Elise M. Edwards is a Ph.D. candidate in Theology, Ethics, and Culture at Claremont Graduate University and registered architect in the State of Florida. She does interdisciplinary work in the fields of theology, ethics, and aesthetics, examining how they inform and shape each other and express the commitments of their communities.
“You should watch this. It’s inspiring,” my sister said to me about Born to Dance: Laurieann Gibson, the dance competition show on BET. So I watched. And I loved it. I can’t remember watching any other reality show–especially a competition-based one- that left me with such a sense of the spirituality of its star.
Laurieann Gibson fulfills many roles on Born to Dance: host, mentor, judge, and executive producer. Laurieann is a respected dancer and choreographer. TV viewers may remember her from MTV’s Making the Band franchise, in which she trained members of Dannity Kane in dance and sometimes clashed with P. Diddy, the star and producer of that show. In this show that features her name, we learn more about her approach to dance and to life. On Born to Dance, we see the same drive and demanding ethic that she displayed in other shows, but we also see her spirituality. She says grace before eating dinner with the contestants. She speaks of God and gifts. And most surprisingly, she prays in Jesus’ name before very elimination. These prayers are for the contestants that will be eliminated, that they may continue to grow in confidence and belief in their dreams to become dancers, and that they may have many opportunities and paths in the future to do so. Continue reading “A Spirit of Competition By Elise M. Edwards”
Feminism and Religion 