I found Elevate through a very timely Google search in early summer 2019. Last year was very much a time of physical, mental and spiritual healing for me and Elevate seemed to be the ideal way to recover my love of life and of dance. It has proven to be more than I could possibly have imagined and I am overwhelmed daily by what a privilege it is to dance, pray and grow as part of the company. For this reason it is difficult to say what I am most looking forward to about the remainder of my time here, obviously tour is very exciting but I am aware that God often works unexpectedly. If asked when in the depths of mental illness a couple of years ago what I wanted from my life or what the best part of recovery would be, I could not have dreamt up something as amazing as my current reality. I am prepared to continue to be amazed by what the Lord has in store.

I chose to do Elevate to broaden my dance experience. I believe dance is a powerful tool that God has given us as people and this course is teaching me how to use it both for myself and to help others. My highlights so far have been our community placements and the privilege of starting each morning with a group devotion. What I'm most looking forward to about our international tour is the opportunity to use dance to cross cultural boundaries.

It has long been a deep desire of mine to combine faith and dance, and to practice everyday to grow as a dancer. Elevate happens to have all of this, plus a great opportunity to tour as well. It simply felt like the right thing to do. I really like the diversity that we have. Diversity in cultures, way of thinking, character, movement quality and dance experience. It has opened my eyes and continues to enrich my life everyday.

I am really looking forward to the tour and to spending even more time together. After a long preparation I am ready to share my passion for dance and God's love through every performance.

I have two big passions, art and faith. When someone is passionate -I can tell-, you want to share it around you, with the world. The day that I heard of Elevate Dance Company, I felt that this adventure was what I had to do, bringing together faith and dance. Being part of Elevate helped me grow a lot in those areas, but all the more I have learnt how to be a company, to work and breathe together with my dancing sisters. I hope to share this community, the joy of dancing and the love on tour and far beyond.
-For with the LORD there is steadfast love.- Psalm 130:7

It was definitely a leap of faith to join Elevate. I just moved to the UK looking for dance jobs and opportunities and it kept coming up - it just felt right from the start. My highlight has been when we had a profound listening prayer session where we were intimately praying for each other. It brought us closer to each other and to God. On tour, I am looking forward to sharing my country and culture with the team and also being able to share dance as a form of worship and learning all over the world.

Elevate has empowered me to integrate my faith into dance, bringing the Christian story to the forefront of artistic expression. Additionally, I have received ample resources for my career in dance education, and I look forward to using the skills I have gained to teach students how to move in a way that glorifies our Creator!
It has been an incredible blessing to dance alongside amazing young women from around the globe. I learn so much from their creative spirits, servant hearts, and commitment to the Lord. These women love me hard and love me well!
I am looking forward to many things about tour, but I am especially excited to see how our dancing bears fruit in the hearts of those who watch us perform. I pray that our audiences recognise the love of Christ in every step, reach, and turn - we seek to dance for Him alone, and I deeply desire to share that gift with others.

I applied for EDC because coming from ballet training, I wanted to learn contemporary and street dance. A highlight for me was the exchange programme with Ad Deum II in Texas. I didn’t go to Texas myself, but I got to host Lydia and Becca during their time with Elevate. Site seeing with them in London was really fun! I’m looking forward to reaching out to people on tour with the message of love, hope and joy.

I decided to audition for Elevate as I missed dancing and was looking for a kick to get me back into it and hopefully increase my confidence in both performing and teaching. Equally I wished to take a step back, a year to get to know God better, and reflect on what to do work-wise. And while it has certainly fulfilled those criteria, it has also been epic!
Choosing a highlight is tricky but I do love this sassy characterised routine we have recently learnt in street dance - it's such a laugh! Speaking of laughter, a key highlight across the board has been the numerous moments we have spent in pure laughter whilst sipping cups of tea and sharing food together. It has been, put simply, a sheer joy! And as we approach tour, I look forward to travelling with these supportive ladies to their home and neighbouring towns and spreading a spot of hope and joy!

This year, I've loved, everyday, getting to dance with and learn from my incredible Elevate family.
I'm really looking forward to sharing this powerful gift of dance with so many people during our tour. I hope they are able to connect with and be inspired by the stories we tell.