We Don't Do Nutcracker

-    Blogmas  Whatever  .  Thalia  Mara  .  Came  &  Went  .   2  Days  Until  Christmas  !   - 

I'll be honest as if it's not already obvious, but I'm NOT really that good at this Blogmas posting-everyday-business. At least I gave it a shot. The fact is, the reason why I haven't had much to report to you about my life lately is because my life really isn't that interesting when I'm on break for the holidays. Sometimes it is. Last year's holiday break made for good blog posts, but most times my days on break are just filled with lots of R&R and chilling around the house with my family. On this break so far I have enjoyed having lots of time being in the Word. I have been posting a lot of entries on my Faith Page lately if you want to check those out, but it seems like the posts you guys like reading about the most are the ones about my ballet life. If that is so, stick around then because you'll probably enjoy this post.

Once you come to terms with the fact that we are a ballet company that doesn't do The Nutcracker, the second fact you should come to terms with is that we offer a Christmas show that is just as spectacular, if not more! Yes, I may be a tad bit biased, but if you don't believe me because you've never seen any of our Christmas shows before, then you will have to catch one of them next year to formulate an opinion of your own. This year's featured Christmas production which was Light Has Come is an extraordinary show depicting the story of salvation from the unique perspective of the angels. From the first story recorded in the Bible of Adam and Eve in the garden, to Jesus Christ the Messiah appearing on the scene, this ballet of the greatest story ever told draws the audience in to experience in a fresh way the power and glory of the King of kings and the love that He has for us.  

Though this recently produced production does not encompass the same timeless traditional richness that The Nutcracker has achieved for itself over the years,  "Light Has Come" certainly has its potential, having a finesse and charisma of its own. Just one week ago Ballet Magnificat took over Thalia Mara Hall in downtown Jackson, Mississippi to perform our biggest shows of the season of "Light Has Come". It was the 50th year of performing there for our founder and Artistic Director Kathy Thibodeaux!
I did my best to document "Tech Week" leading up to the shows this past week and into the weekend to give you an insider look into all the preparation that gets put into making these shows at Thalia Mara happen! Enjoy!

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 12/11 Monday:  We had this day off to recover from the previous weekend full of performances. 

 12/12 Tuesday: We had combined rehearsal with the trainees and school of the arts.

 12/13 Wednesday: We loaded into Thalia Mara Hall. What a beautiful Theater.

 12/14 Thursday: We had combined rehearsal again 

 12/15 Friday: We had 1/2 Part dress rehearsal for both acts one and two. 

 12/16-17 Saturday and Sunday: Showtime! 2:00pm and 7:00pm Saturday, and 2:00pm Sunday  

All the shows went well. Everything ran so smoothly. We love performing at Thalia Mara Hall and can't wait to do it again next year. 

I was delighted to know that good friend, Elisa was in the audience

Alpha group picture before showtime

Loved seeing these smiling faces after the show! Just a few of my Pastor's children.

If you missed "Light Has Come" this year, it looks like you will have to catch it on tour sometime next year (Spoiler Alert!) since it looks like we will be doing our production of "Snow Queen" next Christmas season at Thalia Mara.
Hope you enjoyed this post. Am I right that you just LOVE reading about ballet? What kind of ballet things are you interested in me writing about next? Would you let me know your ideas, comments, and questions down below? I do hope you all are enjoying your holiday season! Have A Very Merry Christmas! God Bless! 🎄
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My 3 Favorite Evangelistic Pep Talks Found on YouTube

It is a personal goal of mine for this coming year to step out of my comfort zone and complacency and become more confident and bold about sharing my faith. Jesus Christ is amazing! I've been convicted of how selfish I've been keeping what I know about Him to myself. I'm sure many can agree, rejection and the possibility of being offensive can be scary, but there is nothing better in the whole wide world than seeing someone come to know Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. There is nothing better than seeing someone delivered from the bondage of sin and set free from the snares of Satan. There is nothing better than seeing someone transformed, made into a new creation in Christ Jesus, just as we ourselves have experienced. There is nothing better than witnessing someone surrender and get saved! ("Saved" from what?!? You ask. Click here to find out.) All of this makes stepping out and evangelizing worth it! A couple of my favorite verses that encourage me in evangelizing are:

•  2 Timothy 1:7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.

• Matthew 10:28 Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.


• 1 Peter 3:13-15 Who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good? But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. “Do not fear their threats; do not be frightened.” But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect...

As followers of Christ, the word of God commands us to be sharing the gospel, our faith:

•  Matthew 28:19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

• Romans 10:13-17 “For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!” But not all the Israelites accepted the good news. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our message?” Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ.

The part that I love is that we don't have to do this work all on our own but Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to us to be our helper! Someone once told me that "for as many different people that there are in the world, there are that many different ways to minister and evangelize". We can certainly learn from the different ways Jesus did things during his ministry here on earth recorded in the Bible, but we can also observe in the bible the ministries of people just like us, such as Paul who was empowered by the Holy Spirit and able to accomplish much for the Lord's glory and making him known.

It is good for me to be reminded that we can accomplish next to nothing apart from the help of the Holy Spirit. We can "save" no one. We didn't "save" ourselves. For God said to Moses, "I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion", as seen in the Old Testament as well as the New. It is by the Lord's sovereign election that any of us are saved, and by his timing. Now that we are believers, We proclaim. The Holy Spirit explains. 

• John 6:44 “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them, and I will raise them up at the last day."

• Ephesians 1:4 He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him In love.

• John 15:16 You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you.

Evangelizing can seem a pretty weighty, heady, and daunting task, but I'm learning that it doesn't have to be if we approach it in the right heart. Today I am going to share with you a selection of videos about evangelizing that are some of my most favorite videos made available on Youtube. Listen to these men as they share how they go about sharing their faith and perhaps be ready to take notes! A wide spectrum from the most reformed to quite charismatic, I hope the messages of these men leave you feeling encouraged and super excited about sharing your faith. Anyone can do it!

Mark   Spence

Paul  Washer

Todd  White

Be sure to check out: My Top 10 Favorite Online Christian Resources for Enhancing Your Quiet Times.
  Thanks for stopping by! Let me know what you thought about this post  and if you would like more posts on this topic! For some extra supplemental reading check out 2 Corinthians 5. I just love that passage!
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Why Spending Time with Jesus Daily Is Important

Lately, I've been thinking about the importance of spending time with Jesus daily. Tour life does not always present opportunity for good, long 'quiet time'/'Jesus time'/'devotion time'/'personal bible study time'...or whatever you call it. Often we Ballet Magnificat dancers pull inconsistent, irregular hours and have to learn to be flexible. Our lifestyle forces us to get creative with how we get our daily dose of truth. Maybe you can relate? filling up one's soul with biblical truth on a daily basis is so important for every Christian believer to do, no matter what the lifestyle. Not only should we be in the Word because we are simply instructed to SEVERAL TIMES in the bible itself (Joshua 1:8, Romans 10:17, Timothy 3:16-17, Psalms 119; to name a few places in scripture), but also because it is like our instruction manual and guide for life. The Bible was written and provided for us by our maker, God, so we should live by it! Our Maker sure does know what He's talking about!

• Matthew 4:4  It is written, “‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”


• John  6:35  Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst."


• John 6:51  "I am the living bread that came down out of heaven; if anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread also which I will give for the life of the world is My flesh."


• Matthew 5:6  Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.


• John 4:34  Jesus said to them, "My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work."


• Job 23:12  I have not departed from the commandment of his lips; I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my portion of food.


• Psalm 73:26  My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.


• Jeremiah 15:16  Your words were found, and I ate them, and your words became to me a joy and the delight of my heart, for I am called by your name, O Lord, God of hosts.


• 1 Peter 2:2  like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation.


• Psalm 34:10 The young lions suffer want and hunger; but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.


• John 4:14  But whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”

I believe the Lord chooses to compare the truth of his word to food because it is so relatable to us! You don't go one day without eating food for your physical nourishment, do you?! Then why would you ever stave yourself spiritually? I am reminded of a particular story of the Israelites in the Old Testament during the time of their wandering in the desert after having fled from Egypt. They had to rely on the Lord for all their needs while in the desert. Chapter 16 in the book of Exodus talks about how God provided food for them, nourishment from heaven referred to as manna.

Exodus 16:14  Then  the  Lord  said  to  Moses ,  “I  will  rain  down  bread  from  heaven  for  you .  The  people  are  to  go  out  each  day  and  gather  enough  for  that  day .  In  this  way  I  will  test  them  and  see  whether  they  will  follow  my  instructions. 

 In Exodus 16:19 the Israelites were commanded not to hide or horde the food from heaven, not to store it away for later or make it last more than one day. What I take this to mean is that we too should neither "horde" our spiritual food or expect ourselves to be able to run off of old manna for too long. Are you catching my drift? I believe we should be able to apply this passage about the physical nourishment God supplied the Israelites with and his instructions about it, with the spiritual nourishment  He supplies us with. We must depend on God for our nourishing needs (for everything in life), and seek him for new 'manna'  Daily! 

In order to build a deeper relationship with Jesus, our Savior, we need to meet with him in quietness each day. If supernatural nourishment is what you need spiritually, physically, and/or mentally, I advise you: Don't stand him up, no matter how busy you are! You won't regret it! I know it from experience! I know what it feels like to trade in time with the Lord for settling for the things of this world, left feeling spiritually dry as a desert, but I also have experienced what happens when you make seeking the Lord a priority in life. It amounts to peace, wholeness, transformation, and liberation. It really is a battle of faith and obedience. Making a habit of getting into God's word daily is a battle worth fighting for.

Even being apart of an American Christian ballet company, reading my bible every day can be a challenge, a fight. There are times when 15-20 minutes is all I can spare in my day to spend time with the Lord. I used to condemn myself for "running out of time". In my mind, 15-20 minutes was not very long so out of discouragement, what I used to do was just throw in the towel and give up on having quiet time altogether. I lacked any faith to believe that God would meet with me in such a short amount of time, but in my perseverant pursuit to know Jesus better, I have learned a thing or two about the fight for making time with Jesus. 

One of the most important things I have learned and want to share with you here today is that God is entirely capable  of speaking to me and blessing my soul in however much time I offer up to him, whether I have much time or little! It was wrong for me to put God in a box and think that he wouldn't/ couldn't speak to me in a short about of time. Since learning this lesson, I have come to experience how God can so powerfully blow me away with just one scripture, filling me with enough encouragement and faith to last me all day! It doesn't always have to be a whole chapter of reading, an hour long, or whatever other preconceived idea one might have. 

James 4:8  Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.

All that to say, I  shouldn't consistently settle for giving God only 15-20 minutes of my day, but if the case is that that's all I have time for, I shouldn't waste time condemning myself about it but just give it to him. The truth is, spending time with God and reading His word needs to be a priority in our lives. Exodus 23:19 says "Bring the best of the firstfruits of your soil to the house of the Lord your God". Another important lesson I've learned recently is that much more is accomplished when I seek the Lord first, compared to what is accomplished in all my striving, and scrambling, and toiling, and doing, without seeking Him first. 

Image Source

↑ Convicting much? Sometimes I am also tempted to think my ritualistic commitment to read the Word of God every day may be legalistic, or maybe sometimes I am afraid of the appearance of it being legalistic. But the last thing I will share with you that I am learning about is that there is a difference between legalism and discipline. This realization came as a huge relief to me. I know I am in the clear because discipline is what I am after and discipline is a fruit of the spirit (Gal. 5:22).

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The following are 10 different ways I may choose to spend time with the Lord on any given day.

What  My  Jesus  Time  Might  Look  Like :

• Music. I usually like to have my quiet time in the mornings so often times I start my day with a worship song or two to help me wake up and get my heart focused.

• Personal Prayers. Simply talking to the Lord about what's on my mind is definitely an essential practice in building my relationship with the Lord. Figuring out what to pray for takes first quieting my heart and mind and searching them. Then I pray to God about all what I discover. I talk to him as I would talk to any one person I am trying to build a relationship with. We are provided with the Lord's prayer found in the Matthew 6:5-15 which is a great passage to refer to if you are looking for a guideline or a way to structure your prayers, but of course there are different kinds of prayers for different kinds of things. There are SEVERAL different acronyms out there to serve as a pattern for praying that I will sometimes use such as 

• ACTS (adoration, confession, thanksgiving, supplication-that is interceding for others)  

• FACTS (faith, adoration, confession, thanksgiving, supplication) 

• PRAY (praise, repent, access-to God to talk about needs and frustrations, yielding- declaring your trust in God's will, way, and timing of things) 

• PRAISE ( praise, repentance, ask, intercession, speaking the word of God, enjoying his presence)

 Choose one of these acronyms as a guideline if you'd like and get praying!

If an eventful day is to be expected, I like to cover all my plans in prayer. Then after all that praying, know that it is also important to keep an open mind and follow up your praying with listening/ being sensitive to the voice of the Holy Spirit!

• Corporate and Global Prayers. After spending time praying for myself, I try to make a point of praying for the people around me, friends, family, community, the government, other countries etc. Praying for these things does not always come naturally. I have to ask the Lord to give me a heart for what/who He has a heart for. 


• Journal. I enjoy writing out my feelings and thoughts about the day or previous days. Sometimes I write out my prayers. I write and listen.


• Stream of thought Journaling. Often times when I sit down for quiet time and I feel empty, uninspired, or unmotivated it helps to me to sit down with my journal and just write anything and everything that comes to mind until clarity, a word, a vision, or a prayer focus comes to mind. 


• Bible reading plan. I usuallyBible reading plans out there such as going through it chronologically, reading two books at a time- one from the Old Testament and one from the new, or the Bible reading plan for reading the whole Bible in a year which is what I might decide to go with for this coming year. I suggest always beginning your Bible reading time with prayer, asking the Lord to bless your time of reading and speak to you through his Word what he wants to, and that you would not miss it.


• A Bible Study or Devotional. If I am going through a Bible study book with my church or maybe I am just going through a daily devotional book for myself, I usually carve out some time for doing those things!

• Supplemental reading.  Occasionally I will be reading through some theological, or soul enriching material. Reading a chapter or so from those materials may take place during my quiet time but I am resolute that supplemental reading should never takeover or replace my 'quiet time' and Bible reading time in its entirety.


• Scripture Memorizing. I'll be honest, I am not good at memorizing Bible verses (or good at memorizing anything for that matter), but it can be done. All it takes is applying myself, and LOTS of repetition. The scriptures I choose to memorize are often times the faith building and encouraging ones which help me combat the lies I am confronted with each day by the world and the enemy. The ability to triumph over these lies in my mind at any given moment with biblical truth makes the practice of scripture memorization worth the effort.


• Scripture Meditating. Sometimes during my time of Bible reading, I come across a passage of scripture that I just get fixated on that makes it difficult for me to continue reading. It may be a passage I need to spend more time digging deeper into. Sometimes a biblical word study is in order. I can spend multiple quiet times researching the passage, marinading in the truth I glean. Taking time to fully understand what I am reading in the Bible is always worth it's while leaving me with a deeper knowledge and understanding of who God is and who doesn't want that? 

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Check out my top 10 favorite online Christian resources for enhancing your quiet times.

Those were just a few ideas of what I like to do during my quiet time. I hope they inspire and spur you on that you might offer to God the best of your first fruits. With a new year on the horizon let us all strive to seek the Lord in a greater way then we had this past year. Scripture says in Jeremiah 29:13 that when we seek the Lord with all our heart, we will find Him. How does your quiet time with Jesus look? Do you like to have your time of devotions in the morning or in the night, and why?  Share your ideas and thoughts below! Thanks for reading! God Bless!

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Go Deeper With My Top 10 Favorite Free Online Ministry Resources

The best top 10 free online ministry resources in the opinion of a Non-denominational Protestant Christian Believer. Enjoy!

Christian  Life  Resources

 #1 Livingwaters.com

LivingWaters.com is an evangelism resource and training site that helps Christians share their faith effectively and biblically the way Jesus did

 Living Waters is without a doubt my top favorite evangelistic ministry out there! They love telling people about Jesus and have fun while doing it! Their website provides resources and tools for equipping and spurring believers on to share their faith. I love how everything is made so accessible and free to the public.


 #2 Carm.org

CARM is a 501(c)3, non-profit, Christian ministry dedicated to the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ and the promotion and defense of the Christian Gospel, doctrine, and theology.  To do this, CARM analyzes religious and non-religious movements and compares them to the Bible. We examine abortion, atheism, evolution, Islam, Jehovah's Witnesses, Mormonism, relativism, Roman Catholicism, Wicca, universalism, (and more), along with Christian preachers and teachers.  In all our analyses we use the Bible as the final standard of truth in order to defend and promote Christianity.

A trustworthy website in my opinion; I love that they use the Bible as their final standard of truth. This website is a great resource I turn to for deciphering trending, controversial topics.

 #3 Onecry.com

We exist to enlist and equip people to pray for their homes, cities, churches, and the nation.

A great resource I turn to for prayer focus. Their website offers a number of handy resources but my favorite is the monthly prayer calendar they put out. You can have it sent straight to your inbox each month for convenience and it is downloadable.



Watch

#4 IllBeHonest.com

Christian Videos and Audio Sermons of Tim Conway, Paul Washer, and other Biblical preachers.

I'll be honest, I absolutely LOVE and am totally on board with all the content this ministry puts out! Solid stuff! This is the first website I turn to when looking for a good sermon to watch. They cover a wide range of topics and nothing is ever watered down. All of their videos are accessible on Youtube as well of course.

Listen

#5 Wretched.org

Wretched is a 501c3 non-profit organization that uses television, radio, and various other forms of media to create culturally-compelling and theologically-sound content with three goals in mind: to preach the Gospel, equip the saints to preach & defend the Gospel, and strengthen the local church.

Radio and television hosted by Todd Friel, this guy is FUNNY. I don't pay for cable tv so when I need some noise in the background I put on Wretched Radio. The website offers a number of different resources but it is probably most known for its radio talk show where Friel covers a multitude of topics from the gospel to present day current events. I am subscribed to the Wretched Radio podcast through iTunes but it can also be streamed from their website. Video snippets are also accessible on Youtube. Check it out!

Read

#6 Desiringgod.org

Find your joy in God with sermons, books, podcasts, video, and daily articles from the ministry of John Piper.

It might be best that you don't start me on all the reasons why I love John Piper, but just one of the reasons why is because of his awesome website. There are a number of different amazing articles that are sure to enrich your understanding of who God is, not to mention that John Piper has all of his books ever published available online for free download! The whole of all his books---for free!!! How generous is that! Go check it out! You'd be surprised how many books he's written that you've actually heard of before.

Study

#7 Blueletterbible.com

Read and study God's Word with Bible study software that has in-depth resources such as commentaries, Greek and Hebrew word tools, concordances, and more

This is the first resource I turn to when trying to track down a verse when I don't know its reference, when I'm trying to find cross-references, or find the Greek or Hebrew meaning of a word in the Bible. Commentaries and daily devotionals are also available through Blue Letter Bible. The website is extremely user-friendly and there is a phone app available as well.

#8 E-sword.net

e-Sword is a feature rich and user-friendly free Bible study app with everything needed to study the Bible in an enjoyable and enriching manner!

Similar to Blue Letter Bible but e-Sword can be downloaded straight to your desktop.


#9 biblearc.com



For a deeper studying experience of the Bible, Biblearc provides free tools for studying the Bible. It has excellent reviews from a myriad of different Pastors and Professors. The option to register for courses on how to study the Bible using the arc method and more is available at a small cost.

Deliverance  Courses

#10 settingcaptivesfree.com

Free courses offered. Setting Captives Free exists to help men and women to freedom in Christ through the gospel.

Saving the best for last; I can not praise this organization more highly. This website and the courses they offer have seriously changed my life, specifically in the areas of self-image and eating (or the lack of) issues. These Christocentric courses are powerful and life-changing. I highly recommend you check this ministry out if you struggle with weight loss and/or eating disorders, walking in purity, social media addiction, substance abuse, or depression to name a few of the courses offered.

BONUS! APPS FOR YOUR PHONE:

Everyone knows about the Youversion bible app, but have you heard of these?

#11 Scripture Typer

start memorizing those bible verses easier with Scripture Typer on your phone!

#12 First 15

Their website explains: A growing relationship with God comes when you experience Him daily. Christians know the importance of a daily quiet time consisting of Bible reading and prayer, yet many struggle with finding a devotional resource that is both easy to understand and relatable to daily life.

We’ve created a devotional for every day of the year comprised of Scripture, guided moments of prayer and reflection, fresh worship, and a call to action. Tens of thousands of readers each month use our content to discover God in a deeper way, and it’s changed their lives.

#13 Streetlights Bible App

As explained in the Google Play App Store: Streetlights is an urban tailored multimedia Bible app using audio, video, and curriculum to communicate the transforming Word of God. It Utilizes word-for-word scripture read from the New Living Translation (NLT) dubbed over a hip-hop soundtrack. Scripturally narrated conceptual videos and urban tailored curriculum offered, Streetlights desires that all people will be able to hear, understand, and internalize the Word of God.

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Be Sure to Check out: Why Spending Time with Jesus Daily Is Important
and My 3 Favorite Evangelistic Pep Talks found on YouTube 



Did you find this post helpful? Let me know down below in the comment section which resource you found to be most interesting, useful, and/or helpful! 
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Thanks for stopping by!

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December Hand Lettering and Illustration Challenge

Check out the CREATE tab above or click HERE for more creative inspirations! Thanks for stopping by! Happy Creating!

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Dancing in a Winter Wonderland!

-  A  Blogmas  Weekend  .  Mississippi  Snowfall  .  Performing  Up  A  Storm  .  - 

 The Ballet Magnificat Christmas performing season is just beginning to rev up. We've had two run-out performances this week so far. We've had one performance of "Light Has Come" in North Augusta, SC at Grace United Methodist Church on Tuesday as well as one in Gulfport, Mississippi on Thursday at Northwood Church, when then after the show driving on our way back home to Jackson, MS we had a surprise snowfall! The sight of the snow had me acting all giddy like a little child full of excitement the whole drive home. The next morning we awoke to several inches of snow still sticking to the ground and everywhere! So much snow falling in December in Jackson, MS is such a rarity. It was such a beautiful sight to see. 

This weekend Ballet Magnificat Alpha will be presenting four dances in a Christmas production being put on by a local church here in town called Crossgates. If you're local you should come out to support us! After working with the Crossgates church this evening during dress rehearsal, I can assure you that it's going to be a fabulous production featuring talented singers, an adult and children's choir, live music (which I LOVE dancing to!), as well as Joe Castillo a sand story artist. More information about the Crossgates Christmas shows can be found at the very end of this blog post so check it out! With only 10 days left before Christmas break the dance season will finish out for me this year with a small performance this coming Sunday for my own church and then lastly, but not least, the annual shows that we present at Thalia Mara Hall. I hope you are coming! 😁

This  past  week  in  snapshots :

It's the most wonderful (and busy) time of the year! schedules, schedules everywhere!

A  Day  in  Gulfport  :

• We start our day Thursday morning meeting at the vans at 7:15am. The total travel time for our trip from Jackson to Gulfport ends up being 3 hours.

We arrive at the church at 11:30am and immediately start unloading our trailers and setting up

Margot and a volunteer assembling lighting poles

These are just a few of the stage lights that get hung on the poles

Rachel and Grace work together on setting up the lights

My setup job is always setting up the merchandise table in the lobby with Hannah, but this time with Christmas Decorations! I love my set up job and my set up buddy!

We pause our setting up for a casual lunch break at 12:45pm

Pictured here is one out of our two costume boxes that gets sent to the green room

Pretty Christmas headpieces

After setting up we get our hair and makeup ready. There's Taylor!

We begin going over our steps/ reviewing/ marking on stage at 3:00pm

practicing the presentation of our stage-sized cross fabric for an opener piece called "Immanuel"

The show in North Augusta went well. Pictured here is a photo snapped during our piece called "Immanuel" 

On our way home after the show, we drove through the night. Since I am a night owl, during the night shifts I love sitting shotgun to help the driver stay awake. I snap this precious selfie to capture the excitement of Margot and I as we discover snow beginning to fall some point past midnight.

Driving through snow looks so cool!

We arrived back to home base at 1:49am. What a day.

The next day I wake up to this outside my window!

A winter wonderland!

A  Few  Performance  Pics  From  North  Augusta   :

If you've never seen Ballet Magnificat perform, you need to! It's an experience like no other. Keep your eye on our booking calendar for when we come to a city near you!

Dress Rehearsal at Crossgates  :

Group selfie at Crossgates

Warming up back stage

A snapshot during rehearsal

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Thanks so much for stopping by my blog today! If you enjoyed this post please comment, follow, subscribe, and don't be shy! Have a great weekend!
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