Published: July 28, 2009 10:33 pm         

Friends & Neighbors: Meet Hope Gentry

For Hope Gentry, there is no better way to express her love for God than through dance.

That may seem like a contradiction to some, since some Christian denominations frown on dancing. But Gentry says the Bible not only condones dancing — it encourages it.

“In the Bible it speaks of dance,” she said. “I think dance is a form of worship and a way to minister to others. Some people are more visual and get more out of it than just the thees and thous.”

Gentry, 20, has spent her life steeped in Christianity, graduating early from Pathway Christian Academy in Dalton after spending the summer after her sophomore year being home-schooled. She always wanted to learn about dance. Graduating gave Gentry the freedom to work and earn money to begin classes at Dancer’s Workshop, a dance studio in Dalton. It also gave her a taste of adult life.

“I guess I wanted to grow up, but now I realize it’s not that exciting!” she laughed.

Gentry found herself unsure what she wanted to do with her life. After trying beauty school for a few months, she decided to take a year break to consider her options. One thing kept coming back.

Dance.

“Mom (Andrea) found a Web site for a training center in Orlando,” Gentry said. “They were doing a dance workshop in Georgia. I went, and it was like a personal audition for the Glory Dance program.”

Glory Dance, taught by Glory Dance Ministries (www.glorydance.com), teaches participants dance with Christian music and values along with professional techniques. Members dance three to five hours per day as well as learn theology, worship leadership and choreography. They perform at area schools and churches.

“I was accepted but I told them I didn’t have the money,” said Gentry. “The lady there told me before I left that I needed to pray about it. I went home, and I had to raise hundreds of dollars. I prayed about it and people donated.”

About a week before she was scheduled to begin the program in Orlando, officials called Gentry and said Glory Dance Ministries was relocating to Hong Kong. Participants were moved to Grace College of Divinity in Fayetteville, N.C. At first, Gentry felt a bit out of place.

“The other girls except one had been dancing all their lives, so I was really stepping out on faith,” she said. “I had to really push myself physically and mentally. The girls really helped me a lot. It was a very supportive atmosphere.”

Still, Gentry struggled with being away from home and family, which was only exacerbated by the death of her grandfather two weeks after her arrival.

“I flew home for that and didn’t come home the rest of the time,” she said. “I got very homesick. In January I considered coming home for good. I prayed about it and was iffy about it for about a week. I knew God would take care of me the rest of the year.”

Gentry’s parents supported her decision to tough it out, as did Tobi Moncus Weaver, the owner of Dancer’s Workshop. Following Gentry’s graduation in May, Weaver gave her a job teaching classes at the studio. Now Weaver and Gentry are teaming up to begin offering Christian dance classes in September at Dancer’s Workshop.

“I have to be very careful because I don’t want to offend anyone in the community,” said Gentry. “It’s a good environment. People in North Carolina who may have not agreed with it still put their child in classes because it was a good environment.”

Participants may choose from a wide variety of classes, from children’s ballet to adult beginning praise and worship dance. Registration is being held through Thursday, then again Aug. 3-4, 13 and 17-20 from 2 to 7 p.m. Cost is $35 per person per month for a one-hour weekly class with discounts for church groups of five or more.

Gentry says dance has not only brought her closer to God, it has also given her more confidence — and it can do the same for others.

“We are ultimately dancing before an audience of one, and we bow to the King,” she said. “It’s very expressive … a great way to express feelings. It’s also a nice time to fellowship with other parents.”

Gentry says response so far has been positive and she hopes Christian dance will grow in the area. So far, she says the closest studio to offer similar classes is in Adairsville.

“The arts are important,” she said. “Anytime you’re painting or dancing, you’re creating. God is our creator and the Bible says we should be like God.”

     

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