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The professional Christian ballet company Ballet Magnificat! will continue Lee University’s U-Church series with a performance on Sunday, Oct. 26 at 7:30 p.m. in the Conn Center.

Ballet Magnificat!, described as the premiere Christian dance company in the United States, was founded in 1986 and now performs over 200 times annually. Under the direction of executive director Keith Thibodeaux and founder and artistic director Kathy Thibodeaux, the two professional companies of Ballet Magnificat! strive to present “artistic excellence.” The Alpha Company will perform Ballet Magnificat!’s original show “Deliver Us!” for U-Church.

“There is no denying the emotional power of this company,” The Washington Post says of Ballet Magnificat!. “These dancers have the kind of lit-from-within presence rarely seen outside the premier companies.”

The company’s mission statement is “to present the gospel of Jesus Christ to the widest possible audience through the medium of dance, dance/drama, and personal witness.” From the Kennedy Center to Singapore’s Victoria Theatre, Ballet Magnificat! has ministered through dance all over the world, touring both nationally and internationally to over 25 countries.

Dancers have included former members of Les Ballet Jazz de Montreal, Spokane Ballet, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, the State Theatre of the Czech Republic, Oldenburgishes Staatstheater of Germany, Ballet Mississippi, Eternia Dance Theater of Sweden, Ballet Etudes, Tallahassee Ballet Company, Royal Winnipeg Ballet, Ballet Hawaii and the Houston Ballet Academy.

Ballet Magnificat! also established a School of the Arts in 1989 that has over 300 students enrolled. The Summer Dance Intensive and Teachers Workshop, founded the same year, attracts dancers and teachers at the national and international level.

For more information about Ballet Magnificat!, visit: http://www.balletmagnificat.com/.

U-Church is a free, non-ticketed event for students, alumni and the community. Seating is first come, first serve. Doors will open at 6:45 p.m.

Childcare is available for all who attend. Please contact Christie Wyatt at [email protected] for more information.

For a chance to win contests and have input on future artists, please follow U-Church on Twitter @LeeUChurch.

For more information about U-Church, contact Joyce Lane at [email protected] or 423-614-8347.