Fidele Youth Dance Company culminates eighth season with three performances of “LionHeart”
Come one, come all! Step right up and see the most amazing show on earth! Members of Fidele Youth Dance Company hope to dazzle and delight as they bring their eighth season to it’s peak with “LionHeart” this weekend at the Wasson Academic Campus Auditorium.
An original stage adaptation of The Lady and the Lionheart, a Christian fiction novel written by award-winning author Joanne Bischof, “LionHeart” brings two worlds together as the 1890s traveling circus comes to small-town Virginia. And while it will be performed live on stage for just three ticketed performances, it’s a production almost a year in the making.
“It was a surreal moment, when just a few days before Christmas, a message came in from the director of a dance company for children and young adults in Colorado Springs, inquiring about the possibility of adapting The Lady and the Lionheart for the stage,” Bischof wrote on her blog. “My answer?? YES! Not only for the chance to see Charlie and Ella and the whole circus troupe in live action, but because of the heart and purpose behind the dance company — one that encourages children and teens in the performance arts while also sharing the gospel through their yearly productions.”
With their mission of impacting the community for His Kingdom through the arts in mind, FYDC ran away to join the circus with Bischof’s gospel-woven words as their guide.
“Obviously we’ve had to adapt a few things,” FYDC Director Mimi McKinnis said. “As a dance company, we don’t use any dialog, so rather than saying things or writing out some of the character’s memories, we get to show them. It’s been a beautiful challenge, but as we come closer to the final performance, I’m incredibly proud of the end result.”
Many of the book’s details lent themselves perfectly to the stage, from colorful characters to folk dances and circus acts. More than that, the book’s message of God’s love and sacrifice lent itself perfectly to the company’s mission and heart.
“I loved so many of the details in the book, and as I was reading it, I could see them coming to life,” McKinnis said. “Joanne painted such a vivid picture with her words, and we’ve kept it all in mind from including aerialists in the lion taming act to the tally mark scratches representing the days in Charlie’s contract. What I loved most of all, though, was the message behind the Big Top. The message that we’re not the Charlie of our stories. We’re not defined by what the world sees or says. We’re the Hollands, born again, perfect and new in His eyes because of His sacrifice that set us free. It’s a message that we’re so blessed to tell, and a story we hope will leave a lasting impact on our audience.”
Spectators have three chances to catch the production, Saturday, November 13 at 2 or 6 p.m., or a 2 p.m. matinee on Sunday, November 14. Fans of the book might even catch a glimpse of Bischof herself in the crowd after making the journey from California to see the production.
“To know that a story I had the joy of being able to write down has now sparked the creativity of others is one of the greatest honors I could have dreamed of,” Bischof wrote on her blog. “And when the curtain officially goes up later this year? My mom and I are already planning a road trip to Colorado Springs so that we don’t miss it! And good news! Their productions are recorded so there will be a chance for anyone to watch it online from the comfort of your own home.”
The production will be filmed on stage throughout the company’s technical and dress rehearsals to create a digital viewing experience, making the production available worldwide. LionHeart Online will premiere on Friday, December 3. Remote spectators are encouraged to make a night of the digital streaming with a LionHeart Watch Party Kit, which includes a downloadable copy of the show’s Playbill, an intermission devotion and testimony written by Nahum Young, who plays Charlie Lionheart on stage, and make-at-home recipes inspired by the book from the LionHeart Menu, created exclusively for FYDC by Chef Leta Chrisman.
“COVID was rough, but I’m so glad we were able to take the tools of digital performance away from last season,” McKinnis said. “The message and the weight of this story are so important, we want to use all the means at our disposal to reach as many hearts as possible.”
To purchase tickets to LionHeart, preorder the digital production or request a Watch Party Kit, visit FideleYouthDanceCompany.com. For more information on Bischof or The Lady and the Lionheart, visit https://joannebischof.com.
