The little girl, not yet three years-old-was all dressed up in her taffeta and mary janes. It was Christmas. Though the little girl was giddy with excitement, her mother wondered if a night at the Nutcracker ballet was appropriate at this age. Tchaikovsky’s overture began and the little girl was enraptured for the next 90 minutes. During curtain call, she whispered in her mother’s ear “I want to be her” and pointed to the stage.
Every girl deserves the chance to dance; to pursue her passion, to live freely and fully alive. For some, that may mean designing furniture, running a business, or baking cakes, repairing ACLs, teaching kids to read, you name it.
But not every girl gets the chance to dance. Bondage is real. For some, hope seems so far away and it’s all they can do to make it to the next sunrise. This is the reality for victims of exploitation. It’s also the reality of a heart without Jesus.
Whether through stealing the innocence of more than 100,000 children involved in prostitution in the US, or whispering insecurity into the hearts of others, the darkness would convince us that we and our dreams do not matter.
But there is hope. There is freedom. Every girl is endowed with the dignity that comes from being made in the image of God. And that’s a reason to dance!
Today, the little girl in the mary janes dreams of more than tutus and tiaras; she dreams of bringing hope and dignity through dance. Bluebird: uncaged is a collective of professional dancers dedicated to using art for the greater good.
Our most recent project was inspired by Mary Frances Bowley’s book, The White Umbrella. Set against a backdrop of cinematography by Caleb Diaddigo to original music by Todd Locke, this choreographic story premiered in October at Dance Upon Injustice 2013.
We believe this was just the beginning. Bluebird: uncaged wants to share the story of Wellspring Living and White Umbrella with a broader audience through an online video trilogy. We’ve launched an indiegogo campaign to fund this project. Use of the finished product as well as anything over our goal will be donated to Wellspring Living.
As much as White Umbrella is a story of a trafficking survivor, it’s also our story. The story of a heart that was dead and is now alive. A story of hope and the freedom that comes in Jesus. The story of redemption. Because everyone deserves the chance to dance.
Bluebird Uncaged 