The Kirkland Family
from left to right, Andrew Kirkland, Heather Kirkland, Dennis & Robin Kirkland, Andrea Kirkland Lynn & Greg Lynn, Jon Reynolds & Erica Kirkland Reynolds.
May 2020: Saying Goodbye to Vonore Road
Remembering the conversations in the halls, the late night rehearsals, the bonding, the successes and the tears, the heartfelt talks. Jesus at the center of it all. The prayers prayed and freedom unleashed. The feeling of accomplishment when a dance was complete. The devastation when a show was over.
Many wish walls could talk, but oh, if only this floor would speak. It would tell of the feet that have pounded it. The tears it has caught. The days when we didn’t want to come to class turned into the nights we didn’t want to leave. The friends that were made here and some friendships that ended here. We celebrated good times. Cried hard in bad times. Some lost family. Some lost friends. Some lost more. We held them close. Here we fed a desire to learn and grow. The legs that got higher and the pirouettes that were perfected. The moments it clicked and all things were aligned. The moments that are still unfinished and the talents yet to be discovered. We signed up to be stretched and pushed beyond our own expectations. We loved it. We hated it. We questioned it. It molded us. Some left. Some had to move on. We love them still.
This isn’t a sanctuary or a shrine. We danced here. Life happened in here. Burdens were shared and the hidden was brought to light and taken to the feet of Jesus. It was a group effort. In the end, we would pull together to make it work. If there was a struggle in this room, it wasn’t to be seen on a stage. This was a safe room. A classroom. We were the teacher but we learned the most.
We are artists. This was our palette. We weren’t perfect. Sometimes things got messy. Sometimes nothing came from it. Sometimes things didn’t make sense. Here it either fell into place or would fall into a pit of unused material. The days of writers block and marley burns. Here we shared what we know and the passion inside of us. Sometimes you could feel the Holy Spirit dance with us. This is our space where creations are made. Where kids learned skills and our baby Josie crawled between barres and water bottles.
This is home plate. Where good things start and great things end. 10 years. Over 75 shows. Thousands of classes and even more rehearsals. It’s not over. Just intermission…