9 Dec 2016

BLUE LAPIS LIGHT


"It's not how much we give but how much love we put into giving."
-Mother Teresa 
      

As we come to the end of another year, we take a moment to appreciate the growth and success Blue Lapis Light has experienced. It's your belief in our work and your support that have allowed us to continue to create and inspire at new heights.
In 2016, our Studio expanded to offering over 25 classes per week- including ballet, modern dance, aerial silks for kids and adults, and aerial harness. Many of these new classes were made possible by the installation of a beautiful wood sprung dance floor and wall mirrors, thanks to you. In addition, this summer we offered 5 weeks of the Children's Aerial Creation Workshop, in which children explore imaginative aerial movement and present their original work to friends and family members. 
Youth Taking Flight collaborated with teen clients of local social service organizations to create two original aerial dance performances. These dedicated students continue to inspire us year after year with their honesty and creativity, often in the midst of chaos in their lives. We look forward to reaching new youth by developing relationships with additional youth service organizations in 2017, including the Boys & Girls Club of Austin. 
Our performance of Radiance in June at the Long Center was a long-time dream come to life. Years ago I had imagined creating "celestial harps" strung between the columns of City Terrace, playing the sounds of dancers feet as they jetéd from cable to cable. Radiance carried the message of the light that is shed on this earth and how it radiates through all of us. 

As one audience member described the performance, "Radiance was a beautiful event, one that took me to new and wonderful places in my mind, heart and body.  As I often say, when watching dance, 'When they fly, I fly.'  As someone who can no longer really dance, or move easily due to knee problems, I attend dance performances as a way to experience an almost out-of-body experience with the dancers...thank you all so much for a night of wonder, beauty, strength and grace."

In 2017, we will begin performing sections of a new site work- Belonging. This piece explores our interdependence with and relationship to the natural world. The full work will be presented on Austin's JJ Pickle building in 2018. This piece will take shape in collaboration with local environmental groups and will include ground dancers, aerial dancers and rock climbers, as well as digital projections. Belonging is more than just a dance performance- it is a vehicle to raise collective awareness of our global responsibility to protect our planet. 
We're asking for your support to create Belonging in 2017 and to continue inspiring our community through breathtaking dances and classes. If BLL's work has moved you this year, please continue a tax-deductible donation today. 
On behalf of our company, I thank you for joining us in creating dance works that are offered as prayers for our precious planet. 

With deep gratitude, 
Sally pic & sig
 Artistic Director, Sally Jacques
Blue Lapis Light
512-280-6688
info@bluelapislight.org
www.bluelapislight.org


Blue Lapis Light, P.O. Box 1821, Austin, TX 78767