My mom, my oldest daughter, her neighborhood friend and I went to see the 2:30 performance yesterday. It was absolutely wonderful! "Dad" who sang the song during the crucifixion scene got so choked up he couldn't sing one of his lines. I think that got to us too. I don't think there was a dry eye in the house after that; I heard many sniffles in the audience in the dark afterwards.

The dancers were amazing and it was very beautiful. I was impressed with the set designs, the scenery and the tech crew. Ya'll did an awesome job.

I was also surprised at how many people were there. The theater was so packed that we had the girls share a seat so someone else could sit down - and that for the 2:30 show! (Has Kathy considered moving the performance down to a bigger venue, say the theater at Gwinnett Center? I think it has more seating, but I could be wrong.)

Anyway, our girls thoroughly enjoyed it and I think my mom even got into it too. I pray that the seeds were sown in our daughter's friend so that she will accept Jesus and have a true relationship with him. I think she believes in Jesus (maybe "of" Jesus) but I pray for a deep, true belief, and hunger to know him more. I also pray that my mom's belief wouldn't be so "personal" (closed inside her) but that her faith would grow and become something that she feels she must cultivate and share with others.

I am thankful that Praise in Motion has given us the opportunity to be spiritually fed and entertained at the same time. What a beautiful witness to our King!

This last Saturday's afternoon performance (in Gainesville) was the best of the four this season. It was the one that was video-taped, too. Both presentations in Gainesville were packed, standing room only. Many were sitting on the stairs and aisles. There were even some at the 2:30 one that were turned away for fear of grossly violating fire codes. (I pray they came back to the 7:30 one.) It was awesome!

As for moving to a larger venue... Finding qualified venues at all is a tall order. Many venues are very much sub-par. Georgia Mountains Center itself falls rather short of our needs, but we've managed to hack it to make it work. For example, we've built custom stage extensions to provide room for the two vignettes up front (the bedroom and the foyer). Then we had to build custom stairs to get off the stage, since the extensions needed to cover the existing steps. We have to significantly rewire their lighting to meet our needs. We rent a ton of additional lighting to supplement their inadequate setup. (There's a lot of lighting that was donated to PIM, but even this is not enough in many venues.) We also have to restructure their "curtains" to meet even our meager requirements. They don't even have a cyc of their own (cyclorama, the plain backdrop), so we had to purchase one ourselves, a very expensive item. (We had a dancer's husband donate the machinery and service to sew the cyc, although the single, giant piece of cloth had to be purchased.) We even had them build a custom electrical panel (with 12 20-amp circuits) to support our modest lighting needs. We also rigged quick-change "rooms" (which are completely lacking at GMC) and stored props in the hallways for lack of space in the wings. And GMC is not as bad as we've had (e.g., Brook Run, Woodruff).

After finding a venue we can make work, we then have to find funds for it. As with most years I've experienced, the amount of money donated in love offerings did not cover the costs of the venues this year, to say nothing of the myriad other expenses. (And consider this: nobody in PIM gets paid for their service!) Of those few (less than a third) who donate at all, I think the average donation is around $15. PIM pays thousands to rent a theater, plus there are expenses for extra lighting, dry ice, a large truck, storage, lumber, advertising, postcards, costumes, props, sets, etc. PIM also needs to pay by the hour, at exorbitant prices, for a technical representative of the theater (even though not needed, it's a commonly required part of the contract).

The twenty or thirty tech crew folks donate all their time (up to 18 days each year, usually using vacation time from work--or just not getting paid at all--and not including off-season service), gas, food, lots of water, miscellaneous supplies, and more. The sound equipment--tens of thousands of dollars--and sound expertise is provided by a father of a dancer (thank you, N!). I cannot begin to list all of the support, including financial, that is provided by one of the directors' husband. The administrative and computer work is also donated for free. All the dancers pay monthly dues to be in PIM (assuming they even qualify based upon their skills), and they pay for PIM dance classes (4-12 hours per week, not including rehearsal time), plus lots of shoes (ballet and pointe; and jazz and even theatrical). (Pointe shoes cost anywhere from $65 to $120 and up, depending upon needed styles, and PIM dancers will typically go through as many as dozen pairs each year.) Were it not for a very few benefactors annually donating hundreds--and fewer still donating a thousand or more--of dollars each (in addition to what the dancers and tech crew give), the donations at performances would not come anywhere close to meeting PIM's humble needs.

All this to say, there's simply no way PIM could afford the Gwinnett Center. To say nothing of the cost of the venue itself, the cost of the required union labor alone would bankrupt PIM inside a few hours. As PIM places great importance on not charging for tickets, so that the Good News of God may remain free to all, there is simply no way such an expensive venue could be arranged. (Given my time with PIM so far, I'd also expect that working with their union folks would be so exasperating as to incite some ungodly expressions from even the most Godly of tech crew.) Frankly, the free admission is one key element of what distinguishes PIM from other Christian dance companies. I have known a couple other companies that dance for the Lord, but they charge for their tickets. I'm not saying this is wrong--just as it's not wrong for a preacher to accept payment for his services--but it's ethically superior, as Paul wrote, to avoid charging for God's message.

On the other hand, if anyone out there wishes to become a large benefactor for PIM, to the tune of thousands annually (tens of thousands?), Gwinnett Center just might be within PIM's grasp one day. Even without access to larger venues, though, PIM is blessed by the Godly support of those who provide funds, service, and prayer, and I know of countless others who are, in turn, blessed by PIM's worship on stage. And if you think watching PIM "perform" is a blessing, you ain't seen nuthin' yet till you've seen what happens behind the scenes: months of prayer and devotions, tens of thousands of freely donated man-hours each year, unbridled worship completely unseen by the public, and dads and moms making amazing sacrifices so their daughters can bring the Good News to audiences of hundreds (thousands each year). I wish audiences could see all these behind-the-scenes blessings, too, because they're worth much more than the two hours of beautiful, professional-quality dancing that is the culmination of efforts.