Pioneering the birth and movement of Project Dance has been exciting, challenging and quite the learning experience. Over the past 11 years I’ve written much in the way of the heartbeat of Project Dance but never a full description of what is resonating in my heart deeply and in great detail. The time has come to share once more.
I think the best way to convey this story is to begin in the “now”. Rather than taking you back to the very beginning stages of Project Dance I’d like to speak to you about our present movement and vision. I’m sure this journey will revert back naturally to times in our history when big decisions were made that have become the norm for Project Dance.
As I travel the globe connecting with dancers and leaders who have the Project Dance BUG in their blood I’m asked many of the same questions again and again. What is Project Dance? How do I become part of this movement? We have now entered a season where I’m no longer able to easily sit down with each dancer one on one and impart my heart to the fullest. We are a rapidly growing family across every continent.
Many of you know that Project Dance began while I was working full time as a Radio City Rockette. I noticed that when Rockettes left the company they moved on to another career. Some dancers stayed in the dance business while others made complete career changes. I knew that it would be to my benefit to begin praying about how I would exit this Rockette career. What will I do after I’m done performing? Will I stay in dance? Will I have a complete career path change? I could see the writing on the wall. ”You will not be on stage forever!” Of course, little did I know that I would continue a professional career years beyond my own expectation. However, my mind would still fill up with what, when, where, and how.
I recognized many needs within our dance communities. Dancers felt isolated and alone. Dancers were looking for opportunities to dance with a purpose rather than just a paycheck. Dancers wanted a voice when it came to style and movement choices. Dancers wanted to let God into their world.
The difficulty is that most dancers are busily dancing! And, in many ways, doing exactly what they are supposed to be doing. They are in class learning and growing. They are auditioning for jobs every day. They are working very hard at becoming their best. However, few of them have the time to look at the bigger picture of creating community among their own people. Few are focused on the difficult work of shifting dance as we know it. Few have their eyes set on what it could be or should be and rather on being forced to accept what it is.
It was common knowledge that to be a dancer in “any” world meant that you had very little by way of a voice. You knew that to dance meant to sacrifice family, friends, and relationships. You knew that in order to reach your fullest potential that you would be forced to travel to a major city around the world, leaving all that you’ve known behind. You knew that your career would be short lived and that dealing with the emotional transition out of dance would be a lonely and misunderstood journey, a quiet death if you will. You also knew that you would struggle for every penny made in this competitive and unforgiving world of dance.
If any dancer were to survive this road surely he would become disillusioned, afraid and alone despite working at the highest level of dance on the planet. I’ve known many of these dancers and feel confident that I can speak for droves of dancers who can relate to this unsettling predicament. I shared in these feelings myself and have had my own difficulty walking out the dynamics of being a dancer.
What can be done? How do we offer dancers a foundation of LIFE in the midst of one’s God given pursuit of dance?
Well, DANCE became my PROJECT! I imagined a dance world where artists would be free to reach their highest potential while staying grounded in their faith and the important relationships around them. I imagined dancers who would be willing to offer their gift not only on our great stages in the world as a contribution to the human experience but also to the church in the form of worship and adoration to God as a tool for bringing believers into a deep communication with their creator. I imagined schools of dance where training was offered in an environment of respect and encouragement as a way of building up each artist who came through the door. I imagined a time when excellence in dance would be equally partnered with passion and purpose in a dancer’s heart igniting something that words alone could never quite describe.
Let’s back up now…When God planted this vision in my heart I knew that I would be in it for the “LONG HAUL”. In order to flip flop the way we think about dance, the way we deliver dance and the way we develop dancers we must recognize that there are many who have gone before us who have deposited gems and treasures into this idea of redemption in the world of dance. However, there is much work that’s yet to be done.
Being in for the long haul requires deeply established relationships that have accrued trust over time. In order to make a big move in the dance world you need to have a voice in that world. Having that voice requires a well established track record of integrity, excellence in your craft and the willingness to maintain a working knowledge in the field. No dancer at the highest level will listen if they do not see these qualities. That’s just the way it is!
For this reason Project Dance focuses on working dancers. Some may ask why we spend the majority of our efforts in the marketplace. Isn’t it more important to build up the church? I think taking the time to be in relationship with dancers who are actually working and will be able to shift that arena is time well spent. Sure, it would be easy to move our efforts solely to those who already know about the redeeming love of God. We could dance all day in churches around the world making movements that reflect His love. In fact, I long for the days to do just that. For me that might just have to be in glory.
I often and I mean often, reflect back on where Jesus spent time. I won’t go into a sermon here but I think we all know that he spent tons of time with everyday people. He did learn in the synagogue and speak against the religious spirit that was prevalent in His day. He never alludes to the idea of people leaving the world in His teachings. But, rather, says to be in the world but not of it.
For a long time I grappled with the question, “Why does God have me in New York City dancing on stage? Does this really matter”? I even enrolled in seminary to try to further understand this quandary. After many hours and days of trying to figure this out I realized that the answer was just too complicated. I needed something simple. It boiled down to this.
Believers are called to the industry because it exists and there are people in it.
Most of my very close friends know that there are certain things that believer artists say in the presence of other believers that DRIVE ME BATTY! One of the biggest ones goes something like this.
“I used to dance in the world but I’ve given it all to Jesus. I only dance for Him” Now, I know that in the heart of these words is a sincerely changed dancer. They’ve met the Lord and that experience has dramatically changed how they see themselves and how they view their gift of dance. Unfortunately, it plants the message over and over again in the Body of Christ that dancing anywhere outside of the church is sinful. It also hints that dancers within the marketplace have not given all to Jesus. How are we going to commission excellent dancers into a unique calling in the dance world if we send them off feeling like they are second rate? Sadly, many of these dancers who leave their post in the marketplace find themselves in leadership dance roles within our churches carrying a religious spirit. I personally think it would have been better for them to stay and fight it out in the world. Being a believer in a mixed environment creates a wonderful reflection into one’s own heart. If all of our time is spent within the church we soon find that we’re not only ineffective in the world but we’ve lost touch with the essence of what Jesus came to accomplish in the first place.
I guess this takes us to another big focus of Project Dance. We work with dancers called to worship. By that I mean dancers who are primarily called to build up the dance arts within a worship setting. While many dancers are bearing the weight like a bridge in the marketplace, ushering dancers into a true belief in Christ, there are those of you called to uphold the integrity of dance within the church. You are there to ensure that pastors and members of The Body understand the biblical use of dance and see that it is utilized properly for the building up of the saints. Dance as worship has many facets and I won’t take the time to get into the nitty gritty here. The bottom line is that God is renewing dance and dancers within the Kingdom. This is an important army of dance pastors and leaders who need to be encouraged and spurred on to their calling. Most of these dancers are fighting battles within the church to be understood and Project Dance exists to be a landing pad for these leaders around the world.
Lastly, we focus on dancers who are called to be a Witness! By this I mean dancers who have excelled in their craft and are willing to proclaim God’s truth publically. An excellent dancer is not enough to qualify. A dancer with the heart of worship is not enough to qualify. This dancer has maintained their craft and positioned themselves in the world to proclaim the good news through the instrument of dance. In order to be a witness for God through dance you must understand at the deepest level the people group you are working to share this good news. If you are hoping to shift the climate of the dance scene in New York City you need to be moving and shaking with dancers there. If you want to share hope with a village in Africa you need to fully understand how they receive a message of hope in the context of dance.
As you can see, all 3 of these areas are hugely important. I’ve barely touched on them and each one could be a few books on their own.
I’ve rambled and much of what I’ve shared was more of a free flow of thoughts rather than a planned out version of who we are. My hope is that I can put my heart on paper as a way of imparting the vision and fire within me. I know that you share many of these same ideas and together we will see a bright future for Project Dance.
Visit us at: www.projectdance.com
