Deanna De Mike Van Pyrz performing in a local nursing home
The
Little boy was the only son of a famous Buffalo Sabres star. He lay there,a
prisoner in a bed he would never
leave. Ethan’s bright red hair was a
sharp contrast to his alabaster white skin and as he reached out to me, with
emaciated arms, I sang a Mary Poppins song. He was fascinated and continued to hold my
quivering hand for the longest moment.
In a community room, again at Children’s
Hospital, I sang and danced for a child with barely enough skin to cover her
delicate bones. She was only ten but had the appearance of a ninety year old.
She smiled and swayed n time to my “clown” song.
The company dancers of the Royale Dance Theatre
have performed at schools, hospitals,
churches, festivals, Philharmonic concerts, small and large theaters seminaries
and even prisons, each time bringing the
“joy of the Lord” through dance,
drama, music and art. There were many
times when audiences approached the dancers following the show in tears,
claiming “You have touched my heart in a
way that no one ever has.”
I remember one woman crying for an hour
straight after a drama of a mother who had at first been cruel and then with a
change of heart, repented at the mistreatment of her beloved daughter. My friend Kim (not her real name) was that daughter who suffered at the hands of
a tyrannical parent but now experienced a healing touch through drama . Kim
had been rejected all her life, and even as a five year old, “farmed-out” for
years by her parents. (she was a sickly
child in a family of twelve.)
The “healing hearts” of the Company of dancers gave her, at thirty-nine,
the first birthday party she ever had.
She later went on to help remodel the entire school building where the
school and company studied and rehearsed.
Why would a ballet company which
performed the classics such a Swan Lake, Giselle, Coppelia, begin to
use dance and drama as a ministry?
It all began with a question to
the Lord when challenged by the theatrical world in the presentation of
highly immoral productions., What good
is dance I asked, and can it be used for God’s glory? The answer came from a
sermon by a minister at an evangelical church one Sunday. “All things were created by God for His
Glory.” john 1:1. That was
it! Then God, I assumed, who was the
creator of the arts, meant that these very arts should be used for His
glory—without question!
My first attempt at ministry was
a production of The Psalms, presented at Orchard Park High school with
the new Christian music being published for both Catholic and protestant
charismatics. It was presented both on
channel 2 TV and later at Our Lady of Victory Basilica. The dancers looked like the angels
surrounding the altar. It was
glorious. The youngest members performed
in a piece called Let the Children Come.
Of course it was welcomed by some, again with tears in their eyes,
but legalist minds highly objected!
Christian dance is and always will be highly controversial. “ It belongs to the world and has no part on
stage “ critics will say, however, they are “dead wrong”, as the Royale has
proved over and over again.
I realized that our teen
dancers, although well-trained, needed to reach out to the community in every
way possible. With a message of hope, bringing joy through dance and inspiring
music. A part-time secretary called
every nursing home within one hundred miles and booked us into dozens, every
weekend for years. At that time, only
the students were performing, but one Sunday, no one could make it to the
Hamburg-Eden home. There would be at
least fifty wheel chair patients sitting in a circle waiting for the only
respite of entertainment in their mundane lives. I thought, “I dance with and for the children
in my studio and know all the repertory so I’ll go myself.” Triple dressed with three layered costumes
topped with a clown suit and loaded with tapes and tape recorder, I danced,
sang, spun wheel chairs, held hands and hugged shoulders of the sweetest men
and women I ever met. It was a blast! I never had so much fun and absolute joy in
my life, (other than rollicking with my own children on the living room floor). From then on, you couldn’t stop me. Along with nursing homes, there were
hospitals and prisons. This ministry
grew to the main stage itself when challenged with the necessity of large
productions at local high schools which we did annually. “What do I do now” I asked myself. “Where is the ministry in major ballet, drama
or musical productions?” The search was
on for our own major work or works as it turned out.
When finishing o huge Artpark
presentation by our company of six major classic ballets,, I asked my son Mark
for an idea to create our own original production. “Mom”, he said, “everyone loves a
story.” After a two year search, I came
up with a real challenge for the ballet world—a “better than Nutcracker
type of Christmas offering. Voila, the Snow
Queen was born. First produced at
Christ the King Seminary, then embellished at Orchard Park High School, it went
on to six performances at Shea’s Buffalo and finally to the Grand Palace in
Branson Missouri. Snow Queen
although a fairy tale based on the Hans Christian Andersen story, is a
heart-warming and inspiring dance-drama with a truly Christian theme as is Match
Girl, Americana and all other
productions of the Royale.
These
productions and performances, designed
for school children. families, seniors and the general public are both entertaining and inspiring,
elaborating the blessings of God and the hope that is in Him alone.
The Lord has blessed the Royale
with two thousand stunning original costumes,
and given us inspiration for coordinating music, scripts, and tech
theater. My son John has developed the visual which are projected
as backdrops to eliminate the need for
expensive sets. And can easily be used for theaters which cannot raise or lower
scenery.
Another way the Royale reaches
out is in its donations to organizations to help feed, clothe and educate as
well as heal the poor. Our motto is “Children helping children through the
arts.” The list includes St. Jude’s,
Feed the Poor, Water for Life, Smile Train, World Vision, Covenant House,
Operation Blessing, and others.
There
are still critics who say that dance has no place in Christian ministry or that
we have no right to “push our philosophy” on an audience, I will boldly
proclaim otherwise. Dance, drama, music
and art should be used for God’s glory since this is the purpose if its
creation,
I shall never forget the
incident at the Erie county Home in Alden when a fifty-two year old paralyzed
victim of a car accident sitting in a wheel chair, almost leaped from her seat
and nearly exploded with exultation when hearing and seeing the first moments
of the Halleluiah Chorus from Handel’s Messiah. She thanked me profusely afterwards for
performing her most favorite piece in the world. Again, I met with grateful tears, a woman who
heart was healed through the ministry of the Royale dance Theater
The beauty of New York State is nowhere
more evident than the Hudson Valley where the Adirondacks sculpture the sky across striking landscapes.
It is here, nestled among hovering mountains that Gen. George Washington first
recognized that this area was strategically situated for the Revolutionary Army
in fighting the British. Later, a genius Polish engineer, Thaddeus Kosciuszko
transformed the highland wilderness into a bastion deterring British invasion.
His beautiful statue is situated at Trophy Point for all to admire. He saved
many a life of our American soldiers.
At West Point, you are immersed in fascinating
history and traditions that sets it apart from any other institution. Visitors
will see and hear the stirring marching bands in perfect formation and
step, marvel at the meticulous uniforms,
surreal buildings, stunning chapels,
nostalgic graves from the revolutionary war, the immense stadium where weekly games are held ( I saw Army beat Navy - YES!) and
unbelievable works of art on the grounds. Inside every building History truly
comes alive, and yes, George Washington really DID sleep here!
