About this episode
Silas Farley, former New York City Ballet dancer and current Dean of the Colburn School's Trudl Zipper Dance Institute, explores the profound connections between classical ballet, Christian worship, and embodied spirituality. From his early exposure to liturgical dance in a charismatic Lutheran church to his career as a professional dancer and choreographer, Farley illuminates how the physicality of ballet can express deep spiritual truths and serve as an act of worship.This episode was made possible in part by the generous support of the Tyndale House Foundation. Visit tyndale.foundation to learn more.Episode Highlights“The physicality of ballet is cruciform. The dancer stands in a turned-out position... the body becomes the intersection of the vertical and the horizontal plane.”“Sin makes the soul curve in on itself, whereas holiness or wholeness in God opens us up.”“We are Christian humanists. We don't need to be intimidated by beauty.”“There's knowledge and insight in all the different parts of our bodies, not just in our brain.”“The mystery of the incarnation is that when the creator of all things wanted to make himself known to his creation, he didn't come as a vapor or as a mountain or as a bird. But he came as a man.”Resources for Understanding and Experiencing BalletLocal community ballet companies/schools“B is for Ballet” (ABT children’s book)“My Daddy Can Fly” (ABT)Celestial Bodies, by Laura JacobsApollo’s Angels, by Jennifer HomansSilas Farley’s Podcast: Hear the Dance (NYC Ballet)The Nutcracker (NYC Ballet/Balanchine)Jewels (1967, Balanchine)Agon (Balanchine/Stravinsky)About Silas FarleySilas Farley is a professional ballet dancer and choreographer. Dean of the Trudl Zipper Dance Institute at the Colburn School in Los Angeles, Silas is a former New York City Ballet dancer, choreographer, and educator. He also currently serves as Armstrong Artist in Residence in Ballet in the Meadows School of the Arts at Southern Methodist University.His work includes choreography for the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Houston Ballet, and the New York City Ballet. He hosts the Hear the Dance podcast and creates works that integrate classical ballet with spiritual themes.Silas also serves on the board of The George Balanchine Foundation.Show NotesSilas Farley’s Early Dance Background & FormationSilas Farley: Originally from Charlotte, North Carolina; youngest of 7 children (4 brothers, 2 sisters); multiracial family (white father, Black mother)First exposure through charismatic Lutheran church’s liturgical dance ministrySaw formal ballet at age 6 when Christian ballet company Balle
