapel in the morning we ate lunch in the cafeteria then leisurely headed over to get ready for the evening performance. We touched up make-up, stretched out, put pointe shoes on... We also had a great time of prayer and worship in the auditorium. We were worried that our flooring was going to be too rippled, but thankfully it worked out!

The dancing went really smoothly! We were all feeling tired and very out of breath... the air was pretty dry... but the Lord helped us through! We performed a full program and ended with some Creative Worship to Michael W. Smith's 'Let it Rain'. The week before, the campus minister (who invited us to come) passed away due to a serious illness. His wife and daughter were at the performance. I pray that they were comforted through it! After performing, Breanne shared her testimony. Good job Breanne :)! We then did audience participation arm movement to Let it Rain. It was so beautiful seeing the kids worship!

We were able to talk and connect with some of the people afterwards. Breanne and Mrs. Worcester talked with a girl names Rebecca. She asked for prayer and was feeling very convicted about some very pointed things in her life. She wanted to re-dedicate herself to God! She saw we used our abilities not for our own ends but to further God's kingdom and she was inspired. Neat testimony!

We had a bunch of kids come up and try the dance steps. They loved it as always. We had the quickest strike ever... that was fun!
To God be all the Glory! Amen!

-Rachel Meis <><

Independent Presbyterian Church Memphis, TN April 20, 2010

2010-04-26T08:52:00.001-07:00

We left Kentucky 7:00am and drove 7 1/2 hrs to Memphis, TN to Rachel's house. After resting a few hours we drove to Rachel's family's church, the Independent Presbyterian Church. It was a huge church! We performed in the fellowship hall for about 150-200 people. The Meis family and the church had worked together to advertise about our performance and they did a good job! We performed our full program, Alive, Mother India, Lifesongs and Won't Turn Back. It went well and the people were really blessed. After the performance we were presented with flowers! It was a nice surprise! The church had made a wooded sign about our performance and put it out front on the street corner. We talked with one lady who had seen the sign and decided to come, she was so blessed by the performance and happy she had come. Rachel shared her testimony and did a wonderful job. Many of the people at the performance have supported Rachel while she has been at LWB and it was a really special time for Rachel to be able to share a part of her life with them. So many people were encouraged and blessed by our performance, to God be all the glory!!!

Alyssa

Le Bonheur Children's Hospital

2010-04-25T16:43:00.000-07:00

Wednesday April 21st

Wednesday April 21st our performance was at 11am in Le Bonheur Children's Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee. When we arrived and took a look at the space we realized it was very small and pretty dark. The coordinator was very helpful though and gave us permission to use part of the downstairs lobby. This was still very small, less than 20 by 12ft, but it was well lit and people could actually watch from above as well as in front. Set up went well. It just took some figuring out of the best spot and how to fold the floor... We performed Alive, Mother India, and Lifesongs. During the first half of our performance there was a photographer from a local newspaper taking pictures. In Alive when Ashley threw her hat it landed right between the photographer's face and the camera! It was pretty funny to watch! Thankfully the photographer looked like he was laughing too! During Mother India poor Breanne had the camera right in her face for most of one dance. Thankfully it was her picture that ended up being in the newspaper! She deserved it! We were not allowed to share a testimony but it was still really neat to be able to proclaim the name of Jesus through the words of the songs and dance. Afterward some kids came up and were taught some ballet steps. The highlight was when Ashley and Breanne held up the Mother India fabric and had the kids run under. They loved it! One little two year old girl went under with both of her parents because she was hooked up to an IV. Her parents said that before the performance she had gotten really tired and so they told her that the only way she could come to see the ballet was if she went in her little wagon so she could lie down. She strongly dislikes this wagon but agreed to go in it to see the ballet! It was a blessing to be able to perform for these children.

Amy

Panco Community Church

2010-04-25T14:44:00.000-07:00

Sunday, April 18

On Sunday April 18th we had our first performance in Oneida, Kentucky. It was at Breanne's parents' church. Upon arriving at Panco Community Church we were heartily greeted by a little dog named Lucky. The church was small but they had a nice sized gym in which we danced. Set up went smoothly. It felt good to stretch and do warm up class after our long car rides the past two days. The service began with a few worship songs and then our program started. We performed our full length program which included Alive, Mother India, Lifesongs, and Won't Turn Back. It was our first time doing the full program in a while and the air was very dry so our stamina wasn't quite built up yet. It went well though. I gave my testimony between Mother India and Lifesongs. Ashley and Mr. Rollinson spoke and shared an encouraging message at the end. The people seemed to enjoy the performance. Afterward it was fun talking to some of the people. Rachel, Alyssa, and I talked to some really cute kids named Quinton, Parker, and Destiny. I loved their Southern/Kentucky twang accents! The church provided lunch for us there. They made some delicious peanut butter fudge! It was really neat to reach out to some many people who had probably never seen dance before.

Amy

Oneida Baptist Institute

2010-04-24T17:54:00.000-07:00

Hello!
We have returned from our Kentucky/Tennessee tour! It was such a great trip! I'm going to share with you about our first performance at Oneida Baptist Institute. On Monday morning, we performed 3 dances sort of as an advertisement for the full program we were planning that evening. Probably the most entertaining part of this day was the large chunk that we spent trying to figure out how to lay our floor.
The stage at OBI is great! It's quite large, though a bit oddly shaped. I don't know how much time we spent analyzing the stage and dragging those big 25 foot panels of marley around in every direction possible, but we did eventually figure a good way to lay out the panels :-)
Even though we only performed 3 dances, it was a pretty exhausting performance. We went from one cardio dance to the next haha!
What an awesome privilege and blessing it was to be able to perform and minister at the school that I used to work for! It felt so strange to stand on the stage with Light of the World Ballet, but as I look back at my time in Oneida, KY, I fall more in love with God. I see God's infinite wisdom as He orchestrates the events in my life. We serve a powerful, loving, praiseworthy God! The more I know Him the more I realize that all things really do work together for good to those who love God and are called according to His purpose!

~Breanne

Believer's Chapel- Easter Sunday

2010-04-05T13:44:00.000-07:00

Sunday, April 4, 2010

Easter!!! He is alive! It was a beautiful Easter morning... the weather was absolutely gorgeous! Amy, Alyssa, Breanne, and I arrived about 15 minutes early and began our warm-up. Amy & Alyssa placed a beautifully decorated 'boiled egg' for Ashley, right where she could see it. When Ashley arrived we all tried to hold back our laughing because she totally didn't see it until we showed her. It was really funny! haha... Performing went better all around than it did on Saturday. I think it always does because it's our second performance. The sanctuary was packed. We did do 'Above All' this time! It was sooo worshipful!!! The whole performance was really worshipful! For the dance 'Something Happens' I really love the part when it is "Jesus, Jesus, Jesus". Over and over again. Very powerful! They had us repeat the dance after the service was finished. Thank you Jesus for who you are!!! You are ALIVE!!!

-Rachel Meis <><

Believers' Chapel Easter

2010-04-05T10:16:00.000-07:00

Hello!
Saturday night we had the opportunity to be a part of Believers' Chapel's Easter service. We arrived at the church for rehearsal a half hour early and got to spend some time sitting outside. What a BEAUTIFUL day!! We all worked on our tans (or lack there-of :-).
The performance was very interesting. It started out pretty well. The funny part came when it came time for our dance to the song, "Above All". Alyssa, Rachel, and I were waiting on stage left. I was supposed to walk on stage almost as soon as the music started. I was braced and ready to make my entrance. The song before ended, Rachel swung the door open, and then we realized that someone had the microphone and was speaking. We quickly shut the door and waited. The next pause, Rachel swings door open, Breanne steps forward, someone else had the microphone and was speaking...door closes. We repeated this pattern at least 5 times before Ashley finally came back and said that they must have skipped our song. I can only laugh and wonder what the audience must have thought each time they saw the side door come swinging open and a dancer standing there...then, it quickly shuts :-)
I love that God keeps things exciting as we perform. How boring would it be if everything always went the way we expected? :-)
I was so blessed by time opportunity to perform for the Easter services at Believer's Chapel. How fun to be able to celebrate what our Savior did for us on the cross! And, best of all, HE IS RISEN!!

"HIM Ministries"

2010-04-04T14:42:00.000-07:00

Friday morning we performed at Believer's Chapel for "HIM Ministries", Home Instruction Ministry, (a home school co-op group) started by Ashley's sister. After a 7:30am warm-up at the studio we drove to Believer's Chapel for our performance at 10am. We performed Lifesongs and our Spanish dance, Montana. Between those two pieces Alyssa gave her testimony. The children were very attentive. There were around fifty boys and girls between the ages of two and twelve. Afterward we were divided into two groups by age. They had requested for a Sugar Plum Fairy and Ruby Fairies for this part of the morning! I was the Sugar Plum Fairy and everyone else were the Rubies. I got my picture taken with all of the little girls and even some of the older girls. It was fun! Alyssa and I had the four and five year olds for forty-five minutes and then the two and three year olds for another forty-five minutes. They were so cute and well behaved! We taught them some basics of ballet and a short dance. At the same time, Ashley, Breanne, and Rachel took two groups of older girls. They gave a talk about purity and how unique and special God has made each of them as well as taught them a short dance. We were also able to pray for these girls. It was really nice to connect with all of them. It was also nice to be able to encourage these home school families as all of us were home schooled at some point. Afterward they gave us a delicious lunch before leaving. It was a fun morning!

Amy

Baldwinsville Christian Academy

2010-04-02T17:22:00.000-07:00

We had warm-up class at 7:30am and then drove out to the Baldwinsville Christian Academy. When we arrived we discovered that they had built out the stage for a play and that we could use the extra space if we wanted. The only problem was we had not prepared for that and did not bring enough of our floor! But it turned out just fine because the built-out stage was not quite strong enough for our jumping on it and we ended up with just enough duck tape to tape the floor down! With absolutely no extra! :) We performed Mother India and Won't Turn Back. It was challenging to dance on our floor over the carpet that seemed especially squishy. After we danced we had the kids come up and try some steps, the boys were reluctant until they saw the 'run and jump over the bucket' part, then they all wanted to join in! Ashley prayed a blessing over the children and the school, it is neat to think how God is going to use those kids to accomplish His work!

Be Blessed,
Alyssa

Hope Network- Northside Baptist

2010-03-29T14:19:00.000-07:00

Friday, March 26, 2010 3:30 PM

Breanne taught warm-up class at 11:30. We all were able to sleep in due to the later performance... really nice! We left the studio in two cars. Ashley in one, and everyone else in the other car. A little ways down James St. I realized that I hadn't put the Mother India(MI) props in the car and soon found out that no one did. We forgot them! So Ashley continued onto the church while we turned around. Breanne and I retrieved the props which were hiding... So off we were to the the church and right about the same place on James St. we realized we didn't have the Lifesong streamers- so back to the studio... haha... that will never happen again!

We soon met up at Northside and went straight to setting up. The Hope Network is a ministry that offers support for families with children who have special needs. We actually performed for the Hope Club(inside Hope Network) which is a social network for teens and adults with disabilities. It was great to meet some of the people as we were setting up. One lady was helping Ashley with the sound :).
We performed MI, Lifesong, and Won't Turn Back. It was wonderful being in a larger space... so nice to move! There were some mess-ups here and there in the dancing, but overall it went really well. After we performed they came up to try some dance steps. The did really well! We had to move out pretty quickly after it was all over-quick strike- because Ashley had to teach.
Lord, may you continue to shine through every movement and smile as we dance!
To God be all the glory!
-Rachel Meis <><

Winds Of Agape

2010-03-28T09:51:00.000-07:00

This past Monday we performed at Winds Of Agape. This is a ministry for disabled adults which uses different forms of art to help rebuild motor skills. The space was very small... 10ft by 19ft. After setting up the floor, costumes, and props, we started our performance of Mother India, Lifesongs, and Won't Turn Back. Although the "stage" was a challenge and the new spacing for choreography was still not ingrained into our bodies since recent changes, our audience of about ten people really enjoyed it! I was able to give my testimony as well as teach the five ballet arm positions between ballets. They were such a fun audience to speak to! Most of them would respond to my questions and several of them asked me questions before I even began speaking! Afterward we had them try different movements in their chairs. They enjoyed this and were again, a very responsive audience! We were then introduced to each resident or "team member". These were such precious people. The coordinator introduced us to a man who could not speak much at all. She said that while we were dancing to Won't Turn Back he kept saying, "I won't turn back, I won't turn back!" This was very exciting to the director as he does not speak much at all! He also really liked Rachel's yellow costume as that was his favorite color. He says that yellow covers everything. When he wakes up in the morning and feels discouraged he looks at the sun and that cheers him up because it covers the whole world! So yellow covers everything! Another man showed us his dance moves. :) The staff sang Amazing Grace for us. They were very good even though they said it was a bit rusty since their voices were not warmed up! Then we were shown the artwork of the team members. Different paintings, self portraits, and handmade earrings. They were beautiful. Each of us were given a pair of earrings too! It was so neat to see how God is using these people who are labeled as "handicapped". They are such talented people! I could tell that there was so much going on in each of their minds that they wanted to communicate but couldn't through speech. It was amazing to see how they communicate through their artwork as well as through sign language. Such a great morning!

Amy

Word of Life Christian Academy

2010-03-25T20:46:00.000-07:00

Today we performed "You are Special" at Word of Life Christian Academy in Baldwinsville. I always enjoy our performances at Word of Life. The audiences are always so encouraging. I know that they are continually lifting us up in prayer. What a blessing!!!
Today's performance went well...up until the point when Ashley and Rachel both tripped over the dot and star box. Rachel covered up well by scolding the star box for being in her way (it fits right into her role as the scholarly Suzie :-), and Ashley's character is pretty clumsy so tripping over the dot box fit in quite well for her also. Our next improv challenge came during the part of the scene when Lucia comes out on stage to hold a stick for the limbo competition. As I was pulled out on stage, I glanced around looking for the stick, only to realize that it was nowhere to be found. So, my arm was dubbed the new limbo stick :-) It worked out alright...my only fear was that my arm or head might be injured as I held it out for dancers to jump over. Thank you Jesus, both arm and head are intact!
So, the performance today was very interesting. It kept us on our toes :-) I was also so blessed by the time we were able to spend ministering to the students. I shared my testimony of my struggles with being labeled as a "shy" person. How awesome that God loves us for who we are, and is able to set us free the the labels that the world tries to place on us! Afterward, we spent time praying over each student. It is such a privilege to lift up these precious lives in prayer. I'm excited to see what God has planned for them. Seems to me like there may be some future overseas missionaries at this school :-)

~Breanne

Mujeres de Virtud Hispanic Women's Retreat

2010-03-23T13:02:00.000-07:00

March 20th, 2010
Mujeres de Virtud Hispanic Women's Retreat
Lake Champion, NY

We performed for the Hispanic Women's Retreat in Lake Champion, NY. After having class and a quick rehearsal we all piled into the van along with Mr. & Mrs. Rollinson and Deborah, Rachel's sister who was visiting. It was a tight fit and there were a few 'interesting' seats but we all fit! It was a 3 1/2 hr drive through the NY countryside with some beautiful scenery. We arrived at the retreat center and set up, we were able to have more space on the stage then we originally thought which was really good. After getting everything ready we had some time to spare so we walked around the lake and took pictures, it was so beautiful and peaceful there! We performed Alive, Lifesongs and our new Spanish Dances.There were about 60 Hispanic women and a few younger girls as well; the majority of them did not speak much English. They especially loved our Spanish dances, which were really fun to do! :) Mr. & Mrs. Rollinson introduced Lifesongs, Ashley closed the program and I shared my testimony. For all the speaking we had an interpreter and everything went very well. For our last song, we did simple arm movements to I Surrender All, the songs stared in English and then switched to Spanish and we had the ladies join us. It was a really powerful time of worship and so beautiful to see the women stepping out of their comfort zone and worshipping the Lord in a new way. After that we were available to pray with people and many ladies came up for prayer. There were a lot of prayer requests for healing and family members. I was able to talk with a group of young girls, and encourage and pray for them. We were blessed by the prayers of some of the ladies and the encouraging words spoken to us. They were so touched by our coming and by what the Lord did. After striking we ate a nice dinner that they provided and then headed back to Syracuse at 9:40pm, we arrived back at the studio at 1:20am after a long but fruitful day. I feel so privileged to be used by God to share His love with others!

Be Blessed!
Alyssa

Parkside Academy

2010-03-17T10:57:00.000-07:00

Friday, March 12, 2010

It was a nice early morning... 5:45 for most and even some 5:30 AM. After a warm-up at the studio we headed over to Parkside. We slightly lost each other in the 'following car' process. Thankfully we all pretty much knew to get there.

Our changing room was the 'boys room'. Our performing area was a big gym without heat... it was pretty cold! We actually had 2 performances at Parkside- 9:30 and 12:00. This was our first performance with Skip and Jason for the year.

So in piled the kids with their teachers. Allot of them had mental disabilities, so there were almost as many teachers as kids. Kelli C.'s cousin William was there... he works with the kids. During our performing there was always some noise or movement with the kids. I heard from a teacher that her kids were talking the whole time and they loved it! I pray that the kids really remember the message that 'You are Special'. The actual performing went great! We had some last minute changes due to no 'cocky boy' character... but everyone did really well! After we had the kids try some moves and they loved it! Especially the jumping up and down and spinning.

In between performances we went into a spare classroom and talked. We had a fun time reminiscing over past things. Ashley told us how she and Hannah B. first met... hilarious story! I found out that my sister, Deborah, would be coming the next week for her spring break! I was ecstatic!!!

The second performance went great! We moved the stage and sound closer so the kids could hear better and be more involved. I think it went allot better than the first one. Afterwards we actually were able to talk with some of the children. They loved Jason and his 'high,low' voice. There was one boy (2 yr.) who was blind and Jason did all these animal noises to interact with the boy. So cute...

Lord, I pray that you would bring to remembrance the message of how we are each special, to these children!

Rachel Meis <><

Carousel Mall, Syracuse

2010-03-07T17:34:00.000-08:00

Saturday, March 6th Light of the World got to perform at the Carousel Mall, right here in Syracuse, NY! This was very exciting for all of us, as we have been praying over the mall for some time now. Breanne and Rachel both work there. It was great to be able to perform there and proclaim the name of Jesus in this dark place. We even got to perform right in front of where Breanne and Rachel work!

We performed Life Songs and the Ballet level 5 from the school performed their version of won't turn back. The performance was for a "Family Times" fair, and Light of the World even had a booth and got to promote our summer camps coming up.

Unfortunately, I have been out with an injury this week, and although it was so hard for me not be dancing it was still fun to be able to watch the other girls dance and to intercede while they are dancing. I did help with sound too, so I didn't feel completely useless! But it was also nice to see the dances from a different perspective. And they all did such a good job!

We had excellent responses from the people watching, and there were even people looking down from the levels above. Even the Ballet 5s did their piece very well. It was a joy to have them there with us.

It still seems unbelievable that we were able to perform at the mall, because we have been praying for it for so long. It just goes to show you that God is faithful. What a great God we serve!

-Alyssa Coeman

Word Of Life Assembly Of God

2010-03-03T17:29:00.000-08:00

This past Sunday we performed Alive, Mother India, and Won't Turn Back for Word Of Life Assembly Of God children's ministry. We met at the studio to warm up at 7am and arrived at the church by 8:30am. Once we arrived at the church we loaded everything up into the elevator and then started our set up process. The stage was fairly large but an unusual shape. After setting up, Light Of The World joined the VIP devotions where Breanne lead. After devotions children started arriving and we started our performance shortly after a baptism. The performance itself went well. The floor was pretty squishy for pointe but that's okay! Alyssa C. shared her testimony and found out afterward that what she had said was exactly what a specific child needed to hear. This was not what she had planned on sharing but was definitely what God wanted her to share! Ashley was also able to share the salvation message. After the performance we had children come up and try dance moves. That is always fun! We were able to talk with many children afterward. The director of children's ministries was very encouraging to us by sharing what a blessing our ministry has been to her.

God Bless!
Amy Parker

Refugee Center

2010-02-21T13:50:00.000-08:00

February 16, 2010
Catholic Charities Refugee Center

We performed Alive, Mother India and Won't Turn Back at the Catholic Charities Refugee Center downtown. After taking warm-up class at the studio we all drove together in the van to the center. We performed in the gym which was located on the second floor of the building so we had a fun time carrying the floor and everything else needed up the stairs! We performed for the children as well as their parents and whoever else happened to be there at the time, the vast majority of the people did not speak or understand English. We were not able to openly share the Gospel, at the request of the sponsor, so as not to offend people of other religions. After dancing we divided the kids up and taught them some ballet steps in groups. It was so much fun to see them move and have fun as well as try and communicate with them. Breanne was able to talk with a young lady who was from Thailand who asked if we were a Christian group and then told Breanne that she, too, is a believer and she wants to go back to Thailand someday as a missionary! Wow! There were so many different nationalities represented it felt as if we had stepped a different country where hardly anyone speaks English! It was such a wonderful experience to be able to reach the nations in our own home city.

Be Blessed!
Alyssa Ishizu

Onondaga Community College-BASIC

2010-02-17T13:30:00.000-08:00

Yesterday evening we had the opportunity to perform for a campus ministry at OCC called BASIC. It was a very enjoyable evening! The young men who were there when we arrived helped us unload, which was very much appreciated!!
We performed Alive and Lifesongs. It's amazing how much easier it is to worship during a performance when you can sense that the audience is recieving the message! Sometimes it feels like there is a wall between the dancers and the audience, but that wasn't the case yesterday. It was such a blessing to be able to come before our Lord and praise him along with the college students! Rachel shared her testimony about God's faithfulness as we trust Him with our future (a message that, I'm sure, was applicable to each person in that audience).
After dancing, Ashley shared a short message on the importance of pursuing God and spending time building relationship with Him. It's so easy to get caught up in what we're doing for God...it's so easy to forget that the most important thing we can do with our lives is spend it in pursuit of the One who made us!
Before closing, we spent some time praying for and dancing over the students. One of my favorite parts was the time we got to spend getting to know them individually afterwards. I'm excited about the things that God wants to use these Christians for in the college campus as well as wherever God may take them after graduation! My prayer is that God would set each of their hearts on fire for Him to the point where they cannot contain it. How awesome would it be to see that campus set ablaze for God?!! I am so thankful for this campus ministry that provides a way for Christians to meet, be encouraged, and reach out to those around them!

~Breanne W :-)

Westside Manor Adult Home 2-11-10

2010-02-14T16:35:00.000-08:00

Last Thursday we had the opportunity to dance at Westside Manor adult home. And what an experience it was! This was Breanne's first booking by herself, and we are all very proud of her... yah Breanne!

Our day started bright and early with devotions and warm up class at 7:30 in the morning... maybe it was that particular morning, or the fact that we were all still waking up, but we were very cold! I guess that is what you get in snowy Syracuse. :)

We arrived at the adult home an hour before the performance. We walked in, and all the sweet adults were sitting in the front lobby area... the first thing we hear is them in their excited voices saying "Young people!" Their faces lit up. I found out later that the staff had told them a few days before that we were coming and they were so excited to see us. It was nice having such an eager audience. Latter when we were going back out to the car to start carrying in our floor they were saying, "What, are you leaving already?" Amy told me that while she and Alyssa I. were carrying flooring in one of them said "Those girls are working like dogs!" We all laughed at that one.

We ended up setting up in a living area. It was a tight space but we managed. However, we were supposed to do Life Songs, Mother India, and Won't Turn back, but because of the space we changed it last minute. Instead, we performed Alive, Mother India and Won't Turn Back, and we performed it on flat instead of on pointe. I think we were all happy about that one. We also took Amy's lift out of Mother India so she wouldn't hit her head on the ceiling... I'm sure she appreciated that change. We did manage in the space and I think the perforance went very well. The residents and the staff loved it. In fact, I could see their faces while we were dancing. They were so into it! Breanne shared her testimony, and I heard that it went really well. Ashley also did some "dance exercies" with them, which apparently they most of those excercises every morning so they were pretty good!

We had quite a bit of time to talk to people afterwards. I'm sure everyone has their own stories, but I got to met some very interesting people. I got to pray with one person that had gotten a stroke in October and her son had been diagnosed with cancer. She was so receptive to prayer. I could feel faith for her and her son growing in me while I was praying, it was a pretty good feeling! I also talked to one lady whose parent-on-laws were missionaries to China! That was pretty awesome. All the girls had great conversations with the people there. In fact, Rachel had one lady that even walked her to the dressing room. :)

Thanks be to God for allowing us to perform for the people at Westside Manor. How awesome it is to be able to share God's love with the residents there. They all have so much to share and we got to give back to them in a small way.

In Him,
Alyssa Coeman <3

St. Augustine Performance 2-9-10

2010-02-10T08:33:00.000-08:00

After School Bible Program

After a nice class and run-through of Mother India we packed up the van with the floor, costumes, and props. We made such good timing that we were 15 minutes early. So, we sat in the car for a bit. Someone jokingly said... "I wonder if the doors are unlocked?" Well, Alyssa C. went and checked. Sure enough they were open... haha!!!

We unloaded and immediately moved to setting up. We decided to set up differently than our last performance here and that involved moving some giant carpets (who knows the last time they were moved.) Set up went smoothly and we started the performance around 2:30. We also were in a time crunch and had to be back in the van at 3:30.

We performed Mother India- first time with spacing changes and Alyssa C. had a new part... Great job Alyssa!!! :) In one part of the dance I stepped on my own foot prohibiting me from doing an arabesque...oops! Alyssa I. forgot to walk out in the second dance and quickly remembered- doing an amazing cover-up. :) hehe...

Amy shared her testimony and our dressing room (the bathroom) was so sound proof, we couldn't hear any of it. I'm sure it went wonderfully!

As we danced "Won't Turn Back" the kids eagerly joined in with clapping... they loved it!

Because of our time crunch, Ashley Alyssa I., and Breanne started striking the floor while Amy, me, and Alyssa C. did positions and dance steps with the kids. It worked really well. The kids were very energetic and loud. It was quite interesting rolling up the floor right by the kids trying to do moves.. this one little girl kept tripping on it :)... I think we did the entire strike and load up in 10-15 min. Way to go us! All in all it was so exciting to perform again and I pray the kids really were are encouraged in their walk with Christ and hope that they will want to seek Him more. It is such a beautiful thing to love, serve, and honor God!

Rachel Meis <><

Light of the World Ballet-Christian Ballet Company

2010-01-20T09:35:00.000-08:00

Happy 2010! We are excited for what the Lord has in store!
The following took place in 2009:
1. Moved into new facility with 2 studios/ sprung floors/barres and mirrors/office/waiting room/changing room and to top it off a discipleship room!

2. The School and Company performed their first original story ballet "The Crown"

3. Held our first summer intensive workshop for older dance students. We discussed the topic of purity while sharing practical ways they can walk it out!

4. Company travelled to China in June and Philippines in December and saw tremendious fruit!

5. We hosted a Ballet Magnificat! 1 day workshop at the school.

This year we are getting ready for the following:
1. Company's Winter/Spring local performance commitments

2. Spring Program- We are going to perform "The Crown" again and hopefully, the students will be able to share the presentation at the newly opend Children's hospital here in Syracuse.

3. Summer Camp- July 12-16 (ages 4-10) Character Training, Ballet, Tambourine, Learning about the Nations!

4. Summer Dance Outreach Camp (ages 11-19) July 19-30 First week students will learn choreography and the second week they will perform/share testimony throughout Syracuse.

5. Company has an invitation to India for August.

6. We hope to present the Company and School's first Christmas production this Christmas season!

It is such a blessing to see how God is opening doors for ministry! Until next time, God bless!