From the stage: why tell the story of Babel?
The Word in the Wings
By: Kaya Weaver
In a company that aims to create dance that glorifies God and tells stories about hope and justice, what place does a story like Babel hold? As we’ve inferred from studying the “tower of Babel” narrative in Genesis 11:1-9, the story does conclude by marking Yahweh’s deeds of power, with the humans’ city named “Babel” because God “baffled” their language. Yet from start to finish, this feels like a story about opposition between human intentions and God’s intentions.
From the studio: part of the story
The Word in the Wings
By: Julia Dutill
Following the company’s inductive study of Acts 2:1-9, apprentice Julia Dutill led everyone in contemplative prayer, inviting us to vividly imagine the scene as she read and to pray in response to our experience of the passage. Here, she shares about how God spoke to and moved her through this passage and what she hoped to illuminate for others by guiding our contemplation on this Scripture.
From the study: creative worship for the living God
The Word in the Wings
By: Kaya Weaver
We’ve been discussing the “tower of Babel” on The Word in the Wings for several weeks, but Genesis 11 isn’t the only place in the Bible where language, diversity, creativity, and right ways of worship show up as coinciding themes. What does this thematic thread tell us about the character of God and how humanity is meant to respond?
From the studio: work with each other
The Word in the Wings
By: Gabrielle Byrnes
Company artist Gabrielle Byrnes led a study of 1 Corinthians 12:12-31 a few weeks ago and helped all the dancers consider the significance of comparing the Body of Christ, or the church, to a physical human body. Here are some of her takeaways from her study, what the other dancers found in the passage, and how this passage connects to the Tower of Babel and to following Jesus today.
From the study: where is the body?
The Word in the Wings
By: Kaya Weaver
In one of Paul’s letters to the church in Corinth, he addresses their questions about how to navigate differences. In 1 Corinthians 12:12-31, Paul compares the church to a human body in order to describe how members with different abilities work together cohesively and how this unity of difference accords with God’s creative design.
From the studio: moving our questions
The Word in the Wings
By: Audrey Hammitt
After the company studied Genesis 11:1-9, company artist Audrey Hammitt led a scripture-and-movement activity to foster further engagement with the passage. She conducted her own close study and reflection on the “Tower of Babel” narrative in order to develop a movement prompt that would hold the ambiguities of the text honestly and use movement to express faith-filled responses to God’s word.
From the study: creative limits
The Word in the Wings
By: Kaya Weaver
Glorify Dance Theatre’s next, short ballet is called Babel, and it’s based on the story of the tower of Babel, found in Genesis 11:1-9. Echoes in this short narrative of the creation account in Genesis 1 raise questions about what God intends for human cooperation and creativity.
From the stage: Chesed
The Word in the Wings
By: Kaya Weaver
The exposure, enclosure, and generativity that comprise Julian of Norwich’s experience of divine revelation run parallel to the meaning-making mechanisms at play in the performance of Chesed by Glorify Dance Theatre. This work aims to foster knowledge of God’s love through exteriorizing inner experiences as movement, exposing the performance space to viewing on every side, amplifying the enclosure and generativity of the stage, and prompting multiple meaningful resonances between art(ist) and audience.
From the studio: God’s love is…
The Word in the Wings
By: Kaya Weaver
Several company members share stories about people in their own lives who have shown them chesed, forming a concrete picture of what God’s love is. When has someone shared in your vulnerability in order to share their strength with you?
From the study: kindness for all
The Word in the Wings
By: Kaya Weaver
Even though Ruth’s ḥesed toward Naomi makes her vulnerable as she voluntarily forsakes her own future prospects in order to stay with her mother-in-law, Ruth’s exposure to loneliness and insecurity gives way to greater security as Ruth is able to provide food for Naomi by gleaning in Boaz’s field. This redemptive force of ḥesed becomes even more evident as Naomi in turn seeks security for Ruth. Together, the two women draw Boaz himself into their self-giving system, and Yahweh works through them to provide security beyond Naomi’s imagination.
