What It Is:

“Ballet Magnificat! was founded in 1986. Magnificat is Latin for “to magnify Him.” It’s derived from “Mary’s Song” of praise in the 1st Chapter of the Gospel of Luke when she first learned she was to be the mother of the Messiah. Ballet Magnificat! is an arts organization dedicated to presenting the good news of Jesus Christ to the whole world. Our professional touring companies perform nationally and internationally, ministering to audiences in the United States as well as Canada, Belgium, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands, Greece, Singapore, Costa Rica and Puerto Rico.” (from Facebook fan page)

My Review:

In short: I  LOVED it!

We happened upon a poster for Ballet Magnificat! recently, and I jumped at the chance to take my girls. First, they both love ballet and have not yet been to a professional performance. Second, they were performing “Deliver Us” the story of Exodus set to the music from the movie, “Prince of Egypt.” That will fit in with our homeschool curriculum, which is reviewing the major stories of the Bible this year. Third, Easter and Passover are in less than two weeks! What perfect timing!

I honestly had no idea what to expect, or if my girls would be able be still long enough to watch. But they were mesmerized, and thankfully there was a child-friendly audience and very patient people around us that put up with the sound of the million questions my girls asked during the show.

I expected to enjoy the dancing and the music. I did not expect to fall in love with the story all over again, or spend a night just praising God while watching these wonderful dancers worship through music. Really. Even the local groups, who performed two different preludes to the second act, filled the auditorium with just pure joy. 

And it wasn’t just that the Ballet Magnificat! troupe was technically proficient and did complicated and awe-inspiring dancing and lifts (though they did). It was that these performers FELT their performances. And they made you feel it too. Really, when was the last time you went to a ballet that wasn’t, well,  . . . cold? Ballet Magnificat wasn’t. Honestly, warmth and their love of performing just exuded from every fiber of their being.

Frankly, it made me wish I was younger, in better shape, and could just join them up onstage myself. I wish I had known about this fabulous group when I was younger and still performing (though, I honestly would never have been good enough to fit in with these extremely talented dancers).

With all that said, some parts were a little graphic for my crew, ages three and five. The scene with the slave-driver with a whip “beating” the Jewish slaves prompted a ton of questions from both, and my three-year-old is still asking, “But why were they beating the other? That was mean.” And I had no idea that the crucifixion was worked into the end of the story and would be so realistic. It’s not that I had a problem with either scene, but I do wish I had known and could have prepared my girls ahead of time. Nevertheless, we have been able to have very good discussions about it since. Which means the show left quite an impression, even beyond my daughters’ love of dance.

Here is their tour schedule, and if you’re one of my international buddies, be sure to check it out as well; they are touring internationally in the next few months!

Ballet Magnificat: Website, Facebook Page, and YouTube

Book Description

“Having traveled to the ends of the earth as a flight attendant, Ally Green has finally returned to the Lowcountry to bury her father as well as the past. But Vesey Washington is still living across the creek, and theirs is a complicated relationship–he was once her best friend . . . and also part of the reason she’s stayed away so long. When Ally discovers a message her father left behind asking her to quit running, it seems her past isn’t through with her yet.

As Ally’s wandering spirit wrestles with a deep longing to flee again, a young woman on the other side of the world escapes her life of slavery in the rock quarries of Nepal. A mysterious sketchbook leads Sunila Kunari to believe there’s more to her story than she’s ever been told, and she’s determined to follow the truth wherever it leads her.

A deep current intertwines the lives of these three souls, and a destiny of freedom, faith, and friendship awaits them all on the banks of Molasses Creek.”

MY REVIEW:

At first I didn’t like this book at all. I couldn’t get into it, and honestly it didn’t even want to finish it. I only kept going because I had promised to write a review.

Here is what I didn’t like. First of all, the “voices” of the story. Most of the story is written in first-person. And I never felt like the voices were “real.” A large part of the story is set in the South, and the two major characters, Ally and Vesey, didn’t sound “authentic.” While this might be a small thing, as a Southerner, this is one of my biggest pet peeves. I also didn’t hear the difference as the characters aged throughout the story, as the times (from pre-segregation and Civil rights era South to modern-day) changed.

Then, slightly past halfway through the book, all of that changed.

And I couldn’t put the book down. 

I stayed up until 3 am to finish it.

Sunila has become my favorite character of the story. Her struggle to find the truth of her identity to her rebirth as her “new” self, I was extremely touched by her courage. Frankly, it didn’t matter to me that I couldn’t “hear” her “voice” in my head. Her emotional journey gave her the authenticity I needed to believe in her and feel for her.

And as Ally’s story was woven in, I began to fall in love with this character as well, truly understanding her emotional journey as well.

As for Vesey, while he was an extremely likable character, I do not feel like this part of the storyline really served the true message of the book. I can see where Ms. Seitz was going with this concept, it just didn’t connect well with me. It’s as if I was reading two completely different books at the same time, and the connection of all three characters at the end — well, I didn’t buy it. 

Vesey never felt very real to me. Even in his “inner monologue” parts of the story, he just spoke entirely too well for a black man who was a product of the pre-integration South, who ended up not finishing school and working his life on a farm. I really appreciate Ms. Seitz’s attempts to write about this period of history, it just didn’t feel real.

What I did love about this story: the ending. The love and the redemption and healing. The connection between the last three characters on the last few pages. That was the great emotional payoff that I needed, as a reader.

I would give this story three stars, and a recommendation to read it, with the caveat that you really have to get past the first have of the book to “get it.”

I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com <http://BookSneeze®.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

101 Bible Adventures is an action-packed overview of the Bible (based on the New Living Translation). Just like the name, there are 101 different stories from both the Old and New Testaments. Each story is just two pages and includes a brief synopsis, a key verse from the related section of the Bible, and a “Now What?” section that helps a child learn and apply the lesson to their own life.

“101 Bible Adventures gives kids a great way to explore the Scriptures while highlighting concepts such as building good character; the importance of having good role models; and themes such as forgiveness, love, and God’s wonderful plan for our lives.”

My Opinion: We liked it!

This book would be especially awesome for active boys, and I admit I wondered how my girly-girly princess-loving girls would react to it.

But it worked out great! I introduced the book on our road trip during our move. I picked out stories that specifically talked about people in the Bible who had to make a big move: Abram and Moses and the Israelites. I think that especially the title “Abram’s Big Adventure” helped our girls see our move as a big adventure as well!

And last weekend, we had the opportunity to visit a Messianic Congregation Service. To help my oldest understand what we were about to see, I read her the story of “A Lost Twelve Year Old” to explain to her what Church was like for Jesus!

In short, this book helped me bring the Bible to life for my girls, and easily relatable. Obviously, I think the action-adventure style is perfect for boys, but can easily work for girls as well.

I give it two thumbs up!

Tyndale House Publishers provided me with a complimentary copy of this book. My opinions and review are my own!