Dance Troupe has return engagement with General Conference
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Written: 3/12/2008 10:00:51 AM
When the 2008 General Conference opens on April 23 in Fort Worth, Texas, 12 young women from the Plattsburgh, N.Y., area ranging in age from 12 to 19, will take part in the opening worship service.
The young women are all members of the Adirondack Liturgical Dance Troupe, under the direction of Plattsburgh United Methodist Church member Kathy Koester, and it is the second time the troupe will be part of worship at General Conference.
The troupe danced during opening worship at the 2004 General Conference held in Pittsburgh, Pa., and being in front of all the thousands of people there was a moving experience for the dancers, Koester said.
�It was indescribable,� she said. �The chaperons and I were very moved as we watched from the seats. Most of our congregations don�t get to go to General Conference, ever, so it was exciting to be there.�
A liturgical dancer danced into the Pittsburgh arena with a bishop during the opening processional in 2004. The dancers worked with a choreographer from Atlanta, Ga., learning how to be part of bigger dance troupe, as well as the bigger church.
�They learned how we are all connected,� Koester said. �I encouraged them to talk to the other dancers that were there, so at lunch time they did sit down together.�
The experience was so positive, the troupe applied to be part of the 2008 conference. To be invited to dance at General Conference, Koester had to submit an application and audition video. In January, after receiving the invitation to come dance, they received a DVD which contained the choreography the troupe needed to learn.
They will be part of a larger group of liturgical dancers from across the denomination. The Dance Troupe will travel to Texas on Monday, April 21, to begin rehearsals. Since most of the dancers are still in school, the troupe will return home on Thursday, though there are tentative plans to dance at a Korean United Methodist Church in Fort Worth, Koester said.
�They love dance and they love expressing their commitment to God in the form of dance,� she said.
The troupe has been dancing at nursing homes, assisted living facilities and for worship services for 14 years. All of the current dancers are students at Koester�s Adirondack Dance Academy, though she says membership in the troupe is open to any dancer. The primary choreographer for the troupe, Koester said some of the older students have taken the opportunity to arrange dance pieces. The troupe has also danced a piece created for them by a team from Syracuse, N.Y.
�It seems like if you get the right piece of music, the steps fall into place,� she said.
Koester said she got involved in liturgical dance to provide teenagers a way to express themselves in worship. �When so many teenagers are getting into trouble and turning away from the church, encouraging teenagers to be part of the church is very important. This is a way to get them involved in the church service.�
Over the last year, the troupe has been dancing to music they were introduced to by a group of singers from Plattsburgh�s Temple Beth Israel. The songs have included, �Water in the Well,� the story of Rebecca, and another piece about Deborah. �These are strong women in the Old Testament, so it�s a way for girls to learn how strong women in the Bible were. It�s a good role model.�
The troupe also dances to more contemporary songs and New Testament pieces. �I try to vary [the pieces] from slow to upbeat pieces, from traditional to contemporary.
While the experience of dancing at General Conference is uplifting, it is also expensive. The troupe is responsible for paying its own way, something they do through fund raising. �We�ve been doing fund raisers since November,� Koester said. �Churches where we�ve danced have been very good about taking a freewill offering.�
The troupe is available for worship services and other celebrations. For more information, contact Koester at (518) 561-8399 or investkk@together.net.
The Adirondack Liturgical Dance Troupe from Plattsburgh, N.Y., has danced at General Conference 2004 and at Troy Annual Conference Session in 2004 as well as at area churches, nursing homes and assisted-living facilities. The troupe is under the direction of Kathy Koester, a member of Plattsburgh United Methodist Church.