J.D. Scott

Moving in the Spirit "Believe in Me": Moving in the Spirit "Believe in Me"

   
  
“ I’ve been dancing on and off for years at Moving in the Spirit, and also at Alvin Ailey Camp and Atlanta Ballet. Dance is one of the only things I can keep at. It taught me commitment. Even if I don’t like something we’re doing in class one day, I keep with it because there are only so many opportunities. I take what I can and enjoy myself. Dancing has definitely made me a stronger person. When I was younger, I couldn’t take criticism, but there are so many corrections in dance that I learned to be more resilient. I especially like watching other dancers perform, because it inspires me to get better and better. I want there to be more opportunities for people without resources to dance. I don’t have many resources, but I’ve found a way, and I want other people to know there’s hope for them as well. I want to be a dancer when I grow up. It’s the thing I feel most passionate about, and I feel really blessed to have found it at such a young age.” – Autumn Rivers
     
  
“The growth I’ve seen in Autumn is her ability to shed limitations and choose to be a leader in the midst of adversity. In the past, she had a tendency to cast her eyes down when she performed. Now when I see her move, both onstage and off, she has a heightened confidence and sense of who she is in the world. Instead of having her shades down, she looks up and lets the light in.” – Dana Lupton
   
“When I first started school, I was younger than everyone else and too shy to take dance class. Then one day I said, “You know what, I’m going to go in there and I’m going to do this.” I’ve been dancing ever since, because it’s helped me find who I am. I’ve learned that I am strong, stronger than I thought, and that I am different from what I thought I was, or what I thought I had to be. There are a lot of metaphors in dance for life, because it’s a partnership. If you’re sharing weight or doing a lift and one person pulls back too far, you’re both going to get hurt. I love dance so much, but I also want to become a firefighter one day. So whether it’s running through flames to rescue someone, or changing one person’s way of thinking, I want to make a difference for the better. My fellow dancers and I put so much work into our pieces that I want audiences to have the same sense of accomplishment we have when we finish performing, the sense of family and the sense of being together as artists.” – Iza Gustin
   
“Of all my students, I have seen the most physical transformation in Iza. When I first met her, she had a curved spine, and was always injured. Upon investigating, I learned that Iza had a large role in taking care of her family. One of her moms is a nurse, and I was able to ascertain that Iza received attention, and felt the most cared for, when she had an injury. Once Iza realized her injuries were preventing her from being cast in pieces, a light bulb went off in her head. She started getting stronger, her spine straightened, her shoulders went back. She turned from being a victim to a victor. Iza is so hungry for art, and takes risks as an artist. She is absolutely delightful . Her whole spirit of being in the world is to serve as an agent for change. She stands for those who cannot, and she always has. Her voice is as strong as her body is now, and it encourages others to be strong.” – Dana Lupton
     
  
“I have been dancing for 13 years. Initially, my mom told me it would help my coordination because my dream was to play professional baseball. Now I really enjoy dance. It gives me the freedom to move how I want. Through dance, I discovered that I have creative and artistic abilities. Dance allows me to express my life experiences, to process my challenges and aspirations. Last year, I was able to choreograph my own solo, to create something from scratch and perform something that I could call my own. There are many things I want to convey when I dance: passion and joy of movement, hope, celebration, community, self determination, promise and empowerment. “ –Regan Lowring
  
“Regan is another one of my students who, on the surface, looks like a normal kid with no cares in the world. Underneath, he is in one of the most pressurized environments I’ve seen. He almost lost his father a few years ago. Dealing with that and stepping up to support his mother was really tremendous on him. The beautiful part about Regan is that he is absolutely resilient. He has a spirit of willingness to always do the right thing, and is always giving to others. Dancing at Moving in the Spirit has allowed Regan to personally reflect, focus on his needs, and let his classmates provide a circle of support. Through movement, Regan is able to rise above all that tension and stress with pinpoint accuracy. He’s able to transcend where he is, as he looks toward where he wants to be.” – Dana Lupton
   
“I’ve been dancing with Moving in the Spirit for six years. What attracts me most to dance is the opportunity it gives me to express myself through my movement and my art. Through dance, I’ve learned that I’m very dedicated and very determined about making things right. When I’m dancing, I can channel my emotions or things I’ve dealt with into the work, to make it strong for the audience and powerful for me. I want people to know that even though my peers and I are young, we’re very talented, very educated and wise. We want to share a message. As an artist, I want to tell a story through my craft. I want the audience to walk away knowing that life is not easy, but as long as you put your mind and your heart into whatever you’re doing, you’re able to accomplish anything.” – Danielle Aldred
     
  
“I have seen a tremendous transformation in Danielle over the years. She comes from a pretty hostile physical environment. Her neighbors are disengaged, her house gets broken into frequently and a tree once fell on her home. Her resiliency and drive are always what lift her out of the sea of turbulence around her. There is a maturity, a brightness that beams from her, a confidence that she contributes to make the world a better place. Danielle has blossomed as a choreographer, and creates work that is as complex as her life, with layers and texture. She loves to invent and collect movements. She is definitely a creator, and has a voice that is much needed in this world.” – Dana Lupton
   
“I’ve been dancing with Moving in the Spirit for seven years. I’ve kept coming back because dance is my outlet. It’s my voice. Dance helped me say how I feel through movement, gave me another way to reach people and communicate. There’s a piece we did called “Speak,” about women’s self-empowerment. If it were not for that piece, I wouldn’t be able to talk to my parents as effectively as I do now. It gave me that will, that inner strength to say how I feel not only with respect, but with seriousness and assertiveness. When I dance, I don’t want to just be someone an audience sees onstage. I want them to connect with me, to really feel what I’m saying through my movement. Most of the pieces at Moving in the Spirit are about making change and being better leaders for tomorrow. I want audiences to know they really can change the world.” – Tenesia Benson
   
“Tenesia lives in a high crime area, and has openly said how much she is challenged by her neighborhood. When she first came to Moving in the Spirit, she proclaimed she was a fierce recluse, but I have seen her blossom into a fierce leader. There has always been a sadness in Tenesia’s heart, because her brother had a long, mysterious illness that weighed on her family. I think she was forgotten in the shadows. All she wanted was for her brother to get better, so it was hard for her to want anything for herself. Through dancing at Moving in the Spirit, she has been able to shine. She is brilliantly stunning when she performs. She is a voice of reason, considers choices and consequences in real time, and is one of the most humble persons I know. When I consider the next generation, I cannot think of a finer young woman to lead our world.”
     
  
“I’ve been dancing with Moving in the Spirit for six years. When my mom first told me I was going to a summer dance camp, I hesitated. Then I got to Moving in the Spirit and everyone was so welcoming. I was hooked. We feel like a family, we feel safe. I know that I don’t have to act out of my character, that I can be accepted for who I am. When I was younger, I had anger problems, but dancing has taught me to channel my anger, to use it to make my dancing more powerful. Sometimes people look down on being a male dancer because they think it’s feminine. But if I could, I would bring dance to all the community where I live. I would take it to my friends and give them something to do instead of standing around, hanging out on the street. When I dance with my peers at Moving in the Spirit, I want audiences to say, “Wow, kids from Atlanta, Georgia can do that?!” - Darion Thomspon
   
“Darion has really surprised me, and all of his teachers, as a dancer. He’s like a supernova. Artistically, I think he surprised himself. This year, with the help of amazing technical instructors, he has soared from walking to flying. Because he was so new, the girls in the company were wary of him at first. Now they trust him with their lives. He is there for them when they are flying through the air, and he in turn has had to trust them to lift him up. Dance has also helped Darion process situations in his community. He is so buoyant, so full of hope and determination, that he actually defies gravity. The laws of physics do not apply to Darion.” – Dana Lupton
   
“I’ve been dancing pretty much my whole life. My mother was a dancer, and she passed it down to me. I can express emotions through dance that I can’t express any other way. I’ll put on a piece of music and start dancing, and it will just generate more emotion. Sometimes I’ll even start crying. Dance helps me get through many situations in my life, every day, all the time. Through dancing, I’ve learned that I’m very creative and have many talents. When I dance, I want to express to people that they can do anything, as long as they put their heart into it. I want audiences to walk away from seeing me dance saying “Wow!” and loving the arts as much as I do.” - Kai Lewis
     
  
“Kai is the youngest member of our advanced performance company. Her passion runs so deep for such a young person. She has an old soul. While her technical ability continues to grow, her passion and drive are that of a well-seasoned dancer. She is incredibly intense and whimsical all at the same time. Kai always puts in one hundred percent, so that she is ready whenever we need her to step up. She has tremendous pressure at home with her parents, and that tension is ever present. Because she loves so deeply, her biggest challenge has been to work through that. Her community at Moving in the Spirit gives her the tools she needs to sail through those turbulent waters.” – Dana Lupton
   
“I’ve been dancing and working with Moving in the Sprit for over twenty years. I dance because it is a universal language that allows people to discover each other, discuss issues and work through challenges. When I was younger, dancing taught me that I had more discipline than I thought, and that anything is possible. Dancing gave me an opportunity to explore struggles I was facing in my life through movement. Now when I dance, I want audiences to see that having hope and passion is key to succeeding in life. I started a program for boys at Moving in the Spirit called “Men in Motion,” because I want to give the younger generation the same opportunities I had. To be a man, you need to have another man to look up to. Dancing in a program for boys gives young men the guidance and male mentors they need, and really changes their lives.” – Chris McCord
   
“When Chris first came to Moving in the Spirit, he was wound really tight. His mother was disabled ever since he was born, so he always had to be responsible, be the man of the house. Dancing at Moving in the Spirit allowed him to let his guard down and trust and rely on other people. When he first started, he was an incredible athlete but had no dance experience. By his senior year, he was cast in every piece. He lives down the street from me now in South Atlanta, and it has been fun to have him as a neighbor. I look in our community, and I see his house as the beacon for all the kids to come to, because Chris has grown to be an amazing role model. He’s the conduit that gives them safe passage to a better world.” – Dana Lupton