Dimmed lights and bright spotlights in McInnis Auditorium set the stage for the Precious Movements concert on Friday, February 24. This mime and praise concert, “Moving Forward,” told a story of just what its title suggests. Starting with struggle and ending with triumph, the campus group put on a show that left goose bumps.
The concert began with an emotional spoken word piece called “I Don’t Fail.” Written by Gabriel Rodriquez and delivered by Angeley Crawford, the piece was very powerful in tandem with the mimes’ movements.
The mimes, Janelly Mora, Karissa Phelps and Kristin Thompson, set an emotional tone that carried the performance through the rest of the night.
The group was not shy about sharing serious issues. Another piece, performed by Tam Lee and Karissa Phelps to Kirk Franklin’s “Imagine Me,” examined struggles with self image. The dancers depicted ways in which girls try to make themselves thinner, such as purging. These raw emotions perpetuated the serious spirit of the first half of the show.
Several subsequent numbers brought hope to the show’s ongoing story. Songs such as “Make Me New” and “You’ve Been a Friend” performed by several members of the group engaged the audience in more joyous worship. The performers uplifted each other and showed the new creation that one becomes in Christ. To draw further attention to this theme, the program’s cover cited 2 Corinthians 5:17: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!”
The most beautiful aspect of the concert was how the group sparked such intense emotions in audience members and inspired collective worship. A media presentation featuring each performer and one member’s testimony encouraged the audience to bask in the presence of God and not be held to the past, but to instead move forward.
The finale brought joy and triumph to the audience as the entire group performed to “New Season” by Israel Houghton.
Through Precious Movements’ praise dance, the audience could worship with them and rejoice at the journey taken over the course of the evening. The group did a great job pointing to Christ in the midst of struggles and how God helps us to move forward.