Showing posts with label The Manger Way. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The Manger Way. Show all posts

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

"The Manger Way" pictures

A photo album of "The Manger Way" has been made, with captions and glimpses of the production. You can never capture things in their entirety, but this gives memories to those who saw it, and a taste for those that didn't. Click this link or the picture below.

The Manger Way

Saturday, December 18, 2010

Praising God for "The Manger Way!"

God did it again. He brought a production together in more amazing ways than I could imagine. Both presentation nights went well, and though the first night I was missing 2 dancers due to illness, tonight all 62 dancers and actors were there, and did very well. Many people also came to watch and were blessed.

It's hard to believe it's over... it's always bittersweet. I am looking forward to the holiday break though, and preparations for the next production already began (during Thanksgiving break). :)

To God be the glory - great things He has done!

Thursday, December 16, 2010

"The Manger Way" - Come!

The cast

of "The Manger Way"

Invites you to hear the story of Christ's coming in a new way.

Friday, December 17th @ 7 PM
Saturday, December 18th @ 4 PM.


Picture credits: JP Lofgren and Robyn Clement

Motion

Exciting movement

Swirls of color

Picture credits: JP Lofgren and Robyn Clement

Expressive

Humorous

Commanding

Dramatic

Picture credits: Robyn Clement and JP Lofgren

Sweet shots

Adorable angels

Cute smiles

For the glory of God

Picture credit: Robyn Clement

Thursday, December 9, 2010

Dancing at Merry Wood Lodge

The King's Praised Ballet danced at a nursing home this afternoon. The girls did a great job, and those who watched were blessed, praise God! We were missing four students due to sickness or travel (praying for a speedy recovery!), but those that came danced beautifully for the glory of God.

Scripture was read between dances, to give the true story of Christ's coming to earth.

Sweet little angels - and a big one to help.

This dance never seems to stop - couldn't get a picture of them still until the end! =)

Angels everywhere!

Touching duet portraying Mary and Joseph (danced by a father and daughter)

Fabric adds a royal touch.

You can't help but smile during this dance. :)

It's fun to make different formations using these vibrant colors.

"He made a way in a manger... to make a way to the cross."

I'm always amazed when I see pictures of my students all together, since they look like such a big group, but I know them each by name and personality. I am a very blessed teacher!

Thanks to my dad for taking these pictures, my sister for running the sound, and my mom for arranging the visit!

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Come to "The Manger Way!"


The presentations will be here before we know it! If you're in the area, I hope you can come. There's still a lot to do, but God is bringing the details together!

Friday, November 19, 2010

Costume Fittings - Take II

Thursday's classes enjoyed trying on their costumes as well! It was fun to see the dances come more to life in the costumes the songs were choreographed for!

Teaching angels to fly...

Swirling - uh, twirling - together!

Cute and colorful

Fun with partners!

A swirl of the purple variety

Yes, the costumes were, and will be, quite enjoyed!

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Costume Fittings

Each class had costume fittings after their class on Tuesday.

Once everyone was ready, they came into the next class to practice their dance in costume, and have a small audience.

It's fun to see work put into sewing pay off!

The girls looked beautiful!

Of course, these littlest angels were some of the cutest!

They were delighted with their costume! It has the best skirt for twirling. :)

Saturday, October 2, 2010

Auditions for "The Manger Way"


Auditions for "The Manger Way" are just over 2 weeks away! Tuesday, October 19th at 6:15 PM is the date. Click here for more information.

This will definitely be a unique production, and I am excited to see how God brings it all together! If you're in the area and interested in auditioning, I hope to see you there!

Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Birthing a Musical

My mom has often compared the process of writing and directing a musical to the birth of a child. Certainly, the comparison breaks down at many points, but the similarities are there.

Something sparks an idea, and it begins to churn and grow. Weeks, months, or a year or more may go by before anything is actually written, but the idea is always there, in the back of my mind.

Eventually, the idea grows to large to contain, and things start speeding up. It's the labor stage, when the story is something I think about at random hours of any day. I'm very distracted during this phase, as I can be present in body, but have my mind somewhere off in ancient Israel. It takes a while to actually set pen to paper, but pretty soon the ideas are flowing so quickly, I can't help it; I have to write, to release it.

Deciding on a name usually happens first, as the story grows and molds to its name. Sometimes the name is instant, coming with the initial idea. Other times, I have to try many on for size and get the input of others before I find one that fits.

The birthing process definitely isn't as painful as having a baby, but it still has its difficulties. Sometimes things flow smoothly as the words pour out onto the page. Other times, I'm stumped for a while, wondering how best to phrase something, or where to take the plot and character development. But usually, an excess of words pours out, faster than my pen can move. It takes long stretches of time to write, though, and can often span a few weeks.

Once the first draft is out, there's still a lot of work left. It's time to type it into the computer, and edit, and edit, and edit! All the shaping and refining helps the musical grow into something much better from the initial outpouring, though. I tend to be quite wordy, so the editing process involves a lot of deleting of unnecessary words, sentences, and even entire paragraphs or plot twists. I am blessed with great family and friends to help with this process, getting their input as they help decide what stays, what needs to change, and what needs to go.

The work isn't over when the scripts are printed. There are auditions, and then the musical continues to grow and change as each actor develops his or her character. It's amazing to see the story, that was once just an idea, come to life! The presentation time is especially rewarding, to see the fruit of months of hard work.

"The Manger Way" is in its newborn stage. The idea of having an easier-to-stage musical consisting of monologues interspersed with dances has been in my head for a while. Better ideas came as a result of discussions with close friends and fellow artists in late August. As I traveled to Ohio to visit family for Labor Day weekend, it was definitely in the "labor" stage as I was easily distracted by the ideas churning in my head. There, I finally decided on a name, after discussing around 20 other options. Once "The Manger Way" was the name, the outline came out, and then the script came... I wrote for 5 hours in the car on the way home.

It's been hard to find time to write as dance classes started, but I fit it in here and there, and even enlisted the help of two young friends to each write a monologue. Editing with others started a week ago, and it's been going well. It's definitely needed cutting, and the delight each time I hit the delete key to get rid of unnecessary words is fulfilling. :)

Auditions will happen in the later part of October, Lord willing, and the location has been reserved to present it this December 18th and 19th, 2010. There's a lot to do before then; choreography is in full swing, and each class of The King's Praise Ballet has begun learning their dance.

Please be in prayer as this musical develops, that God will be glorified as we look at the way His Son came to earth, as well as the way the manger led... to the cross.