I was honored to have the opportunity to photograph the dress rehearsal for one of this year's 12.14 Foundation New Arts The Lion King performances. I was back the next day to photograph the second cast because we needed photos for our final leadership series montage. Both of the performances were outstanding. During the dress rehearsal, I nearly lost track of my responsibility to capture the moment, because the kids were so adorable. And during the actual performance that evening, I kept tapping my husband saying, "isn't that just the cutest thing?" It was not that they were just cute - they were cute and awesome. The performances were exceptional and powerful.
The entire experience was special for me since I had worked with many of the primary cast members during our leadership workshops. I confess that I was assigned to the younger kids under duress - well, "protest" might be a more accurate term. I was vocal about my preference for working with the older teens. These 11-13 year olds, I argued are way outside my comfort zone. I also know that these things happen for a reason. So I capitulated. Despite my own personal preferences, I found myself delighted by my time with the middle schoolers.
As I congratulated one of the cast members after the opening night performance, all he could say was how much the leadership training had helped his performance. It made all the difference for him, he shared. I was beaming. They were brilliant. Whatever small part we played in helping the youth become stronger, more confident performers, was well worth setting aside my own anxieties about working with them. As usual, when I trusted that God knew where he wanted me to be, everything was better.
Blessings.
Today's Photos: Powerful Performances
"People tend to play in their comfort zone, so the best things are achieved in a state of surprise, actually." Brian Eno
No comments:
Post a Comment