Dear Friends of the BLDE

It's been a long time since I have written and there have been many changes in my life. I'm no longer in NY and am back in Massachusetts. It's a long story and if anyone wants more details, feel free to contact me directly at robertvereecke@me.com.
The good news is that there is a performance of A Dancer's Christmas in NY this year. Sara Knight, long time friend and dancer for ADC is staging a version of ADC with her beautiful new Chevalier Ballet. Sara directs a wonderful training program for young dancers in NY and she asked if she could stage ADC with her company since I would not be able to do it. So I'm thrilled that a version of ADC that combines elements of the original with Christmas Reflections and Christmas Revelations. It will take place on December 21st/22 at the Ailey Citigroup theater, 405 55th St. NY, NY. I'm so grateful to Sara for making this happen.
Joining the Chevalier Ballet will be Maresa D'Amore Morrison, Steven Cornwall, Alex Olivieri, Michael Wang (10 Hairy Legs dancers), Michelle Principi and few of the BLDE veterans. If you're in NY on the weekend of the 21/22, it would be great to see you! 

I just uploaded this past year's Saturday evening performance of Christmas Revelations. You can find it under Christmas Repertoire. Soon we will be starting rehearsals for What Wondrous Love is This as well as Palm Sunday and Vigil. I'm happy that i've been able to continue the BLDE tradition.
Tomorrow Evening, February 10th I will be screening Knot/Not I at a concert to benefit Venezuela. The composer I used when I choreographed this piece a number of years ago is Venezuelan. It features Steven Cornwall as Judas and Edwin Johnson as Jesus. You can see it in the Lenten Repertory section.
​Blessings! Fr Bob

This year's production of Christmas Revelations again features Maresa D'Amore Morrison as Mary and Steven Cornwall as Joseph. It's a lovely cast of NY and Boston performers. It plays from December 15th- 17th. Tickets are available through sheencenter.org  Hope to see you there! Fr. Bob Vereecke

For some reason we lost the video of For the Greater Glory of God. Here it is back again.

About 40 years ago I created a visual Passion for the BC Chorale liturgy on Palm Sunday. Over the years, the passion was done at Trinity Chapel and then for 27 years at St Ignatius. This is the first year that I'm doing it at Xavier in NYC. I think it still has great power but I've made some changes because of the space. I also have Judas dressed in a suit and tie, a woman playing the Holy Spirit who accompanies Jesus and Steven Cornwall as Jesus. Will see how it goes.

On Wednesday evening April 12th, we will be doing What Wondrous love is this! Danced evening prayer with the Seven Last Words of Christ. Steven and Maresa D'Amore Morrison will be dancing. Hope some of my New York friends can attend. 

Holy Week and Easter Blessings!

​Fr. Bob

The first year (I hope) of Christmas Revelations was remarkably successful. Dancers and actors from NY, Boston and Kingston Jamaica all gathered together on December 16th and put the show together in one night! Thanks to Jamie and Carol for their tireless devotion to the work and for their multiple trips to NY.Thanks to Daisy in Boston for working with the young dancers! Thanks to Howard, Rich Larsen and Steve Flately for reuniting to do the tech together after 30 years! At some point I hope to post a video.

i I can hardly believe that I haven't posted since March! Most of you know that the past months have brought significant changes to my life. I'm now Pastor of St Francis Xavier on 16th St In Manhattan. As soon as I arrived however I explored the possibility of doing something for Christmas in the tradition of Christmas Reflections and A Dancer's Christmas. One morning I had a revelation! Why not call it Christmas Revelations! The biggest challenge has been that the stage at the Sheen Center where we are performing is about one-quarter the size of the Robsham so I have had to think "small" when I'm used to thinking "big". The good news is that Maresa D'Amore Morrison who started dancing with the company when she was 8 years old is dancing (beautifully) the role of Mary. Sara Knight who was a featured dancer  in ADC for many years introduced me to one of her students who is a stunning dancer. Others who have danced with us and who now live in NY, Julie Krieg and Michael Prince are joining us as well as Christina Beachnau and Justine Delpriora. And believe it or not, Daisy, and her kids and Andy Martin and his daughters are also performing. To top it all off, Michelle Principi, who is now in NY will be doing the Irish Step in the Doll Dance. And of course Steven Cornwall is coming in from Jamaica. So you can see, that I may have changed cities, but I haven't changed a bit. And look who's dancing on the cover of the poster!

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After 27 years this was the final Danced Lenten Evening prayer at St Ignatius. I hope you enjoy it.
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