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YourHub.com \\ Vero Beach \\ Stories \\ Faith \\ General Faith

DANCING FOR GOD GROWS AS WORSHIP ELEMENT

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Contributed by: Joyce Levi on 7/25/2008

Nowadays some religious institutions include dance in their worship services.

Traditionally, choirs, sometimes orchestral groups, and instrumental and vocal soloists have been commonly used to add beauty and wonder to a worship experience. But dance is now being used more frequently as well.

At a recent Sunday service at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Vero Beach, member Maria Sobkowiak and former member Kenn Wells performed together in a worship setting for the first time.

Kenn was born in South Africa where he learned to dance. He moved to Britain, became principal dancer with the Scottish Ballet Company, and later joined the English National Ballet, known at the time as the London Festival Ballet. He had an amazing career working with famous choreographers such as Roland Petit, Gillian Lynne, and Rudolf Nureyev. He danced many leading roles, notably the leading roles in Witchboy and Petrushka. His favorite role was Mercutio in Romeo and Juliet, dancing it worldwide to Nureyev's Romeo. He also appeared widely in television dance programs.

Taking a leave of absence from the ballet in 1981, Kenn created the role of Skimbleshanks in London's world premiére of "Cats," also recording the original London cast album. He remained in the London cast for two years, returned to the English National, and then moved to the Royal Ballet where he earned his teachers diploma. He came to the United States as ballet master to the New Jersey Ballet Company.

Kenn then attended the FIT (Fashion Institute of Technology) School of Design in New York City and has since specialized in faux painting - as he called it, "yet another world of fake illusions." Today, he says, he dances through life! Kenn lives in Austin, Texas.

Maria was born in the Netherlands, and moved to the U.S. in 1988. She holds a degree in Dance Expression from the Theatre School of Amsterdam with a background in classical, modern and jazz ballet. She has danced with the Boston Dance Company, the Improv Dance Company in New Haven, CT and in several faculty concerts at the schools where she was teaching.

Maria taught dance for over 25 years both in the Netherlands and the U.S., and choreographed and designed costumes for all the dance school recitals. For one school she developed a special program for mentally challenged children and adults, a difficult but rewarding project. She danced and worked for several years in the Nutcracker performance of the Connecticut Ballet Company.

Maria has performed in the Unitarian Universalist Church of Westport, CT and in several UUFVB shows and cabarets. She added dance to several UUFVB Sunday services by her own performance or choreographing the dancing of the children. She believes that there is a hidden dancer in everyone!

Both Kenn and Maria enjoyed the spiritual aspect of their recent dance together during worship, and will do it again next time Kenn visits from Texas.

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