Article June 30, 2003 Issue

Creative power—right when I needed it

By Deborah Huebsch

My deadline was rapidly approaching. I was the choreographer, and it was the day before I was scheduled to begin rehearsals for a community theater production of the musical Quilters. I was starting to panic. I hadn't been active in the field of choreography for years, I had no movement ideas, and to make matters worse, the music was so difficult that I couldn't even count it, much less come up with steps to go with it.

Because prayer is always a part of my daily life, I found it natural to turn in that direction for help. Throughout my dance career some years ago, I found that I could rely on God for all kinds of needs. As a dancer, I had always acknowledged God as the source of all beauty, grace, rhythm, flexibility, and strength. Prayer was a wonderful resource on which I depended. Standing backstage at every performance, I would mentally connect with this infinite source and pray to express more of God's qualities. I prayed to get out of a limited view of my own abilities and recognize my part in God's wondrous universe of artistry. For me, God is the great Artist, the creative source of all good. Getting in touch with that source through my prayer gave me an expanded understanding of what I was all about. I felt part of the infinite design. This understanding gave me a transcendent feeling that I will always cherish.

Years later, as a teacher of dance and director of a company, I began to do some of my own choreography. And through this work, I continued to understand more about my concept of unity with God. Also, in studying Christian Science, I had learned that one of the synonyms for God is Soul. This synonym meant so much to me, because I understood Soul to be the source of all art. Therefore, when I became involved in the creative process of putting a ballet together or choreographing a musical, I realized I was actually in the process of communing with a divine power outside of myself.