Our Story
The Story of How Glorify Performing Arts Began
Glorify Performing Arts was founded in 2018, and Glorify Dance Theatre had their first season in 2019. The story of how we began, however, starts back with a little girl with blonde curly hair, and a love of performing arts.
Melody Mendoza grew up loving the arts and stories. Her dad would call her Curly Top because of how much she watched Shirley Temple and went around singing and pretending to tap dance. She started taking ballet with Edmond Novak and his wife Irina Kovalska and in those ballet classes, they always emphasized the importance of performing. As she grew older, she began voice lessons and drama classes and started to take dance a little more seriously. Ultimately, a Broadway career as a choreographer was what she decided she wanted to pursue.
In high school, Melody gathered a group of her friends to create theatre shows. They toured to several nursing/retirement homes in the area and through those small performances, Melody experienced the spark of creating a production to bring joy to an audience.
After graduating from Delaware County Community College in 2010 with an AA in Communication Arts and then Palm Beach Atlantic University in 2012 with a BA in Dance, she planned to audition for a few continuing education programs in NYC. Those auditions marked on her calendar for February, 2013.
Backtracking to the spring of 2012… Melody had returned home from college and was taking part in the Good Samaritan Dance Academy’s spring concert where she connected with Donna FitzPatrick. Donna had been wanting to create a ballet out of Max Lucado’s story for children, The Way Home: A Princess Story, and asked Melody if they could work together on the project. Melody said yes!
Once all the logistics of the show were together and auditions were held, rehearsals began in January 2013 and that spark of creating was flying high in Melody’s heart. Two weeks in, Melody injured her ankle, ending up on crutches, unable to walk. The auditions she planned to do in NYC came and went, and she was still in a boot. Her doctor said: “you will permanently damage your ankle if you start dancing on it now.”
Easter of 2013, Melody stayed home from church because she was upset and felt like God had messed up all her life plans. There was nothing about God that she wanted to celebrate that year. In the midst of venting to the Lord, Melody experienced a flood of ideas pour into her mind. Knowing these ideas were definitely NOT coming from her own brain, she grabbed her laptop and started typing:
“A Christian performing arts center dedicated to presenting high quality productions that will glorify Christ. The center will also offer instructional classes designed to foster the gifts God has given students. Ideal building will house approximately four large dance studios, seven music studios (some would be for private lessons, some rehearsal studios), an art studio, a scenic shop, a small voice/music theater, and a larger professional theater with lots of technologic [sic] capabilities (not ginormous, but fairly large).”
4 pages later, she sat there, thinking, “What just happened? I’m trying to become a Broadway choreographer. Besides, I’m not famous and I have never taken a business class. Who is going to want to get involved in this? ”
She spoke with a few friends who thought the idea sounded great, and then she spoke with a CPA who suggested she talk with a lawyer and the lawyer said to come back when she had a solid business plan in place.
Between 2013 and 2017, Melody struggled with the feeling that she wasn’t the right person to start a company like this. In her mind, people want to join and support companies that contain famous founders/choreographers, and she didn’t qualify in that category. But during this time, the Lord continually reminded her that He is the one who builds the house, and she just needed to be faithful to follow His direction. Her sister, Angela Commiskey, excited about the possibilities for how GPA could impact their community, decided to pursue her MPA in Nonprofit Administration. Meanwhile, Melody spent time praying and researching and writing, and finally, with LOTS of help from Angela Commiskey and Michael McGowan, the business plan was ready to submit to the lawyer by November of 2017.
Expecting it to take up to a year for the nonprofit status to go through, on 4th January of 2018, Melody moved up to NYC for 6 months.
While she had aged out of the official programs for continuing her dance training, she devised her own schedule filled with attending dance classes and dance history lectures. Melody also prioritized attending dance/theatre performances and spending hours in the Performing Arts Library doing research.
However, the nonprofit status didn’t take a year, and after being in NYC for only 2 weeks, she got a call from the lawyers office saying that Glorify Performing Arts had officially been granted 501(c)(3) status.
“I’m currently at Whole Foods on the Upper East Side in Manhattan waiting to pick up the kid I’m nannying from his swim lesson. Can I come sign the papers in 2 weeks when I’m in the area for the weekend?” She asked. That worked on their end, so by the end of January 2018, everything was in place for launching GPA.
Following a school year calendar, the 2018-2019 season wasn’t a shot out of the gate, but rather it began slowly, with 2 dancers, and then a few guest artists; doing one church performance, making some videos, then holding a vision gala.
The first official season for Glorify Dance Theatre began in the fall of 2019 with 4 Company Artists and 2 Apprentices and we premiered our ballet Alive In Us. Audience members were moved by the performance and were very engaged in the artist talkback.
While GPA still has a long way to go to encompass the full vision the Lord gave to Melody, He has been faithful in every step. Dancers have joined who lived 5 blocks away, drove an hour and 20 minutes one way to get to rehearsal, or moved from Virginia and Indiana to be part of the company. Randahl Williams, a friend who did performances at nursing homes with Melody in high school dove in from the first gala to be our Stage Manager, and can still be found backstage at our events.
Want to see where we’re at now?
Browse our website or send us an email or give us a call! We’d love to share what God is doing at Glorify Performing Arts with you! We believe He can do great things in the West Chester area and surrounding communities to draw hearts to Him and we are excited to be part of people experiencing the power of Jesus.
Meet the Team!
About the Founder
MELODY (Stanert) MENDOZA
Executive & Artistic Director, Resident Choreographer
Ms. Mendoza began her dance training at the age of 4 under Edmund & Irene Novak (Ballet Russe De Monte Carlo), who instilled in her a love of telling stories through dance. She continued studying ballet, later adding jazz and modern, at studios including The Rock School West, The Dance Center, and Koresh School of Dance. Beginning liturgical dance at age 9, Ms. Mendoza spent many years developing an understanding of using dance as a way to honor God under the instruction of Valerie Henry and Gwen Prestwood through the Good Samaritan Dance Ministry.
Ms. Mendoza began her dance training at the age of 4 under Edmund & Irene Novak (Ballet Russe De Monte Carlo), who instilled in her a love of telling stories through dance. She continued studying ballet, later adding jazz and modern, at studios including The Rock School West, The Dance Center, and Koresh School of Dance. Beginning liturgical dance at age 9, Ms. Mendoza spent many years developing an understanding of using dance as a way to honor God under the instruction of Valerie Henry and Gwen Prestwood through the Good Samaritan Dance Ministry.
Her love of choreography began while still in high school, and continued to grow stronger while a dance major at Palm Beach Atlantic University, studying primarily with Eileen Hebron (American Ballet Theatre), and Jinyoung Lee Hanley. While in college, Melody dove into Theatre Dance, interning with Theatre Arts Center in New York City where she worked with Broadway performers as they taught choreography to summer intensive students.
Upon graduating Summa Cum Laude from PBAU in 2012, she formed a small dance company with Donna FitzPatrick where they choreographed two contemporary, faith based, ballets utilizing ballet, tap and jazz to share stories of Christ’s grace and truth. Ms. Mendoza continues to study dance, both by taking class in NYC (primarily at STEPS on Broadway) or by maintaining her Pre-Primary – Level 5 certification of American Ballet Theatre’s National Training Curriculum.
Melody has worked locally as a musical theatre dance teacher and choreographer at SALT Performing Arts and West Chester Studios for the Performing Arts. In the fall of 2015 she was asked to introduce dance into the curriculum at Delaware County Christian School for their SAIL program and enjoyed teaching classical dance, world dance, and theatre dance to the middle and high school students. She currently is a dance instructor at Time To Leap, and guest teaches throughout Southeastern PA. Occasionally you can find Ms. Mendoza on the stage; some of her favorite past performances include: West Side Story, Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat, and Oklahoma.
Using stories and art to share Christianity is her passion, so she started writing ideas for what became Glorify Performing Arts back in 2013. In 2018, she launched the company and loves the many opportunities she has to share the love of God through the arts as the Artistic Director of Glorify Performing Arts.
JESSICA NOONAN
Ministry & Worship Leader
Jessica Noonan fell in love with the art of dance and music when she was a young girl. She primarily trained at The Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera Musical Theatre Academy. It was there she began performing professionally in high school. She later received her BFA in musical theatre from The Boston Conservatory at Berklee with an emphasis in dance. After moving to NYC, she danced in industrials, as well as choreography showcases throughout NYC, including the Steps On Broadway choreography showcase for the choreographer Joyce King. Some of her theatre credits include The Broadway National Tour of Oklahoma! Susan Stroman choreography (Laurey 2nd Understudy), Chicago directed by Jeff Shade, The Wild Women of the Planet of Wongo (dance captain) which premiered at the NY Musical Theatre Festival choreographed by Ginger Thatcher and A Chorus Line (Cassie).
Jessica is currently a dance instructor at Time to Leap teaching jazz and musical theater and a worship leader at her church, Christ Community Church. Jessica is excited to be a part of GPA where she can combine her passion for dance and scripture to spread the good news of Jesus Christ. In her spare time, she loves to play guitar and spend time with her husband, David, and their two children, Arya (9) and Trystan (6).
ANGELA COMMISKEY
Director of Engagement
Angela Commiskey has enjoyed bringing Glorify Performing Arts to life alongside her sister and GPA’s Founder/Director Melody Stanert. Angela holds a Master of Public Administration with a concentration in Nonprofit Administration and a BA in American Studies, both from West Chester University. She has served nonprofits in various administrative, development, and tech-related roles.
Angela is also a Professional Organizer who loves to dive into the mess of life to create calm. Her variety of interests include reading, dancing, visiting cities and museums, and enjoying OCNJ or local parks with her husband John and their young son. Angela is passionate about bringing the joy of the Lord to those around her and supporting those in need — whether that need is for a meal, a safe home, or simply a cup of tea and a good conversation.
