Many thanks to all of you who participated in the Ballet Gloria Summer Workshop last week--we were so blessed by your worshipful hearts and dedicated work ethic.
We are now looking ahead to our 08/09 season, and wanting to get an estimate on how much space and/or faculty we'll need. At the bottom of this message, I've attached our 2008/2009 information package which includes a registration form (last page). If you are planning on participating during the fall, we'd really appreciate your letting us know by sending this form back to us. You can either fax (210-481-2303), email (jsdeahl@swbell.net), or send it USPS to Josie Deahl Arnold, 8303 Greatview #704, San Antonio TX 78230.
Classes will start on Thursday, September 4 and end on Thursday, April 30. We will post a more detailed schedule soon.
This year, we will be dwelling in the Psalms for our memorization work, and our choreography will center around Michael Card's album "The Ancient Faith".
We really hope to see you there!
God bless you all
Josie
2008-09 Information Sheet
A ministry group of the Praise and Worship Ministry
San Antonio TX
Contact Info:
Josie Deahl Arnold jsdeahl@swbell.net 210.213.2831
Glenda Deahl gtdeahl@swbell.net 210.710.7806
08/09 Scripture memory: The Psalms
This free class will meet on Thursdays between September 08 and April 09. Please call for specific schedule information.
Purpose: This dance ministry is, obviously, about glory. But it is not our glory in dance, but the glory of God seen when young men and women offer their heart, mind, soul, and strength in worship to Him. It has been said that God’s glory is revealed in us, only when we are fully alive, awakened by the knowledge that ‘surely God is in this place.’ We dedicate the 08-09 year to celebrating the presence of Living God. The ground that we stand on is holy, and so we dance in discipline, and honor, knowing that we dance to the music which the Father of our Master Jesus sings over us all.
Ballet Gloria Class Descriptions:
There is no fee to participate in Ballet Gloria training. There are no recitals, nor costumes. The training focuses on worship and not performance. We do not have access to a ballet studio with wooden flooring, mirrors, and barres. As is the case with any discipleship process, it is really the teacher’s eyes that must observe and correct. Miss Josie, Miss Olivia, and other teachers will observe and correct technique to prevent injury and foster discipline.
Miss Josie and Miss Olivia’s training has been focused on the genre of classical ballet (RAD, SAB, Vaganova, Ballet Russe, and French techniques). Thus the Ballet Gloria curriculum will have a strong ballet base. However, the classes will not follow a typical ballet syllabus. We will cover the basics of ballet, modern, lyrical, etc., but our classes will use these disciplines solely as a means to the end of glorifying God. The training itself is not the goal, worship is the goal.
If your goal, or your goal for your child, is to have an excellent ballet education, we can recommend schools in
Level 1
Suitable for 3-5 year olds Thursdays
This class will introduce the concept of using movement to glorify God. We will learn:
- Stretching and strengthening our bodies.
- Moving with music
- Using movement to tell stories about God
- Elementary ballet steps
- Scripture memory
Mothers are invited and encouraged to participate with their children. If you elect to watch, we ask that you still stay to watch your child dance. If you cannot stay at the building with your child, then we ask that you delay your child’s participation in the program.
Level 2
Suitable for 6-10 year olds Thursdays
*We realize that the early start time may pose a problem for some children just getting off school. We apologize for the necessity of this time this year. We will spend the first 15 minutes on our scripture memory and stretching. If your child will be arriving at
This class will builds upon the concept of using movement to glorify God. We will learn:
- Stretching and strengthening our bodies.
- Scripture memory and scripture expression through our body
- Counting and recognizing patterns in music
- Understand and apply dance language
- Dance as worship
Level 3
Suitable for 6-10 year olds dependant on energy level, and suitable for age 10 through adult.
Thursdays 3:15-5:00
As with Levels 1 and 2, this is not a drop off program. Please stay on campus with your child. If you will not be on campus, please make arrangements with another adult to be on campus with your child. Miss Josie must leave OHC promptly by
If you are coming only to this class, please plan to arrive early and spend at least 10 minutes warming your muscles. The entire dance is devoted to active dance, with only a short, basic warm up time. A cold muscle is an injured muscle.
This class is dance applied in active choreography for the glory of God. We will learn:
- Dance as worship
- Dance as communication
- Dance as prayer
- Improvisational Choreography
- Lyrical, Ballet, and Modern styles
- 3-4 complete dances over the course of the 7 month class
Ballet Gloria Guidelines
1. Dress Code:
- Solid color leotard – no low cut front or back, and preferably no spaghetti straps.
- Pink tights.
- Pink ballet shoes (avoid Starlight or Dance Now brands)
- Ballet skirt (optional)
- If wearing cover up pants, please make sure that they are not too tight – and no slogans across the backside.
If you do not have ballet attire, a modest tee shirt and leggings or sweats are fine.
Cover ups should be worn to and from class. Please do not walk around the building in your leotards. If you leave the area to use the restroom, cover up. Ballet attire helps you move freely. It also allows the teacher to see where your technique needs correcting. It is NOT to show others the beauty of your body. God knows how beautiful you are – He made you, and He is who counts. Please think carefully about your clothing selection and why you choose to wear what you wear. A current ‘Christian’ tee shirt has the slogan “modest is hottest” across the breast area. So it begs the question, how does an invitation to look at the breast area in order to read a slogan show modesty? It doesn’t. And does the word ‘hottest’ lead the mind to pure thoughts? No. That does not mean that you cannot have any slogans on any tee shirts …just be careful.
Please remember that modesty is a form of respect for our brothers and sisters in Christ. It is one of the ways that God has called us to bless, love, and protect those around us, both on and off of the dance floor. If you know that you should not wear a certain outfit to Ballet Gloria because it violates our modesty rule, then don’t wear that outfit – anywhere!
2. Parental Supervision: Parents need to be with their children. Do not leave your child unattended. If your child will need a snack, please provide that, and encourage your child to clean up after the snack. Because we cannot adequately track all food allergies, please ask your child to eat only the snacks that you provide.
4. Respect the Building: Please respect this place which so many people call their worship home. Please minimize messes and clean up trash. Please do not play with the foam art work on the walls.
5. Attendance: Although we do not require perfect attendance, and understand everyone’s busy schedules, we do ask that you attend as often as you can.
6. Borrow Box: The Ballet Gloria borrow box has extra skirts, tights, leotards, and old shoes. Please feel free to borrow as needed, and recycle what your child no longer needs for the use of her classmates.
Other Christian Art Organizations and Productions
Ballet Magnificat! www.balletmagnificat.com
A Christian ballet company and ministry
Ad Deum Dance Company www.danceaddeum.com
A Christian contemporary dance company and ministry
Charakter Ministry of the Arts www.charakter.org
A Christian mime ministry
Hosanna Sacred Arts Dance Company www.hosannasacredarts.org
A Christian ballet company and ministry
A Christian liberal arts college with a strong worldview and a focus on Christian discipleship in the arts
Word In Motion Dance Company www.wordinmotion.com
A Christian hip hop/jazz company and ministry
Recommended Dance Store:
Dorothy’s Dance Shop (210) 558-4200
Ballet Gloria 2008/2009 Registration Form
First Name: _____________________
Last Name: _____________________
Age: _____
Parent/Guardian: _____________________
Home Phone Number: (_____)-______-__________
Parent’s Cell Phone 1: (_____)-______-__________
Parent’s Cell Phone 2: (_____)-______-__________
Email: ___________________
Street Address: ______________________
City, State, Zip: ____________________, ____ _____________
Emergency Contact: _________________________
Emergency Contact Phone Number: (_____)-______-______________
By signing this line, I consent to follow the guidelines for Ballet Gloria:
Parent Signature: _________________________________________
Student Signature: _________________________________________
