My name is Joy Tripp and I am eighteen years old. I am in my twelfth year of dancing and this is my first year of being in Ballet Magnificat’s Trainee Program. Ballet Magnificat is a professional Christian ballet company with the desire to  “…equip the trainees technically and artistically to bring God glory both on and off the stage.” It was never my dream to pursue ballet at a professional level after high school. But roughly a year ago, the Lord placed the desire in my heart to pursue ballet when I went to Ballet Magnificat’s summer dance intensive. Being a member of Rejoice! Dance Ministry for five years at AFAA also inspired me to pursue ballet  because I wanted to keep bringing glory and praise to God through the art of dance.

One challenge I am currently experiencing is dancing with a knee injury I suffered back in May during rehearsals for my last high school ballet production. Dancing through injuries is never a fun or easy process! I thought taking a break from dance over the summer before my Trainee Program started would let my knee heal. I went to a physical therapist who told me to strengthen some of the muscles around my knee because it was weak. I was confused by what the therapist told me because I strengthen the exact muscles he told me to do every week at dance. I started my dance training in September with a knee that was in more pain than it was before summer break. 

When it comes to injuries, I am the worst at taking care of them. Even taking ibuprofen and icing my injury for thirty minutes is difficult for me to do. On days that my knee did not hurt as much, I would push myself, thinking that my knee was getting better. The next day I would not be able to dance much and would have to sit out for part of the class. I found out that one of my trainee teachers was a Physical Therapist and she told me the opposite of what the first PT told me about my knee injury. My knee was actually hurting because the muscles around my knee were too strong. The muscles were very tight from using them constantly in dance class and my teacher encouraged me to release the tension in my muscles with a foam roller everyday before dance class.

The Lord has both taught and sustained me through this knee injury. He is teaching me the importance of taking care of myself daily like taping my knee, rolling out my muscles, and doing an ice bath. I am the Lord’s beautiful, wonderful, and fearfully made creation which is why I want to take care of myself. I am also His instrument which is why I am motivated to take care of myself to be able to better bring glory and praise to Him through my dancing. I have found that taking good care of myself has allowed me to dance almost to my full potential without much pain in my knee.

Even though my knee does still hurt a little every day, the Lord is teaching me to say “hallelujah” because He is the one who sustains me.

A Day in the Life of a Ballet Magnificat Trainee:

7:30 AM – Wake up!
Get ready for the day: hair in bun, makeup, get dressed, and breakfast on the go.

8:30 AM – Costume Fitting if we have a performance coming up.

9:30 AM – Time for Worship!
Everyone joins in: company, trainees, teachers & staff.

10:30 AM – Warm Up includes taping my knee, rolling out muscles & stretching.

11:30 AM – Technique class is the first class everyday.

12:30 PM – Lunch Break.
My favorite foods are energy bites, chapati, & frozen grapes.

1:30 PM – Pointe Class or Rehearsals

2:30-3:30 PM – More rehearsals!
Sometimes this changes up to be variations, conditioning, contemporary or Bible Study.
Classes finish at 3:30 PM – that’s 6 hours of training done!

4:30 PM – Go to work!
I’m a front desk attendant at a local gym.

9:30 PM – Finally home!
I’ve been out 12+ hours before coming home.

10:30 PM – Food Prep.
I spend time each evening packing my lunch and sometimes dinner, depending on if I work the next day.

11:30 PM – Quiet time with the Lord.
If I do my quiet time in the morning, I feel rushed by the day’s schedule of to-do’s.
Bedtime at 12:30 AM!