Turning Pointe Tips for Navigating the Dance Year

Can you believe we already have two weeks of dance under our belts? Fall Peek Week will be here before we know it! As we all work to settle into our 2025-26 routines, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed sometimes. But Turning Pointe Dance is here to help. Along with some prayer, time in the Word, and your favorite worship playlist, there are some simple things you can do to navigate a successful dance year. In fact, it’s as easy as 1, 2, 3!

Step 1: Organize

Organize your gear: Now that you’re getting the hang of the dress code, schedule, and location for your classes, you can start to plan ahead. That way everything is smooth and consistent week to week! If you haven’t already, make sure your dance bag is packed with all your class essentials—like tights, proper dance shoes, hair supplies, band-aids, any other personal items you’ll need, and a water bottle. Be sure to label your dance shoes and water bottles, especially if you take combo or back-to-back classes. This can help with any lobby or classroom mix-ups! Check your dance bag before each new week (or after each load of laundry) to make sure everything is fully stocked, still fits properly, that all items removed at home have been returned to your bag, and that any old items have been discarded. That way, when class day comes, you’re already ready to go!

Organize your goals: Another great dance bag item? A prayer journal! Write down your goals for the year for each class, whether it’s mastering a new skill, gaining flexibility, or simply trying something new. Make sure your goals are clear, achievable, and within your control. Write down corrections, choreography and formations, and any other helpful tips and exercises you learn in class so you can remember and refer to them later. Write down how the Lord spoke to you in class or through dance and friendships. Write down each month’s devotions, verses, and promises. Write love letters to God. Write prayer requests, praises, and all the little challenges and victories. At the end of the dance year, you’ll be so glad you did!

Step 2: Practice

 Practice makes progress, and we don’t just mean in the classroom! Summer break usually means a more relaxed schedule, so when activities like dance start back up, it’s important to re-establish a consistent routine. That means adjusting your daily schedule to include regular practice times, prioritizing energizing/balanced meals and snacks, and getting plenty of rest. Consistency is key to improving muscle memory, rhythm, and technique. Even 15 to 20 minutes of focused practice at home can be beneficial. Once you’ve carved out consistent time, here are some things you can do:

Work: Did your teacher talk about keeping your knees straight during your tendus? Practice 16 in each direction, on both legs, while your dinner is cooking each night. Do you need to practice your class choreography? Take a video on your phone during class, then watch it so you can review the steps at home. Are you working toward pointe, better balance or ankle stability? Try 32 releves in first position while the microwave runs. You get the idea! Don’t leave all the work in the classroom, especially if you’re only in class once a week.

Worship: End each day with a worship song. Pick one that’s on your heart, step onto the Father’s feet, and let Him lead you through some improv dance time. Muscles feeling tired? Use that time to close your eyes, listen to the lyrics, and stretch. Yes, it’s important to practice your steps and technique, but it’s just as important to make a habit of consistent worship, and remind ourselves of our place as dancers in His Kingdom.

Step 3: Communicate

 After a summer away, it’s important to reconnect with your dance community. Find your friends in class, or make some new ones. Trade tips, pray together, and check in with each other when you miss something or need help. Ask questions and embrace feedback. View corrections from instructors as opportunities to grow, rather than criticism. Struggling to understand? Ask for clarification! Communication is key at Turning Pointe Dance. We are persistent in our efforts to make sure you feel fully informed. Read studio newsletters and weekly updates in full to stay on top of upcoming deadlines and events, class updates, opportunities, and ways to stay connected.

 Most of your questions are answered on our website, but if you can’t find what you’re looking for, you can always reach out to your teachers or our administrative staff whenever you need support. They’re here to help! Our 22nd year is off to a great start, and we can’t wait to dance through the months ahead with each and every student and family.

Coming Soon:

 September 20-21: Worship Dance Weekend

Learn more about how to watch or participate here!

 October 6-11: Fall Peek Week

Come into class for 10 minutes to see what our students have been working on!

 October 13-18: Bring a Friend Week

Bring a friend to try your dance class with you… just sign them in at the front desk first!

Welcome Back to Dance!

Welcome to Turning Pointe’s 22nd season of praising His name with dance! Whether your family has been with us since the beginning or this week marks your very first time through our doors, we’re so glad you’re here. As Colorado Springs’ premiere faith-based dance studio, we’re committed to providing excellence in dance and theater instruction while cultivating hearts of worship and nurturing creativity. From your child’s first class to their graduation performance, we promise to go beyond great technique to develop important life skills like learning to be respectful and confident, and sharing our gifts and talents with the community and beyond.

 This season, we’re reflecting on the power of God’s PROMISES—truths that stand firm no matter how the world shifts around us. Each month, in addition to quality, curriculum-based instruction, Turning Pointe students will study a different promise found in His Word, along with a corresponding scripture to learn and study as a class. As you drive home from dance each day, we encourage you to ask your students about what they’re learning! Ask them about each month’s promise, their verse of the month, or how they studied it in class that week. What was their favorite part of class? What’s something that challenged them? Who’s someone they met, or something new they learned about a teacher or friend?

 No matter where you are in your dance journey, or where you hope to be at the end of this class session, it’s our prayer that every student will leave class instilled with a love of dancing and the arts, an understanding of God’s promises, and how we’re called to live and dance differently because of them.

Ready to make it a great year? Here are some resources we put together just for you!

 Review:
●      Studio Policies

●      Dress Code

●      Tuition and Fees

●      Dates to Remember

Read:

●      Back to Dance Checklist

●      Why do we teach from a curriculum?

●      Tips for a successful dance year

●      Tips for new families

Turning Pointe Dance FAQs:

Can I watch my child’s class?

We do have viewing windows and the curtains to the viewing windows are open or closed at the teacher’s discretion. In our years of experience (with younger students in particular), we can maximize our time and keep their focus when distractions are limited. If there is a situation where a grandparent is visiting from out of town or a family member specifically came to see your dancer, simply communicate that with the teacher and we will make sure they get to see a portion of the class. We also have dedicated Peek Weeks in the fall and spring when parents can come in the last 10 minutes of class. In-studio Christmas programs for parents/families in December during the dancer’s class time are another opportunity for viewing.

How do I know if classes are cancelled when it snows?

There are times when we do cancel classes when D-20 does, and there are other times that the roads are clear by the afternoon and we have classes even if school is cancelled. If weather is questionable, you can check the home page of our website for info, and an email and text message will be sent if there are class cancellations. (Make sure you are opted in to our text reminders by texting START to 719-722-3902!) You can also follow us on Facebook and Instagram @turningpointedancecolorado to watch for inclement weather posts and updates.

Can I order dance clothes at the studio?

Yes! Adorn Dancewear is a convenient option for dancers in Colorado Springs, owned by Turning Pointe alumnus Abbie Van Horn. Adorn offers high-quality dancewear and shoes, hand picked by Ms. Abbie to meet your class needs. Ask about placing an order with Adorn Dancewear at the front desk, or reach out directly to adorndancewear@gmail.com 

If something comes up, how can I let my teacher know I can’t make it to class?

If you need to miss class for any reason, please let us know so we don't worry! Just fill out our quick, online absence reporting form is accessible HERE. You can take a make-up class at any age appropriate class at any time! No appointment is necessary, just check in at the front desk when you come in.

Plan Ahead:

●      Sept. 15-20: Free Trial Week
●      Sept. 20: Ballet Magnificat Dance Workshops & Magnificent Obsession Worship Dance Concert
●      Sept. 21: Ballet Magnificat performance of “The Call”
●      Sept. 26-27: STARZ Theater Company auditions for “The Prince of Egypt”
●      Oct. 6-11: Fall Peek Week

A Year in Review: Magnifying Him in Season 21

There are three ways to define the word “reflect.” The first is to throw back light or sound without absorbing it, like the Earth reflects most of the heat from the sun’s rays back into space. The second is to embody or represent something, the way a person’s behavior should reflect their values. Lastly, we can define it as thinking deeply or carefully about something—as in to reflect with joy on the year we’re leaving behind.

This year, 846 students comprised 1,482 spaces in 119 classes at Turning Pointe Dance. Those students and families voted Turning Pointe Best of the Springs Gold in the categories of Best Dance Studio for Kids and Best Dance Studio for Adults—a title we’ve been honored to hold 11 of the last 12 years. We culminated the season celebrating 28 preschool dance performances, two acting and vocal showcases, and 22 graduating seniors, and by staging 82 dances across 9 full-scale recitals.

We continued our commitment to the community by forming and fostering partnerships with Care and Share Food Bank for Southern Colorado, Springs Rescue Mission, World Challenge Kids, Children’s Hospital Colorado, Every Village, and many more. Our students performed for the Daughters of the King at First Presbyterian Church Downtown, at the International Easter Celebration at The Ascent Church, and for Sunrise United Methodist Church’s Eggstravaganza. They performed and visited with the residents of Brookdale Vista Grande and The Gardens at View Pointe senior centers, ran 2.2 miles for Baylee Hope, and both taught and demonstrated dance at Inspiration Elementary’s Family Arts Night.

More than that, each class dove deeper into the word of God. As a studio, we studied scriptures and devotional prompts, learning to magnify Him together through community, leadership, thanksgiving, praise, surrender, love, service, sacrifice, and witness. We set out not to be a microscope, but to act as a telescope—collecting the light and making Him easier for others to see. In this spirit, as we close the 2024-25 dance season, we encourage you to join us in keeping all three definitions of the word “reflect” in mind.

Rather than absorbing the spotlights and the applause for ourselves, we give the glory right back to the Father—the one who gave each and every one of us the ability to dance, sing, and perform. We thank Him for the students, staff, and families He assembled in His name this season, and give Him the glory for every challenge and success this year saw. Rather than comparing our year or our dancing and progress to others, we refine our words, hearts, movements and actions as a reflection of our Creator, mirroring His character above any way we think (or are told) we should look, or where we think (or are told) we should be. Finally, as we look back deeply and carefully on 21 years of Turning Pointe Dance, we reflect with gratitude on the years behind, and look forward to all the years of joyful dancing ahead.

To each and every student and family who experienced the Turning Pointe difference with us this season—THANK YOU! Thank you for trusting us with your training, and for believing in what we do. Thank you for your support, your grace, and for lending your time and your talents to our vision, mission and values. But above all, thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!

What Comes Next?

Read: Turning Pointe’s Top 3 Reasons to Sign Up for Summer Classes

Learn: Turning Pointe’s Summer Camps/Classes, Schedule & Policies

Register: Enroll in Summer Camps/Classes here

Upcoming Auditions:

Fidèle Youth Dance Company

●      Christmas at Sugar Plum Manor

●      2026 FYDC Missions Team

Audition sign ups open June 1.

Audition Saturday, June 28, or submit a video audition by the same day.

More information: https://www.fideleyouthdancecompany.com/auditions

Turning Pointe’s Training Division

Audition Monday, July 28

More information: https://turningpointeschoolofdance.com/training-division-cecchetti-syllabus

STARZ Theater Company

●      The Prince of Egypt

Audition sign ups open September 13.

Audition September 26-27

More information: https://www.starztheater.org/princeofegyptaudition

Magnify Him Through: Witness

We’re almost there, Turning Pointe Dance families! With nine months down and only two weeks of classes left, the 2024-25 school year dance session has almost come to a close. We’ve studied the syllabus, practiced the curriculum, and even rehearsed and performed in our costumes and classrooms. All that’s left now is to Magnify Him through witness.

Since we kicked things off back in September, as a studio, we’ve been discussing what it means to magnify the Lord through different outlets, scriptures and roles. That is, not to be a microscope that makes something small appear bigger—He is big enough already. But rather to act as a telescope, collecting the light, magnifying it, and using it to make something easier to see. Being a witness means showing (not just telling) others what God is like. It’s doing what’s right even when others don’t. It’s collecting His light and using our lives to make Him easier for others to see.

When we dance, we bear witness. Our joy, our attitude, and even the way we lift up others can point people to God. And with hundreds of people gathering at each of Turning Pointe’s nine recitals, plus vocal showcases and Twirl Red Carpet performances over the next two weeks, what incredible witnesses we can be!

Yes, we have recitals because we’re learning performing art. Yes, we have recitals to share our progress and celebrate our hard work with our friends, families and loved ones. Yes, we even have recitals because they provide a sense of accomplishment and motivation for our students.  But to truly experience the Turning Pointe difference, we encourage you to approach these coming weeks not just as a season of business or any other spring concert. We encourage you instead to magnify Him through witness.

We magnify God through our witness when we point to Him instead of ourselves. In dance, it’s easy to want to be noticed. But what would it look like to dance in a way that draws attention to God, and not just our own talent?

Students, we encourage you to use your steps to share your faith. We encourage you to live a life that demonstrates the power and love of Jesus, and share that truth with others through dance. We pray that your movements and actions will be a collection of light, reflecting the character of God in each and every moment on stage. We pray that through your performances, God will be easy for others to see.

Friends and family, we invite you to come and experience the Turning Pointe difference. Encourage and celebrate the amazing work and success of your dancers, but more than that, join us in worship and fellowship as we give this season of learning right back to the one who brought us to season 21.

“How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings the good news, who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness, who publishes salvation, who says to Zion, ‘Your God reigns.’”  Isaiah 52:7

Need some reminders heading into the next few weeks? Be sure to check out our All About Recital page here for specific class/performance dates, dress rehearsal times, performance tickets, special keepsakes, studio and performance policies, and more!

Join us at the Baylee Hope Fun Run This Weekend!

This Sunday, April 27, join us at the Palmer Lake Trail for our 3rd annual fun run benefiting the Baylee Hope Scholarship Fund! At 2 p.m., we’ll meet at 104 Oakdale Dr., to run, walk, or dance 2.2 miles—tutus optional! The weather is forecasted to cooperate, so let’s enjoy the sunshine and engage with the Turning Pointe Dance community as we all come together for a wonderful cause.

What is the Baylee Hope Scholarship?

 The Baylee Hope Scholarship was created in honor of Ms. Morgan's daughter, Baylee Hope Nelson. She was born on March 14, 2019, and passed away suddenly on March 15. That summer, the Baylee Hope Scholarship was created to leave a legacy of love, and spur on a new generation of dancers who will share their love for Jesus Christ with the world. Baylee did not get the chance to become a dancer, but her memory will live on through the dancers who receive Baylee Hope Scholarships each year.

 In addition to donating the proceeds of year-round lobby snack sales, Turning Pointe Dance began the Baylee Hope Fun Run in 2023 to make a bigger impact, growing the scholarship through a joy-filled community event. The fun run has gone on to raise thousands of dollars for Baylee Hope Scholarships, awarded annually to applicants selected from Turning Pointe’s graduating seniors, and presented recital weekend each year during the Senior Showcase.

 How to Register/Make a Donation

 Registration is $50 per family or $15 per person when you sign up in advance, or $55 per family and $20 per person for day-of registration. All registered runners will receive fun swag items to commemorate the day, along with plenty of photo opportunities.

 Click HERE to register for the 2025 Baylee Hope Fun Run

 If the trail’s not your thing, you can still be a part of Baylee Hope’s legacy through a donation to the scholarship fund—no running required.

 Click HERE to make a donation to the Baylee Hope Scholarship Fund

Magnify Him Through: Sacrifice

Can you believe the school-year dance session is almost over? Costumes have been handed out, choreography is finished, and we’re just six weeks away from spring recitals. As we begin to pick up steam through peek weeks, in-studio dress rehearsals, portraits and progress reports, it’s important to slow down and keep some perspective through all the end-of-the-year madness. To help us do that, this month our devotional focus is to magnify Him through sacrifice. That can look like many things in these busy months, so let’s take a look at a few together as we celebrate the Turning Pointe difference in recital season.

Magnify Him through Progress Reports

 Later this month, each of our students in each class Primary level and above will receive their progress reports. These evaluations measure proficiency in each level’s curriculum targets, and determine each student’s level and class placement for the following year. It can be an emotional time of both celebration and disappointment, be it in our levels or in being separated from classmates and friends one way or the other. But rather than placing our hopes and fears in each piece of paper, let’s join together and place them in the hands of the Lord.

 In this month’s memory verse, Luke 7:38, we learn a valuable lesson from a sinful woman:

 “And standing behind Him at His feet, weeping, she began to wet His feet with her tears, and wiped them with the hair of her head, and kissed His feet, and anointed them with the ointment.”

It’s a story of profound gratitude for the love and forgiveness of Jesus, but more than that, it teaches us to magnify Him through sacrifice. The woman humbly gave her perfume, but she also sacrificed her pride and her reputation before the other Pharisees. She took her tears, her lips, hair and perfume, and sacrificed them as tools for sin, instead offering them as instruments of righteousness and sincere worship.

As Christians, we’re not called to lives of anxious comparison, yielding worship to worry over this or any other evaluation we’ll face. Rather than using each progress report as a tool for our sinful nature to take hold, we encourage you to sacrifice any expectations or guideposts that aren’t His alone. Sacrifice any self-serving motives, and any motivation that isn’t rooted in serving Him. Sacrifice your plan for your trajectory or your friend group, and offer your training to Him as a means of worship.

He is the reason we dance, and we’re right where He needs us to be! Easier said than done, we know—especially when you’ve been working hard toward a God-given goal all year. But in trusting His perfect plan and His perfect timing, alongside trusting your teacher’s discretion to keep you dancing safely for years to come, we can magnify Him through how we navigate the process—a life lesson far more important than any curriculum target.

Magnify Him through Recitals

 Romans 12:1 urges us to offer our bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God, which is our true and proper worship. This means dedicating our entire lives, not just our actions, to God’s service and glorification. This means keeping Him in the heart of why we’re dancing every time we dance, not just on stage or in an outreach performance. That means sacrificing our exhausted grumbling and transforming our hearts to magnify Him through every class, performance detail, scheduling obligation, and rehearsal.

How we carry ourselves in these weeks leading up to the big show can easily entangle us in sin. We’re preparing to celebrate what the Lord has done in a big and mighty way—of course the enemy is going to rise against and try to bring us down! But when we, like the woman in Luke, sacrifice these tools of sin, and transform them into sincere worship, we can magnify Him in even greater ways. Our audience isn’t just the people filling the auditorium seats next month. It’s our weary classmates with us in the trenches of preparation. It’s the photographers, teachers, volunteers and staff we work with ahead of time. It’s the family and friends working alongside us, encouraging us in our dreams. It’s also an audience of one—the one who gave us bodies to dance at all.

When we sacrifice the self-serving grumbles of exhaustion and sore muscles our bodies endure this time of year, and instead see them through the lens of Romans 12:1, it transforms the way we engage with the movement in our dance classes, and in our recital performances. This is our chance to showcase our hard work, practice a performing art, and invite our friends and families into a world we love, but it’s also a chance to sacrifice our own spotlight and magnify Him even brighter.

Magnify Him Through: Spring Break

All school year long we’ve been walking through ways we can magnify the Lord through our dance training, our classroom relationships, and our stage performances. But did you know it’s just as important to pause sometimes? It’s true! Even Jesus rested, and encouraged His disciples to do the same. In fact, throughout the scriptures, God offers rest as a blessing to those who fully trust in Him. As much as we love working toward our goals, taking the time to rest and refresh our bodies and hearts is His design and plan for us, and even commanded throughout the Bible. So as you’re missing classes and itching to get back to work this week (as most dancers tend to do), remember, this isn’t wasted time. It’s an opportunity to magnify the Lord through rest.

Active Rest, Active Worship
True rest is an active participation in God’s grace. Yes, the scriptures also warn against sloth, but a one-week break does not make a lazy heart—especially when you’re intentionally seeking God’s presence and renewal during periods of rest, rather than simply ceasing activity. So this week, times when you’d usually be in school or working at the studio can be times of intentional connection with God. Use it to commune with Him, and be refreshed in His presence. Here’s some ways you can go about it:

●      Spend time in prayer (free from distractions)

●      Spend time in the scriptures (journal your way through His word)

●      Spend time in His creation (take some walks… the weather is gorgeous this week!)

●      Spend time learning about His character (and what you can bring back to the studio with you next week)

Purposeful Stillness
Sabbath rest has been commanded since the very beginning of scriptures, not just as time off from labor, but as time specifically dedicated to worship, reflection, and fellowship with God. So while our bodies are worthy of restoration and healing, our hearts and minds can be purposeful in our stillness. In using this time wisely, we magnify God through a reliance on His provision, and recognition of His sovereignty. Since dancers aren’t typically ones to sit still, give these activities a try:

●      Close your eyes and listen to worship music (really listening and digesting the words)

●      Sit still and read through some devotions (or write some of your own)

●      Slow down and count your blessings, then express your gratitude for His provision

●      Be still in His presence, and rest in the knowledge that He’s in control (it’s harder than it sounds)

Encourage Others
As much as worship and rest are called out for their importance, there’s something the scriptures equally don’t endorse: Isolation. Christians aren’t meant to walk alone. We even started this dance year with the foundation of magnifying Him through community! So while we’re separated from our teachers and classmates in the studio this week, it’s important to remember we’re all resting together. If you’re feeling restless, odds are your classmates are, too. As you find restoration this week, take some time to encourage others striving for the same. We’re all taking this break together! Dancers need each other’s encouragement in rest just as much as they do in performance and skill mastery. Give these actions a try:

●      Send an encouraging text message or scripture to a dance friend

●      Pray for your teachers and classroom helpers

●      Write some notes to bring back to class next week

●      Encourage your classmates to make rest an act of worship, and check in on each other throughout the week

 Whether in stillness or fellowship, in rest or vacation, we pray all of our Turning Pointe families have a wonderful break! We’ll see you back in the studio for Spring Peek Week and recital costume distribution March 31-April 5.

Magnify Him through: Service

Gifts—the dictionary defines them as things given willingly to someone without payment. The Bible defines them similarly. Scriptures refer to gifts as offerings given to God, acts of kindness and love among people, or spiritual abilities bestowed by God, all signifying grace, generosity, and God's provision. And all meant to be willingly given to others without expectation.

While all of our students and staff are gifted dancers, teachers, actors, communicators, etc., this month’s studio verse reminds us that being a good steward of those gifts is just as important as refining your skills in training and classes. The apostle Peter lays it all out for us:

 “As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace … in order that in everything God may be glorified through Christ Jesus. To Him belong glory and dominion forever and ever, amen.”

                                                                                                                         —1 Peter 4:10-11

 Whether it’s on stage or off of it, each one of our gifts is a manifestation of God’s grace, meant to be shared, and meant to be a reflection of Him in us. But these gifts, no matter how great, weren’t given for the glory of our own talent, or for the purpose of our own self-discovery. They were given that we might magnify Him through service—with His strength, so that God may be glorified through Jesus Christ.

 Turning Pointe Dance is committed to providing excellence in dance and theater instruction while cultivating hearts of worship and nurturing creativity. We believe every class is an opportunity to dance with and for the Lord, and every performance, recital and peek week is an opportunity to shine His light to others. More than that, we believe in using our gifts and talents to serve others, be it through mission trips, community service, or outreach initiatives, to shine His light beyond our classroom and auditorium walls.

 Last year we kicked off our school-year session with a donation drive for Hunger Action Month, benefitting Care and Share Food Bank for Southern Colorado. As grocery prices remain high and families in our community deal with the reduction of federal food benefits, more of our neighbors are turning to Care and Share's network of partner food pantries and meal programs for help. Through the generosity of our dance family, Turning Pointe Dance was able to give around 160 lbs. of food to this network. Our students also shared their gifts at Magnificent Obsession, a performance that featured several of the state’s ensembles for a unique worship dance concert.

Our Training Division continued their annual outreach tradition with a Christmas performance for our senior neighbors at Brookdale Vista Grande, while other students performed with Jared Anderson’s Christmas This Year and the Village 7 Presbyterian Christmas Concert. Students from Twirl to adult had the opportunity to spread joy through more than 100 Christmas peek week performances, and a Parent’s Afternoon Out event started raising funds for Fidele Youth Dance Company’s mission trip to El Salvador, planned for March 2026.

 At the start of 2025, STARZ Theater Company kicked off their 12th season with performances of Peter Pan, partnering with Every Village for cast devotions and opportunities to support the ministry. The Training Division sent a team to demonstrate and teach dance to families at District 49’s Inspiration Elementary Arts Night, and our students, staff, and families created hundreds of handmade valentines for Springs Rescue Mission’s Acts of Hope.

 So far this month, members of Fidele Youth Dance Company’s 2024 Mission Team performed for the Daughters of the King women’s Bible study, and the Turning Pointe Dance interns got together to choreograph, perform and film four children’s worship songs for World Challenge, a nonprofit ministry in the Springs. Each video will be used in a Christian music curriculum, World Challenge Kids, which will teach dance to students in ministry programs across the world, including through a new partnership with an orphanage in Afghanistan.

But the work isn’t done yet. Peter gave us a call to service, and we’ll continue to steward the gifts of our Turning Pointe family for His glory on the stage, in our community, and beyond.

Upcoming Service Projects & Opportunities to SHINE:

●      March 31-April 5 we’ll host our dance families for Spring Peek Week

●      The Training Division will carry out an Outreach Day April 11-12, teaching and dancing with Sunrise United Methodist Church, Children’s Hospital Colorado Springs, and Bethesda Senior Living, among others. If you know a community we should add to the day’s itinerary, send us a message!

●      During the month of May, we’ll be hosting an end-of-year drive for our community—keep an eye out for more information and donation drop-off bins in the lobby at recitals!

Further Your Dance Training in 2025

What are your goals for dance training this year? Do you want to improve your technique? Understand your body better? Have a better understanding of how our roles as dancers and Christians intertwine and support each other? Maybe you want to work on the vocal and performance aspects of your “triple threat” status, get experience in a new class or rehearsal setting, or add some more bullet points to your theater resume. No matter your goals, there’s a program at Turning Pointe that can help! Just like joining a small group at church can develop close community and give us the opportunity to dive deeper and more personally into our faith, auditioning for a program can do the very same for your time in the studio.

Ready to know more? Read on to learn about each of Turning Pointe’s three pre-professional divisions—and how you can learn more at our informational meetings this weekend!

The Training Division

 The Training Division is for dancers age 10 and up who are interested in studying Classical Ballet. Studying ballet takes repetition, drive, and commitment. At Turning Pointe, we provide unique pre-collegiate Classical Ballet training for students in a Christian environment, and encourage students to train their bodies and spirits for the glory of God. In this division, dancers are required to come to ballet technique class three times a week, and choose a non-ballet elective (contemporary, jazz, worship, modern, etc).  Moving up to the next level is based on ability, not age. A placement class is required to audition for this program, and interested students must have had two or more consecutive years of ballet.

 For more information on the Training Division, you can read through the handbook here.

 Learn more this weekend:
Training Division Informational Meeting
Saturday, February 22
10-10:30 a.m.

Audition for the Training Division:
Training Division Auditions (Spring)
Tuesday, April 15
6:30-7:15 p.m.

 
Training Division Auditions (Summer)
Thursday, May 15
5:30-7 p.m.

Fidèle Youth Dance Company

 FYDC is Turning Pointe’s dance performance ministry, dedicated to impacting our world for His Kingdom through the arts. This program is available for students age 10 and up, and offers an annual full-length and faith-based dance production each November. In odd-numbered years (like 2025), students aged 14 or older who participate in the regular production season can also apply for the FYDC Mission Team. These students perform an additional touring gospel production, teach dance and lead worship at workshops in Colorado Springs, Vail, and over a week in El Salvador in the spring following the November production. All company members will work with guest instructors and FYDC alumni to expand their vocabulary and skill sets in dance and performance, participate in weekly Bible study, worship dance and devotion time, and are assigned to groups that allow each dancer to connect, encourage and support each other through fellowship and prayer as they learn how to use their dance training as a means of performance ministry.

 To learn more about FYDC, visit their website here.

Learn more this weekend:
FYDC Informational Meeting
Saturday, February 22
10:30-11:15 a.m.

 Audition for FYDC:
FYDC 2025 Season Auditions (Christmas as Sugar Plum Manor)

Saturday, June 28
10-11:30 a.m. (Students age 10-13)
12:30-2 p.m. (Students age 14+)

Alternatively, students can audition via video. Requirements and information will be posted to the auditions page of FYDC.com on June 1. All submissions must be received by 3 p.m. on June 28 to be considered.

STARZ Theater Company
STC is Turning Pointe’s theater performance division, offering classes, summer intensives, and performance opportunities with its varied divisions. This program offers musical theater training and experience for students ages 9-18 (or senior in high school), and produces school-year and summer productions. In partnership with the Turning Pointe Musical Theater Program, these opportunities are designed to enrich the training of enrolled TPD students. Performers not enrolled at Turning Pointe may still audition through our community auditions, and casting opportunities are offered based on experience and available roles. As Turning Pointe’s youth theater production company, STC is designed to offer theatrical training, dance technique and vocal foundations in a safe environment that fosters personal growth in the world of the arts.

For more information on STC, visit their website here.

Learn more this weekend:
STC Informational Meeting
Saturday, February 22
11:15 a.m.-Noon

Audition for STC:
STC Summer Production Auditions (Fiddler on the Roof)
Saturday, April 5 (Auditions)
Sunday, April 6 (Callbacks)

Magnify Him Through: Love

God is love. Love one another. For God so loved the world. It’s no secret that love is a defining attribute of our Heavenly Father. In fact, the word “love” is written in the Bible more than 700 times in most translations, in part because there’s no other word for “love” in the English language. All season long we’ve been studying ways to magnify the Lord—that is, to make Him easier to see in our lives and through our dancing. This month the red Valentine hearts adorning each of our classroom doors remind us of our studio-wide devotional theme: Magnify Him through LOVE.

 The Bible tells us we are made in the image of God, and, as Christian performers, we reflect His creativity in every step we dance. But more than that, we are made in the image of God, and that God is love. (1 John 4:8) The problem is, when we think about loving others, we often misplace our efforts by serving our own hearts in the process, or we simply pick and choose when we love others and when we don’t. Loving others isn’t always our top priority when we’re in the pits of recital preparation, doing vocal warmups or pliés at the barre. It’s especially difficult to shift our hearts to loving others when we’re so focused on achieving our own goals in the studio. Let’s face it—theater and dance can be a selfish industry by its very nature. Afterall, it’s hard to turn the spotlight to an unseen God when it’s literally shining on us, across the stage, for a whole audience to see. But God’s love doesn’t pick and choose. It doesn’t come and go, and this month’s memory verse–prominently displayed on every classroom mirror all February–can help us bring it all back into focus:

 “No one has ever seen God; If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love is perfected in us.” 1 John 4:12

 I love this analogy from one of Ken MacLeod’s Community of Grace sermons:

 “Who is someone that you love deeply? Why do you love them? If you have a list of all the reasons you love someone, you don’t really love them. You love yourself, and these reasons only tell you the ways that person pleases you. For example, G.K. Chesterton said you could pick a place, let’s say Portland, Maine. If you love Portland for some reason in particular, maybe because it has great food, then you don’t love Portland. You love yourself, and the food you can find around Portland pleases you. But if you really love Portland for no reason but for its own sake, you would be willing to tear down every restaurant in Portland if it made it a better place.”

 As Christians we know that God is present in our world. But as John reminds us in this month’s verse, He is unseen. Enter this year’s theme: Magnify. Then enter this month’s verse. John is telling us that when we love one another with God’s love, it is a visible demonstration of His presence abiding in us. The trick is to magnify Him through a love like His, and not one of our own definitions. His is a love for others that can’t be explained. It’s a love for the unlovable; a love that loves those who are successful and those in the trenches with equal measure. It’s an intentional love for people God placed in your life. It’s a love for people who will not love you in return. It’s a love for your enemies. This is the love of God in you. In this way (and only in this way), we can give our audience visible evidence of the unseen God.

 At Turning Pointe Dance, we’re working to be living examples of His perfect love, cultivating hearts of worship and a loving community that transcends the studio. It’s more than just great dancing—that’s the Turning Pointe difference. This month (and every one after that), we encourage you to reset each time you see the studio verse posted up on the mirror, or the Valentine hearts on each door. Reflect on your relationships. Pray for God’s love to work through you, whether that looks like lifting up your classmates, intentionally showing kindness to those not in your class or level, showing selfless gratitude for your setbacks, or even making God seen through a love of dance, performance and worship. In all things, we encourage you to magnify Him through love.