Unity Dance Troupe expresses art and worship through dance
All photos by Sydney Pressley.
Several Lee students continue to use dance for ministry opportunities and as a creative outlet through Lee’s partnering dance company, Unity Dance Troupe.
According to Unity’s website, the group was founded in 2010 by a Lee alumni with the mission to “use the art of dance as an innovative and creative way to share the gospel of Jesus Christ.”
Unity members with varying levels of dance experience have turned to the studio as a place to express themselves through movement.
“[Dance] is the way I exercise and keep my body healthy as well as a way to express thoughts or feelings that are currently on my mind,” said senior health science major Grace Peter. “We are like a large family, knit together by our love for the Lord and our passion for dancing. In having these two connections, the people I dance with have become my pals and I enjoy doing life with them.”
Members of the company are taught to dance as a single unit, but, through the experience, they build a community with one another.
“Our slogan at Unity is ‘We Dance as One,’ so I think Unity is a whole new idea for family [for me]. We don’t just dance as one, but we live together, through life, as one,” said senior elementary education major Alexa Knight.
Not only does Unity perform locally, but the group also tours internationally. They recently toured to Columbia where they performed 18 shows in 18 days. Over 8,000 people saw their show, “The Veil.”
“As followers of Jesus, we have been commissioned from the beginning to spread the Gospel and be His hands and feet, so Unity brings opportunity to reach the lost, and in a different way through the arts,” said sophomore Alena Ludger.
Ludger also believes Unity has shown her the importance of a safe, competitive-free environment.
“Of course, there are people more advanced technique-wise … but in [Unity] I can honestly and for the first time say this — there is no competition. That’s because we dance with one mission — glorifying God. There’s no room for self,” said Ludger.
