On Her Toes

When Tamara House was six years old, God showed her in a dream that He was going to raise her up to dance for Him. She had only been taking ballet for ~ month at that time, and her parents were skeptical; but as time went on, it became evident that God had blessed her with a tremendous talent in dance.

For the past ten years she has been taught by a Russian ballet instructor who has developed the expression and creativity of her dancing. Though most young dancers face the rigorous training involved with mastering ballet, Tamara has had the added strain of holding strong to her Christian convictions in a field where there are few believers. Tamara’s refusal to participate in any form of dance that is suggestive or provocative has angered many of her instructors who told her that without train­ing in jazz or modern she would not be “well-rounded”.

     Through the hardship God has been faith­ful to bless her efforts. This summer at the International Ballet Competition, the Olympics of the ballet world, she danced to a self-choreographed wor­ship number, “Behold the Lamb,” before judges and the 260 fellow competitors from around the world. Tamara was awarded the only $40,000 scholarship to Munich, Germany’s Bavarian National Ballet, one of the best schools in the country. Though she had only reached the second round of competi­tion, the representative from Munich “saw something different” about Tamara that prompted him to grant her the scholarship. Tamara and her parents believe that “something different” was Jesus living in her. She knew God had sent her there for the sole purpose of bringing glory to His name.

     But even more amazing than her winning the schol­arship was her decision to refuse it. Feeling that at six­teen she was too young to be away from her family, Tamara in the face of criticism from all those around her did not accept the scholarship. To go would be to follow her own will and not her heavenly Father’s. She decided, with her parent’s encouragement, to stay and continue the work God had already provided for her at home—namely, “Beautiful Feet,” her Christian ballet school for home schoolers. She started with fourteen students. Now she has thirty students and hopes to reach forty by the end of the school year. Her students perform worship numbers as well as classical dances, all of which she choreo­graphs herself. She knows that she is right where she is supposed to be. Tamara lives in Naples, Florida, along with her parents and brother and sister. She enjoys home schooling immensely, and hopes that her story is an encouragement “to other home schoolers who have a love for ballet, but may not know how to apply it to worship.”

     Tamara’s hope for the future is to complete her home schooling this year and spend the next several years learning how to run a household. After that she hopes to join Ballet Magnificat, a Christian ballet company in Mississippi that tours the country minis­tering through dance. For Tamara, dancing in a Christian company is the only option she will consid­er. “As far as I’m concerned, if you want to glorify the Lord and keep ballet pure before Him, it’s really not a possibility to dance in a secular company.” Tamara has trained at Ballet Magnificat during the summer, and both she and the company are waiting for God’s timing to have her join.

For more information about the Christian ballet company founded by Kathy Thibodeaux, write Ballet Magnificat, 5406 1-55 North, Jackson, MS 39211. Or call (601) 977-1001

Did You Know?

Heinrich Schutz (1585-1672), often called the father of German music, was a devout Lutheran composer remembered primarily for his highly religious works. Probably his greatest work, The Seven Last Words put all four Gospels to music using Jesus’ last seven words as a base- “My God, My God, why hast Thou forsak­en Me!”- creating a strong spiritually moving compo­sition. Schutz was Kapelimeister (master of the chapel) at Dresden for fifty-five years, excepting a few. Everyone loved this godly, quiet composer who gave them such hope and encouragement through his music. After his death, he was buried beside his wife, and marking his grave is a brass tablet on which is inscribed, “The Christian Singer of Psalms- A joy for foreigners, for Germans a light.”

Source-The Gift of Music by Jane Stuart Smith and Betty Carlson

Prayer of an Aspiring Musician

Father,

This prayer ascends,

Humble, reverent, and true…

I pray my music touches

Thousands of souls for You,

With echoes that climb to dreams

Or songs that reach for stars,

With notes aspiring to God,

A hundred blessed bright bars…

Encourage me, Oh Lord,

In trials, struggles, and heart,

Let me in music rejoice;

Let not Your voice depart.

Amen.

Hello. My name is Sarah Michael Brown. As editor of the Music and the Arts Task Force, I wanted to let you know a little bit about me. I am a nineteen-year-old, home-school graduate from Temple, a small city in central Texas.

    The above poem, ”The Prayer of an Aspiring Musician,” spells out precisely my goals in life. I have been playing flute for almost twelve years. Currently, I am attending a local junior college as an instrumen­tal music major. My goal is to be a studio musician and play in church worship services.

        This is our second edition of the Music and the Arts section. I hope you’ve enjoyed reading it as much as I have putting it together. It’s definitely a team effort. We have had some great contributions to this fledgling section of New Attitude, and we are looking for more. We’d love to hear how you or someone you know is using the arts to glorify God. Or maybe you have an idea, suggestion, or know of a resource we should review. Don’t hesitate to write.