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MKS Blog
The Gift of Life
We had the privilege of spending 9 days in Haiti doing various things with the House of Joy Orphanage and the New Christian Church & School of Tabarre. Following God’s leading to make this trip, I went in open to receive whatever God had for our team as well as the Haitians we had the privilege of meeting there. I was overwhelmed with the joy the girls shared with us.
Trusting the Process
A few months back, I was speaking with the mother of one of our students after a performance, and we were going over the experience. In our discussion, she mentioned the Matheny Manifesto as a contributing factor to how she approaches her daughter’s dance instruction. Her attitude was so positive and refreshing…
Coming Down the Mountain
When students come back to class, it is fun to hear about summer highlights. Maybe it was a summer camp, a mission trip, a sports camp, or a great family vacation. We might feel forever changed by our experience but now those mountaintop moments are behind us and daily life has returned…
The Most Wonderful Time of the Dance Year
There is a ton of hard work that goes into pulling off the dance concert. But if you find yourself getting bogged down in the details – step back, take a deep breath and remember the big picture.
Petals & Pointe Shoes Propelling Pre-Teen to Puebla
Every year at the MKS dance concerts there is a table near the entrance loaded with flowers. This year, not only are there flowers available, but also custom-painted pointe shoes that have been hanging in the MKS lobby.
O’Fallon Dance Studio To Send Teachers to Haiti
At MKS we feel called to not only share our gifts, but also our talents, and for that there’s nothing like meeting kids and sharing your talents with them in person.
Kingdom Dancers Instead Of Competition?
Are you looking to up your dance game, but are wary of the cost and costuming/messages of competition? Do you want your dancing to have a message and an impact beyond just combining tricks and moves?
A Chance To Dance
The 11th annual ‘Chance to Dance’ concert was held April 8th, 2017, and MKS was excited to be a part of the show! Miss Karin made all of the connections happen, as prior to moving to Lake St. Louis, she lived in St. Joseph and taught at The Dance Arts Center. Eight of the Soul Sisters and Faithful Friends travelled from O’Fallon to St. Joe (270 miles)…
Comparison in Dance and Life
It is all too easy to compare other people’s highlight reels to our personal behind the scenes. “Do I compare my talents, my accomplishments, or even my belongings to other people’s?” I am often surprised at what is revealed…
You Do Not Have to…, You Only Have to Love
What is it that you “do not have to…” do today? What can you replace with love?
There is so much freedom in letting go of the “should’s” in our lives and allowing love to be our focus.
MKS OUT and ABOUT – 2016 Discovering Abilities Day
Two of our students from the Dance 4 Special Dancers – Level 3 class, Jaime & Alex, along with Miss Michelle, attended the 2016 Discovering Abilities Day at a local elementary school last month.
Welcome to a Dance Year All About UNITY!
We are so excited about the 2016-17 Dance Year! We have had a great start already – getting to work with our classes for a month now. Thank you for joining us this year! We are thankful for each of our students and families!
Movement
I remember sitting there, and the girl was hardly moving. Her face, her heart – they said everything that needed to be said. It was clear that she did not have extensive, if any, formal dance training…
Music
After all these years investing hours and days searching through iTunes looking for just the right music for each class for the Dance Concert, I still think it is fun. The music is out there. It may take a little extra work to find something that fits our theme just right, but it is satisfying to find something that also complements the dancers and the style of dance being performed.
Responsibility
A large part of our mission is to teach dancers to share their gifts while using appropriate music, movement & costumes. When I say that, I think many people imagine dancers wearing dresses as big as tablecloths and dancing to “Kum Ba Yah.” Instead, year after year, people are surprised at the appropriate, yet in-style costumes our students wear, the variety of good music, and the technical ability and talent that our dancers show at the dance concerts.
The Season of Consumerism
“The things we consume (food, TV shows, music, etc.) affect us.” We often hear these types of responses –
I don’t listen to the lyrics.
The violence doesn’t bother me.
Scarlett the Scarecrow
Here at MKS, we aren’t real big on Halloween in general, but we jump at the chance to put a tutu on a scarecrow! Now you might think that scarecrows are all about protecting crops from winged interlopers, but Scarlett has another thing on her mind–Dance!
Planning (& Practice) Makes Perfect
The longer I teach dance and run a dance studio, the more I have learned that not everyone is aware of what goes into the whole process, so I thought I would give an inside peek at what the staff has been working on lately…
Dance Students Criss-Cross County to Share Joy
“Everybody can relate to dance in some way or another,” Revelle says, “sometimes we get seniors who are simply so delighted that they hug the kids and start dancing right along with them after the show! It’s so neat to be a part of brightening someone’s day.”
Sun, Sand & Prayers
Just as we ended the 2014-15 Dance Season, where we had focused on putting on God’s Armor, God had plans in the works to take what we had learned and get us ready for the 2015-16 theme of “Prayer.”
Dance Concert – Stress or Joy?
Each year around this time, we enter a season of focused preparation for the Dance Concert. Although we started planning well over a year ago, we kick things into high gear during the late Winter.
Communication
Students who learn how to address their teachers – with healthy respect and realistic expectations – grow into mature adults who can effectively communicate with others.
Dance with Purpose
People are bought and sold for various reasons right here among us, and we may not recognize it.
Armor vs. Apathy
I had no idea when we first started plans for this year’s theme – Armor of the King – how relevant Armor would be to dance. And yet, the more I study about the armor, the more I realize that we serve in battle at the studio all the time.
Drudgery & Success
My own daughters, after two weeks of tumbling class, informed me that they could do cartwheels, and my youngest was puzzled that they had to keep doing cartwheels each week, as she had already learned how to do them. With a smile (and a little giggle), I let her know that she would do hundreds of cartwheels during the year and in the coming years as well.
October is Invite a Friend Month
I have noticed lately, more and more, how important an enriching activity is for kids. With my own children getting older, I see the value of having something to do, to work at, and to achieve in order to keep their minds focused on positive things.
GRACE-full DANCE!
If you are a Christ-follower, do you ever feel pressure to be perfect? It is easy to believe the lie that we have to somehow measure up to a high standard before we can be useful to God. We experience this same pressure at MKS at times.
Little Things Can Make a Big Difference!
Small improvements here and there, like touching up paint in my kids’ bedrooms every so often (instead of repainting the whole house) or wiping down just one shelf in the fridge (instead of cleaning the entire thing at once) can make a big difference.
Haitian Dancers Seek New ‘Sole Sisters’
When we think of ballet, words like poise, grace, and balance come to mind. But what about words like poverty, and orphanage, and Haiti? Are those compatible?
Dance Dad Uses Woodworking for Recitals
If Norm Abrams used his New Yankee Workshop to make backdrops, this is what it might be like. Former New-Englander Mike Wilson does just that for his daughter’s dance concerts.
Can a Few Flowers Make the World a Better Place?
It’s a great idea to give flowers to your dancer after their recital, and sometimes giving flowers has more impact than you’d expect.
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