The Story Behind Christ’s Jubilee
We have a new product and with it comes a beautiful story. A story of hope, love and connection. When I was really young, about 4-5 years old, I knew I wanted to start ballet. It had captured my heart with a video called “I Wish I Were A Ballerina” from the Wishing Well Willie series. I had my very own little ballerina elephant, and I always dreamed to someday be a dancer. When I asked my adoptive mom, Cleo, when I was about 12 years old, I was told “people who have disabilities are not allowed to take dance class. Everyone will make fun of you because you just can’t do it. Disabled people don’t dance.” When I was told this it devastated me. Fast forward to years later, as an adult. I escaped that home where my mom was abusive in many ways, to start a life of my own. I decided to enroll at Spokane Elite Dance Studio, where I wanted to prove to my mom (even though we had cut contact with each other) that disabled people can dance. I not only had fun and found a welcoming group of people at Spokane Elite, I absolutely fell in love with dance. When they started cutting their adult dance program, I moved across the street to take class at Donna’s School of Dance and Music, where an old friend was the ballet teacher for the teen/adult ballet class. I absolutely loved being able to connect with Miss Katelynn and be able to celebrate her wonderful news of her first child. Then COVID hit. Donna’s closed down and I didn’t know where else to enroll. I kept looking online for an affordable dance studio that also did adult classes. I looked at the top studios and they were all too expensive for my budget and only had one or two adult classes. Then I found Jubilee Dance Studio’s website. The thing that drew me in first was the fact that they were a Christian-based dance studio. I didn’t see that in any other dance studio in town. I clicked on it and they had at least 4 classes for adults, so I emailed Miss Lauren. I told her my situation and she invited me to enroll, telling me they had a scholarship program where they would help me pay for my classes and in return I would clean the studio. They were doing the Narnia show that year, and I enrolled in Miss Taylor’s ballet class. Ballet is my love and I’m so grateful I had Miss Taylor that semester. I lost my adoptive mom that semester and having the pure love and fellowship of everyone in that class helped me so much. It was an amazing community, and knowing I’d fallen in love with dance helped me see this was the place to be. After Narnia, I realized my new dream was to be a dance teacher.
Fast forward to now, where I’ve had 3-4 years of dancing at Jubilee. I’ve seen so much love, concern and joy through those doors. The dance studio is my home. I love being able to express myself through my dancing. I have performed 3 solos now, which was never available to me at the other studios I attended. I have performed at the Spokane County Interstate Fair, which was always a dream of mine. I have been able to do some solo performances in the community and it’s been wonderful being able to share my love of Jesus and dance. As I struggled the past year from the loss of a best friend and a little one I loved, I have found love and fellowship as we dance for love of our dear Savior. The Jubilee community has been a huge blessing to me. I am so beyond grateful for it and for the opportunities it brought me. The hope it has helped me see through struggling times, the love everyone has for each other, and the deep connection we all share with God. Jubilee has been and will be a continued strength and love for me, and I wanted to bring that into Christ’s Jubilee. Jubilee Dance Studio is forever my home.
