God at work in 2021-22

As our 2021-22 performance season draws to a close, the company has taken some time to reflect over the ways God has been at work among us.

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At the start of September, we dove right into rehearsing Label: Beauty and discussing how we find identity and security in God–not in our own success, and not in the approval of others. In a recent conversation with Company Artist Hannah Snyder, I was reminded that this truth plays into the work of this company every day, not just as the message of our fall production. Hannah says that it’s easy to look around at other dancers, to see how talented they are, and to wonder why one of us has the privilege of dancing for a company when so many strong dancers can’t find a contract. It’s both humbling and empowering for Glorify dancers to remember that their opportunities to perform professionally come as opportunities to partner with God in a work that is much bigger than any of us and depends on a power even deeper than our individual skill sets.

In case you missed it, you can read more about Hannah’s perspective on dancing with GPA and humanity’s high and humble calling on The Word in the Wings.

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In the new year, we explored “how dance does theology,” challenging one another to play with movement as a practice of interpreting Scripture. We learned that even in a company of artists who share many experiences and beliefs, we can’t take for granted that we interpret ideas and movement the same way. Rather, we watched each other’s work and talked about it together, and the variety of perspectives shared opened new dimensions of meaning for our short studies and for dances that eventually went on stage.

In case you missed it, you can engage with this ongoing conversation by watching a phrase developed by Company Artists Audrey Hammit and Katie Mills-Yatsko and reading about how dance allows us to hold contradictory ideas in tension.

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This spring, we focused on biblical narratives of resurrection and related them to a variety of personal experiences, from holding onto Jesus while grieving a lost loved one to searching for God in the midst of doubt, temptation, and disappointment. The Scriptures we read, the choreography Melody set, and the memories the dancers considered came together to generate emotionally rich performances for Walk This Road and Come Alive.

In case you missed it, you can read more about how Company Artists Emily Bronkema, Audrey Hammitt, and Lindsey Cornish as well as Company Artist Anna Si related personal experiences to their performances this spring.

Every biblical story of resurrection showed us that even when all hope seems lost from a human perspective, God’s power isn’t exhausted and God’s work isn’t completed. Similarly, GPA artists and staff can testify that even though we encountered numerous production hiccups and closed doors, God made our 2021-22 season fruitful, inspiring beautiful art, planting new partnerships, growing relationships, and so much more.

Because of God’s faithfulness, we transition from this season to the next in a spirit of thanksgiving and hope!