Dance ministry to ‘plants seeds’ of the Gospel during annual show at the Paramount

GOLDSBORO — It’s a courtroom scene unlike any other you’ve probably seen in movies or on TV. In this enactment, three souls are on trial, with Satan as the prosecutor, Jesus as the defense attorney, and God as the judge.

“It’s a modern-day scenario, where we’re telling the story of the Gospel and what Jesus did for our sins, how He died on the cross for our sins, and why these souls on trial are forgiven,” explains Patricia Warren, who, with her daughter Tara Lancaster, stages Dance For Christ, a production in which this courtroom scene plays out.

Dance For Christ is a contemporary Christian dance ministry that operates under the umbrella of the nonprofit Artistic Productions Incorporated, which Warren founded in 1989. During its shows — held every year shortly before Easter at the Paramount Theatre — Biblical stories and social issues are explored through musical theater and various dance genres, including ballet, jazz, lyrical, and hip-hop. This year’s shows are scheduled for April 4-6 and April 11-13. The show runs about two hours and 15 minutes, which includes a 15-minute intermission.

“It’s not a dance recital,” Lancaster emphasizes, noting that many men who’ve reluctantly attended past shows in support of family members or friends who are in the cast have been pleasantly surprised. “They come to us after the show…and they’re blown away,” she says.

“It’s a worship experience,” Warren says, going on to explain that there is a reason the shows are performed in a theater as opposed to a church. “There are people that may not walk into a church to hear the Gospel for whatever reason. They may not even be a Believer. Or they may have just been hurt by a church…but they’ll walk into a theater to go see a show.”

Once in the theater, Warren continues, “they’re going to be presented with the Gospel through an entertaining and fun way, but we’re still planting the seed in their heart.”

“Planting the seed” is the ultimate goal of Dance For Christ, Lancaster notes, stressing that it’s God who then nurtures that seed.

Dance For Christ premiered in 2002, founded by Warren after an arduous, year-long battle with breast cancer. “I had been wanting to do a dance ministry…for a long time, but I never acted on it, because I always felt like I wasn’t qualified to do something good enough for God, so I kinda shied away from it,” Warren recalls. “But, I still kept having this burning desire to do it; I felt like God was just putting it on my heart.”

Then came her cancer diagnosis, when her children were just 8 and 3. “Two things went through my head,” she says. “One was, am I gonna be here to raise my children…And the second thing was, I should have done Dance For Christ because now I might not be able to do it, ‘cause I don’t know if I’m going to survive this.”

In her prayers, she remembers, she surrendered “everything” to God, before also telling God, “If you should decide to allow me to live and survive this, I will do the dance ministry. I will not shy away from it, and I will do it for the rest of my life.” That is how Dance For Christ was born.

Despite having doubts about being “qualified to do something good enough for God,” Warren’s qualifications for leading a production of this nature are impressive: She trained under her mother, Ellen O’Quinn, who was a soloist with the Metropolitan Opera House in West Germany, and studied at various other schools and ballet companies, including the North Carolina School of the Arts and the Joffrey Ballet School in New York City; she also took private lessons under Shamil Yagudin, of the Bolshoi Ballet in Moscow, Russia.

Lancaster, a young child at the time her mother founded Dance For Christ, grew up performing in the show. Upon graduating from high school, she moved to Texas to dance with the Christian-associated Ingredients Dance Company, where she also received extensive professional training. After just two years, she felt the pull to return home to her mother and Dance For Christ. Today, the two women work together, producing, directing, and choreographing the show.

“It’s amazing how it all started,” Warren shares, “being afraid I wasn’t even going to be here to raise her, and now here she is, working on it beside me.”

The number of dancers that perform in the show changes from one year to the next — as the show is constantly evolving, with new pieces being added and other pieces being dropped — but generally ranges from about 45 to 65 and includes dancers as young as 10.

Several years ago, audiences were treated to a performance by the popular Christian artist, Carman, who has since passed away. He came to North Carolina to sing at a Rocky Mount church and reached out to Warren for help in getting dancers for his performance. When she informed him that Dance For Christ often incorporates his songs into its shows, he agreed to appear and participate. In fact, it is Carman’s song, “The Courtroom,” that Warren set to dance and uses for the show’s finale every year.

The powerful courtroom number is just one of numerous pieces to be performed in this year’s Dance For Christ. For more information about seeing the show, go to goldsboroparamount.com or call 919-583-8432.

Dance For Christ will be presented at the Paramount Theatre, located at 139 S. Center Street, April 4 at 7 p.m., April 5 at 1 p.m. and 7 p.m., April 6 at 3 p.m., April 11 at 7 p.m., April 12 at 1 p.m. and 7 p.m., and April 13 at 3 p.m. Tickets cost $18.00 to $20.00.