Arise

 

On November 20, we had the privilege of performing for a group of patients at ARISE, a care facility for mentally handicapped individuals.  We have performed there almost every year for the last five or six years, and what to a joy to be asked again! We performed Ana’s Battle, and afterward we were able to have some fun with our audience. We danced with them, showed them the crab dance, and many of them enjoyed walking or wheeling themselves under one of our fabrics as we held it overhead. They loved dancing to our Christmas music! It was a great experience to be able to bring some hope and joy to these wonderful patients in an unconventional way. I am continually amazed and blessed to see how God can use ballet as a tool to reach people’s hearts in ways that speech alone would fail. Where a conversation may have been difficult, sharing the story of Christ’s love through dance can still penetrate the darkness in ways I never imagined.   ~ Rebecca