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bluebirduncaged Uncategorized

happy heart

there is a field. 

lush green grass. wildflowers sprinkled all around. 

a huge shade tree to the left. 

I will wear my sundress and run. 

dance. twirl. laugh. giggle. jump.  

barefoot without worrying about stepping on something unpleasant. 

because the grass is soft. cool. cushiony but firm. 

the sun shines bright. warm. happy. kissing my shoulders lightly.

a soft wind blows. caressing my cheeks. gently lifting my hair off my face.

the flowers share my joy.

because I am alive. alive in Jesus. 

He sees me and smiles. I’m alone yet He is here.

my heart swells with gratitude.

because I’m living in His grace. breathing grace. grace{full} 

brilliant green blurs beneath my feet. arms wide. heart abandon. 

everlasting love.

to my right is a mountain. gray and snow capped. strong. solid. courageous.

He is my refuge. I remember the shelter of His wings. how soft the feathers were. 

my strength when I had none. 

hope. comfort. grace. 

the rushing waters roar from a waterfall at the base of the mountain. 

falling into a shimmering lake.

a rainbow dances among the droplets.

His promises are faithful. armor and protection. 

I waltz. spin. skip. my dress swishes.

I am free.

flying. soaring. as if on the wings of eagles.

this is what I was made for.

I am His and He is mine. 

Forever. 

 
bluebirduncaged Uncategorized

2014

May 2014 be a year of being–being instead of doing and being in the doing. Teach us to see your grace in the moment. May we not fill the space but feel the rhythm. Jesus, teach us to be quick to listen and slow to speak this year. May we not rush from one thing to the next but slow down to hear–hear you and those in front of us. As we listen, may we enjoy the journey, savor moments, and remember your faithfulness. Jesus, grant us humility. Take our lives. Make them neon signs pointing to you. Don't let us hold on to the former things. Let us to live with open hands, ears, and hearts. To you be the glory. 

bluebirduncaged Things I'm learning

Things I learned in 2013

  • Faithful is He who has called you and He will also bring it to pass ~1 Thess. 5:24
  • How to cut a bell pepper 
  • His grace will equip us for what we are called to do (and sometimes that "equipping" comes in the moment)
  • It's possible to live your dreams
  • singing "Trading My Sorrows" is more fun in Spanish
  • Obedience yields fruit–but we don't have to see it and the seeds might be planted in a storm
  • what it takes to organize and produce a stage production
  • Sometimes you just have to fearlessly press 'send' (1 of many examples)

 …a year of grace, faithfulness and immeasurably more.

bluebirduncaged Ballet, My Life, Things I'm learning

growing

There’s a creative movement exercise I do with little ones where we pretend to be a seed in the ground. After a rainstorm, Mr. Sunshine dries the dirt on top of us and we send our fingers into the space above us to grow into a beautiful flower, spinning slowly and opening our petals. Looking back on 2013 this is almost a picture of my journey. Seeds of obedience, planted in the storm finally blooming in vibrant color.  

I began 2013 at a low point. Things weren’t looking the way I had envisioned in my head. Yes, Bluebird was growing and taking off (often this is what kept me going) but personally, I felt stuck. I knew I was supposed to be dancing yet as I looked at my career, I was discouraged. 

In my mind, I hadn’t “made it” yet. Was I ever going to get a contract? To me, that piece of paper validated that I was a “real” dancer. My identity as a dancer was found in a paycheck. 

”That’s not the point" God whispered, “You are no more or less of a dancer because of a signature on a dotted line. You are a dancer because I called you to be. Let me use you where you are.” It took a few months for this to sink in.

At the same time, I was in the process of finding a healthier dance environment. The Georgia Ballet had hired a new artistic director (whom I love and previously took classes from in NYC) and I began taking company class. In June, Alex said he would be happy to hire me but because of financial reasons, it would only be project based. 

Still no contract. But for the first time I was ok with that. Because the title “company artist” doesn’t define me–God does. He gave me the gift of dance and knows where it will bring His name the most glory–whether it be in the lobby of Egelston, the stage of the Cobb Energy Center, or the rainforest of Panama. 

The first class back after returning from Panama, I was stretching when one of administrative staff came to the doorway of the studio. “Rebekah, this is for you,” she handed me a manila envelope. It was a contract!! 

As I’m in this season of seeing the fruit of obedience, soaking up the sunshine and enjoying the blue skies, His faithfulness leaves me in awe. Like that seed planted in the storm, watered by the driving rain, made strong by resisting the wind. The growing process hurts but His grace is enough. Hang on. Keep going. Obedience is worth it. He who called you is faithful and will bring it to pass. 

bluebirduncaged Bluebird: uncaged

White Umbrella & Dance Upon Injustice 2013

A story of hope. A story of love. A story of freedom. 

Inspired by The White Umbrella by Mary Frances Bowley, Bluebird's next project artfully portrays the journey from bondage to redemption. Choreographed by Rebekah Diaddigo to original music by Todd Locke against a backdrop of cinematography by Caleb Diaddigo, this collaboration discusses our heart's story from death to life.  

Bluebird: uncaged is honored to premiere White Umbrella at Dance Upon Injustice 2013 on October 26th! 
 


Click Here for tickets!

*NOTE: Bluebird will only be performing Saturday, October 26th* 

Hope to see you there! Let us know if you're coming! 

bluebirduncaged for artists, Things I'm learning

audience

As Jesus following artists, we often talk about our Audience of One. God is our only audience, His opinion is the only one that matters, we don’t need to dance to impress people or gain their approval. 

True. Completely valid. I totally agree. But what about the physical audience? We are pursuing a performing art in which “success” is based primarily on visual aesthetics and personal opinion.  

Sometimes it’s hard to reconcile these two ideas. On one hand, if God is our only audience, why don’t we just put on a show for an empty auditorium? Or are we supposed to go into our closets to dance like we’re supposed to pray? But on the the other, wouldn’t that be like putting our light under a bowl if we’re called to use our gifts for His glory?

I confess sometimes I’ve thought shouldn’t care about the audience. Yet that’s pretty much impossible. They’re sitting right there–artistic staff judging your readiness for the next role, teacher scrutinizing technique and coaching you towards perfection, peers either cheering you on or waiting for you to get injured, your family proud to know someone on stage, or some random person who paid upwards of $50 to sit in a seat for two hours. It seems kind of wrong to just not care about them. 

We’re coming at it from the wrong angle

The curtain goes up but the wall is still there. Pride makes us think we have something to offer them; a service they might benefit from. An “us” and “them” mentality cultivates a sense of superiority and comparison. We feel good about all those years of training and flex our muscles in satisfaction. In reality, our art is just another channel of communication. It’s a language. A conversation. 

From isolation to community.

Beyond the footlights, is a collection of human beings just like us. Precious souls behind every pair of eyes glistening in the blackness. Souls that have an eternity ahead of them. Souls that need hope. Hearts that need mending. Walls that need to be torn down. Wounds that need to be healed. Confidence that needs to be restored. If we’ve really experienced His love and grace, how could we not care about them?  

Art is a medium of exchange–our language. The choreography is the structure of the conversation and the performance is an invitation. An invitation into a BIGGER story, the greatest story ever told, the JESUS story! 

Because He has redeemed us we do have something to offer–hope! Not through pride, training, or knowledge gained by study but through humility. In offering our lives to the King as an empty vessel, He fills us that we might be used to offer His abundant life to others and make His name famous. 

Yes, God is our Audience of One but we have a physical audience as well. May you dance [create] not to impress but to engage. May you offer yourself that they might experience His love, beauty, and goodness. Extend the invitation into the JESUS story, that they might join this Divine Dance with our Maker.

bluebirduncaged Bluebird: uncaged

Breaking Free!

 

Breaking Free from Bluebird: uncaged on Vimeo.

 

Truth–> identity. confidence. freedom 

The second installment of the Beautiful Things Project discusses choosing to believe the Truth about our identity. When we know He defines us–not our family, not the mirror, not our past, not our weaknesses, not our sin, not other people’s opinions, not the cast list or pay scale–we have a humble confidence. And in that confidence is freedom to be the person we were made to be.

{2 Corinthians 3}

bluebirduncaged Bluebird: uncaged, Pray

Praying for Panama 1

To this end, also we pray for you always, that our God will count you worthy of your calling, and fulfill every desire for goodness and the work of faith with power, so that the name of our Lord Jesus will be glorified in you, and you in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ. 
~2 Thessalonians 1:11-12 

bluebirduncaged Bluebird: uncaged, Things I'm learning, Travel

When dreams collide

 “What do you want to be when you grow up?” “A missionary!” my eight-year-old self enthusiastically replied. 

 “So, what do you want to do with your life?” “I want to bring hope and dignity through dance and invite people into a story greater than their own–the story of Jesus” my twenty-one-year-old self would reply. 

I guess my answer hasn’t really changed much. 

When I was eight, I imagined myself sharing Jesus in a foreign country (one in particular but it shall remain unnamed). Maybe translating scripture in the jungle or living in a trash heap like Daddy’s former college roommate, or dodging the government with an underground Bible study.

Yet as I got older, I realized being a “missionary” wasn’t always defined by where you lived or what you did. In eighth grade, I was reminded by a dear teacher, Mr. Gilchrist, that we are called to “make disciples as you are going” and sometimes that meant staying in the same location on the planet. For the time being, I knew my “mission field” was where I was physically present at the moment. More specifically, I knew it was the dance world. 

The desire to GO didn’t leave. But as much as I wanted to serve internationally, I didn’t just want to jump on the next plane to _______ (fill in the blank). God simply hadn’t said “Go” yet. I have yet to travel beyond the borders of the United States of America. 

In the past few years, as God has honed the vision for Bluebird, the desire to serve internationally has been rekindled. The idea started seriously bouncing around in my head last summer. What if we could somehow combine dance and serving the nations? In January, He confirmed that it was time to go.

So here I am, about to go to Panama on Thursday. Two dreams, seemingly on opposite ends of the spectrum, seamlessly colliding into a beautiful explosion of grace. I’m in awe. He is faithful. 

bluebirduncaged Ballet, Bluebird: uncaged

Restored recap

This weekend Bluebird: uncaged produced it's first show in collaboration with Refuge Dance Company! It was truly an amazing and surreal experience. It was imperfectly perfect and we learned a lot. Still in awe of God working in all the little details and bringing it all together.   

Restored recap

We'd like to thank Katherine and David Gant for inviting us to this collaboration and sharing their resources, talents, and passions. Without their support, Bluebird would not be where it is today.

Restored recap

Humongous thank you to all of the volunteers who took the time out of their Sunday to make sure everything ran smoothly. Especially our personal favorites, Ashton, Ellen, and Hannah!

Restored recap

Our dancers are amazing. Thank you Kristin and Nicole for sharing your artistry, excellence, and story in Breaking Free and Beautiful Things

And last but not least, thank you to our audience for the support. Without you, we would just be talking to ourselves. May your heart be inspired and drawn closer to our Maker.

was an exhausting but fulfilling weekend. God is faithful and what He calls us to, He'll bring to fruition. Can't wait to see where we'll fly next.