Our faith is building: Where we’ve been and where we’re going
Our 12th season kicked off by welcoming over 150 dance and theater participants. We introduced some new classes, including a restorative dance class for teen and adult women, focusing on dance interpretation through personal story and struggle. Throughout the entire week, the studio was filled with the sweet presence of God as girls, boys and women learned both dance technique & worship. Meanwhile in theater, we observed our tweens/teens grow incredibly close knit not only during loud & crazy rehearsals, but also an ongoing streams of texting and Facetimes filled with friendship and encouragement. This year we also introduced “faith tracks” devotional times in classes, live worship time on Sunday evenings, and lifted each other up via our Prayer & Praise bulletin boards.
in summer of 2021, we received word about an unexpected complication that threatened to shut down our theater department. Some of us spent many late nights processing this bump in the road, wondering what was next. But for our younger participants, it transformed into an opportunity to set an example of the generous spirit of God’s family as local churches showed up during that 11th hour of prayer that allowed us to continue to create. Thank you to Lifepointe Church of Rio Linda for hosting our summer production of Peter Pan, and Town & Country Church in Sacramento for hosting Mary Poppins and Elf. And, as always, a tremendous thank you to Antelope Road Christian Fellowship, who has hosted our dance recitals for over 8 years and continues to do so. You guys are family and we are so thankful and blessed by you!
Over the summer, thanks to an epic crew of volunteers, we raised over $25,000 at our two fireworks booths, and the funds were used to provide summer camp scholarships, counseling sessions, and much-needed studio renovations. We held 6 summer camps, a full roster of dance classes, and our summer production of Peter Pan. The Peter Pan roster was the largest we’ve ever had in the history of Royal Stage, and we did two completely separate casts to allow more kids to shine. Our spring benevolence fund also sponsored other ministries locally and abroad.
Thanks to your generosity, we provided over 50 hours of counseling for women involved in Royal Stage, and also grocery and transportation assistance for some of our participants. Once again, we held to our policy of never turning anyone away - welcoming approximately 40% of our student population on full scholarship. Every need was met, and every participant heard the good news that God loves them fully and unconditionally right where they’re at, and that together, we can strive to be closer to Him and better for each other.
In 2022….
January - our students will walk into our newly renovated studio spaces - new sprung flooring, marley, refreshed walls & restrooms!
April - we’re finally having our 10th anniversary gala! (which is really now our 12th anniversary, but in COVID times we do what we can do) :)
May - come see our quinquennial tradition of Alice in Wonderland onstage, as well as our spring dance showcase
June & July - summer outreach time!
August and beyond - we are walking out in faith that by August, the start of our 12th season, God will have guided us to our own performance space, ending this challenging “nomadic” season for us. We also greatly look forward to discovering what musicals, dance themes, and service opportunities He calls us to. And, best of all, we are excited to continue this journey with our current Royal Stage friends (and new ones!) as we continue on this arts journey and strive to draw closer to Him than ever before in this coming year.
With gratefulness, Tammy Warta Director, Royal Stage
thank you for being a part of our family.