0:00:22 > 0:00:26'I don't know of anyone else that uses Irish dancing to praise God.'
0:00:30 > 0:00:32'If you tell other dance schools about it,
0:00:32 > 0:00:34'they're, like, looking at you,
0:00:34 > 0:00:37'and, but, like, "What are you talking about?"'
0:00:40 > 0:00:43'I just believe the glory of God comes down
0:00:43 > 0:00:46'and can bring the whole audience into that spiritual level,
0:00:46 > 0:00:49'and that's...that's when you would find people who would, maybe,'
0:00:49 > 0:00:50just start to cry or, you know,
0:00:50 > 0:00:52are not even aware, and it's just the peace.
0:00:52 > 0:00:54There's just a real peace.
0:01:19 > 0:01:23I'm Deborah Anderson and I started Irish dancing
0:01:23 > 0:01:24when I was three years old.
0:01:24 > 0:01:27I competed all my life in the feis world of Irish dancing.
0:01:31 > 0:01:34I danced right up until I got married.
0:01:34 > 0:01:36Erm, I think I was about 21 years old,
0:01:36 > 0:01:38and then, when I got married,
0:01:38 > 0:01:41I just came out of the dance world.
0:01:45 > 0:01:47It wasn't until after my third child that
0:01:47 > 0:01:50I wasn't really getting over the birth of him
0:01:50 > 0:01:51and, I suppose, really,
0:01:51 > 0:01:54I probably suffered a bit of postnatal depression,
0:01:54 > 0:01:56and that was a very searching time for me.
0:01:56 > 0:02:00That was a time when I didn't have the dance world to
0:02:00 > 0:02:02fall back into and I just felt,
0:02:02 > 0:02:05"I am just not getting myself back to normal, here."
0:02:05 > 0:02:07And I really sat in my home one day,
0:02:07 > 0:02:09and I thought about God,
0:02:09 > 0:02:12and I thought, "OK, God, if you're really there,
0:02:12 > 0:02:15"and if you really care, and if you really care about me,
0:02:15 > 0:02:16"you have got to show me,"
0:02:16 > 0:02:19and that's how my faith started.
0:02:19 > 0:02:22# Something inside of me... #
0:02:22 > 0:02:24People would say to me, "Deborah, what are you?"
0:02:24 > 0:02:26You know, in the religious sense.
0:02:26 > 0:02:28I would say, "I'm in a relationship with Jesus."
0:02:28 > 0:02:32You know, I am a Christian and I believe in the gospel
0:02:32 > 0:02:34and that's what I am.
0:02:34 > 0:02:37CLAPPING ALONG TO MUSIC
0:02:42 > 0:02:46I attend a church called Covenant Love Church in Belfast.
0:02:46 > 0:02:49I love to hear the songs and I love to watch them when they dance.
0:02:49 > 0:02:51They're not trained dancers, but they just move,
0:02:51 > 0:02:54I suppose, as the spirit falls on them, and I enjoy it.
0:02:54 > 0:02:57I think it's really nice and it is a form of worship.
0:02:57 > 0:03:01You know, and I just enjoy listening to the word being preached.
0:03:01 > 0:03:02Father, we thank you so much
0:03:02 > 0:03:04for what you're doing through Deborah Anderson.
0:03:04 > 0:03:07Father, we thank you for the Zephaniah Dances and the Ministry.
0:03:07 > 0:03:10Lord God, bless this precious lady and her Ministry.
0:03:10 > 0:03:12In Jesus' name, amen.
0:03:12 > 0:03:14# This beating heart
0:03:14 > 0:03:17# Like a drum it will beat for you
0:03:17 > 0:03:18# This heart
0:03:18 > 0:03:20# Like a drum it will beat
0:03:20 > 0:03:23# My soul
0:03:23 > 0:03:28# And my soul sings for you... #
0:03:28 > 0:03:30'Whenever I really came into face,'
0:03:30 > 0:03:33really, what was laying in my heart about Irish dancing,
0:03:33 > 0:03:36about maybe starting a dance school, and at that stage...
0:03:36 > 0:03:39And I believe that was God that was laying that on my heart,
0:03:39 > 0:03:41and eventually, I came to the point when I thought,
0:03:41 > 0:03:44"Right, OK, I'll do it."
0:03:44 > 0:03:45# This beating heart
0:03:45 > 0:03:48# I was made I was made for you
0:03:48 > 0:03:51# My God Evermore, evermore
0:03:51 > 0:03:54# My soul
0:03:54 > 0:03:57# My soul sings for you... #
0:03:59 > 0:04:04'The Zephaniah Dancing in our school would be a dance ministry.
0:04:04 > 0:04:07'God has taken Irish dancing and he uses...
0:04:07 > 0:04:10'He uses the Irish dancing as a vessel to minister'
0:04:10 > 0:04:14through the children to the people that we would attend for bookings.
0:04:14 > 0:04:18# Formed in the secret place
0:04:18 > 0:04:21# A mystery born of love and grace... #
0:04:21 > 0:04:25Zephaniah 3:17 says about, "The Lord, your God is with you,"
0:04:25 > 0:04:28and it talks, also, about him singing over us,
0:04:28 > 0:04:30so I just thought, "That's a lovely verse.
0:04:30 > 0:04:32"I'll call them the Zephaniah Dancers."
0:04:32 > 0:04:34# Like a drum It will beat for you
0:04:34 > 0:04:37# This heart Like a drum it will beat
0:04:37 > 0:04:38# My soul... #
0:04:38 > 0:04:40But they all dance.
0:04:40 > 0:04:43That's the main thing they do, but then, out of that comes...
0:04:43 > 0:04:45Some of them sing, some of them play the harp,
0:04:45 > 0:04:48some will share about their own life, their own testimony
0:04:48 > 0:04:51about the coming into faith with God, themselves,
0:04:51 > 0:04:55and I think, through this, that God uses them to spread the word.
0:04:55 > 0:04:58# My soul sings for you
0:04:58 > 0:04:59# My soul
0:04:59 > 0:05:02# My soul sings for you. #
0:05:02 > 0:05:05CHEERING
0:05:14 > 0:05:16Easter is just around the corner,
0:05:16 > 0:05:18and the Zephaniah Dancers have been asked to perform
0:05:18 > 0:05:22at Drumcree Parish Church on Good Friday.
0:05:22 > 0:05:24With only a week until then,
0:05:24 > 0:05:27Deborah searches through their back catalogue for a dance
0:05:27 > 0:05:29appropriate to the occasion.
0:05:29 > 0:05:32'They are going to present a little piece of a dance that they did
0:05:32 > 0:05:36'about eight years ago, which is called "Is There A Heaven For Me?",
0:05:36 > 0:05:40'and we're going to take about four wee sections of that dance,
0:05:40 > 0:05:44'about the crucifixion and about Mary Magdalene,'
0:05:44 > 0:05:47and we are going to present that to the people of Drumcree Church.
0:05:51 > 0:05:54Some people may think this is just a type of entertainment.
0:05:54 > 0:05:57Some people might not be happy at that, but I know, personally,
0:05:57 > 0:05:59for myself and my girls,
0:05:59 > 0:06:01you know, to call it entertainment is a real...
0:06:01 > 0:06:03A bit of an insult for us,
0:06:03 > 0:06:04because we've worked so hard
0:06:04 > 0:06:06and we really pray about what we're doing,
0:06:06 > 0:06:09and we believe that when we do Zephaniah Dancing,
0:06:09 > 0:06:13it's like preaching the word of God through our dancing and our singing,
0:06:13 > 0:06:15and whatever gifts the girls have.
0:06:18 > 0:06:20Even with the best of intentions,
0:06:20 > 0:06:23the idea of Irish dancing in Drumcree Church,
0:06:23 > 0:06:26with its history of upholding strong, traditional views,
0:06:26 > 0:06:29has taken a bit of getting used to for some -
0:06:29 > 0:06:32none more so than Deborah's friend,
0:06:32 > 0:06:35and mother of one of the Zephaniah Dancers, Geraldine McAlinden.
0:06:38 > 0:06:41When you first said, like,
0:06:41 > 0:06:45"Is it OK if Bonnie and all dances in Drumcree On Good Friday?"
0:06:45 > 0:06:47I was actually shocked.
0:06:47 > 0:06:51I didn't ever think I'd see the day that
0:06:51 > 0:06:54Bonnie would be doing Irish dancing in Drumcree,
0:06:54 > 0:06:57but now I understand it's not. It's Zephaniah.
0:06:57 > 0:07:01They're telling a story and I think a lot of people would understand
0:07:01 > 0:07:03it's nothing to do with religion.
0:07:03 > 0:07:06What is it to do with?
0:07:06 > 0:07:07God!
0:07:13 > 0:07:16Geraldine lives on the predominantly Catholic Garvaghy Road.
0:07:17 > 0:07:20Her daughter Bonnie is one of the Zephaniah Dancers
0:07:20 > 0:07:23to have joined the troupe most recently.
0:07:23 > 0:07:25Before she was born, I always wanted a little girl
0:07:25 > 0:07:28and I wanted her to do Irish dancing,
0:07:28 > 0:07:30and then, when Bonnie was born,
0:07:30 > 0:07:31I used to put ribbons in her hair
0:07:31 > 0:07:34and dress her up in little dresses and stuff.
0:07:34 > 0:07:35She was a girlie girl,
0:07:35 > 0:07:39but she does have a gift and I think that gift is dancing.
0:07:46 > 0:07:49When I was wee, I always went to Deborah's shows,
0:07:49 > 0:07:51like, in the Waterfront and Portadown Hall,
0:07:51 > 0:07:54and it was really exciting to see the girls up on stage dancing
0:07:54 > 0:07:58and I believe I was ministered to when I went to see the dances,
0:07:58 > 0:08:00and I just believe that I was supposed to dance for Deborah
0:08:00 > 0:08:03and be a part of Zephaniah.
0:08:03 > 0:08:06A lot of people in our community, round here, on the Garvaghy Road,
0:08:06 > 0:08:09would think being part of Zephaniah, it was Protestant,
0:08:09 > 0:08:11and it's not.
0:08:11 > 0:08:14When Bonnie went to Deborah's,
0:08:14 > 0:08:17Bonnie was a young Catholic girl,
0:08:17 > 0:08:21going into an Orange Hall, who lived on the Garvaghy Road
0:08:21 > 0:08:26and goes to an Irish-speaking Catholic school in Armagh,
0:08:26 > 0:08:29so, I think, being a part of Zephaniah is
0:08:29 > 0:08:33breaking down those barriers of, like,
0:08:33 > 0:08:36you don't have to be one or the other
0:08:36 > 0:08:37to come and dance in this, here.
0:08:37 > 0:08:41It's your love for God that is the reason why she's dancing in it.
0:08:46 > 0:08:48Zephaniah has changed my life
0:08:48 > 0:08:51because I've started to grow in my faith with God
0:08:51 > 0:08:54and I've become friends with people who are Christians
0:08:54 > 0:08:56and who have been Christians their whole lives,
0:08:56 > 0:09:00and I've started to live a life like them,
0:09:00 > 0:09:02and, like, trying to be more Christ-like.
0:09:02 > 0:09:03Like, trying to do more good things
0:09:03 > 0:09:06and trying to be more nice and not to just judge people.
0:09:09 > 0:09:12From when Bonnie was a little girl,
0:09:12 > 0:09:15I've sewed a holy medal into her dresses,
0:09:15 > 0:09:17and these are all from Lourdes
0:09:17 > 0:09:21when I went with Conor, when he was wee - her brother -
0:09:21 > 0:09:22and I just think,
0:09:22 > 0:09:25well, when she's dancing, God will help her.
0:09:25 > 0:09:28I have always said that, when she does her slip jig,
0:09:28 > 0:09:31for the angels to lift her up on her feet,
0:09:31 > 0:09:36and so, then, I have the angels on the back of her dress,
0:09:36 > 0:09:37to help her, as well.
0:09:40 > 0:09:42I don't see nobody else when Bonnie dances,
0:09:42 > 0:09:45I just see Bonnie on the stage.
0:09:45 > 0:09:49And they're not my trophies, they're her trophies that she wins.
0:09:49 > 0:09:52Like, when I come home from a festival and that I have a trophy,
0:09:52 > 0:09:53it's Mummy's trophy.
0:09:53 > 0:09:56She'll be like, "Oh, that's my trophy. I won that."
0:09:56 > 0:09:59I'm not taking her glory for it, it's just,
0:09:59 > 0:10:02I'm so proud of her when she does win,
0:10:02 > 0:10:03and not only when she does -
0:10:03 > 0:10:05also when you don't win,
0:10:05 > 0:10:07I'm still really proud of you,
0:10:07 > 0:10:12cos you get up and you're showing me something I'd love to do.
0:10:12 > 0:10:13You know, it's...
0:10:13 > 0:10:15I would love to have been a dancer.
0:10:15 > 0:10:19I was a swimmer and, unfortunately, dancing wasn't for me.
0:10:23 > 0:10:26MUSIC: Second Chances by Imagine Dragons
0:10:27 > 0:10:31Deborah uses the Orange Hall in Portadown as a practice space.
0:10:32 > 0:10:35Before today's rehearsal,
0:10:35 > 0:10:37she has met up with her most senior dancer, Emily,
0:10:37 > 0:10:42who will reprise her role as Mary Magdalene on Good Friday.
0:10:42 > 0:10:45Eight years have passed since she last performed the part,
0:10:45 > 0:10:48but one dance in particular still stands out.
0:10:48 > 0:10:52'The grieving dance is portraying how Mary Magdalene feels at that'
0:10:52 > 0:10:55time when Jesus has been crucified,
0:10:55 > 0:10:58so it's very important for me to try and get across
0:10:58 > 0:11:01how she would feel at the time,
0:11:01 > 0:11:05so it does need to be a very powerful and a very emotional dance.
0:11:05 > 0:11:06# Hotter than friction
0:11:06 > 0:11:08# Subtle as sound
0:11:08 > 0:11:11# There'll be no forgiveness
0:11:11 > 0:11:13# When you come around
0:11:13 > 0:11:15# Oh, these days
0:11:15 > 0:11:20# Oh, these days get heavy
0:11:20 > 0:11:21# I get older... #
0:11:21 > 0:11:25Emily's a young woman now and she's leaving me this year.
0:11:25 > 0:11:28She's going to go away to Dundee and...
0:11:28 > 0:11:29Don't freak out, now.
0:11:29 > 0:11:32Oh, I know, but you won't be about as much, and that is always hard.
0:11:32 > 0:11:34It's always difficult
0:11:34 > 0:11:37and I remember Emily's whole troupe of girls that were in this,
0:11:37 > 0:11:39when they left me for university,
0:11:39 > 0:11:41a lot of them went away to Scotland and England
0:11:41 > 0:11:45and down in the south and that, and it was just awful.
0:11:45 > 0:11:46You know, I actually was...
0:11:46 > 0:11:49I was grieving and I remember being with the teacher
0:11:49 > 0:11:50and just saying, you know,
0:11:50 > 0:11:52"I just don't like teaching dancing any more.
0:11:52 > 0:11:54"I just don't have the heart for it."
0:11:54 > 0:11:56And she says, "What's wrong?" and I says,
0:11:56 > 0:11:59"I have no idea what's wrong with me. I can't do it.
0:11:59 > 0:12:00"I think I've lost it."
0:12:00 > 0:12:02And she says to me, "Have you lost senior girls?"
0:12:02 > 0:12:05And I says, "Yeah." And it's, just, "You're grieving."
0:12:05 > 0:12:09So, erm, it's very emotional and it's lovely to have this dance.
0:12:09 > 0:12:12You know, it's very, very special that we've got it.
0:12:16 > 0:12:21It's not just Emily who's returning to old material.
0:12:21 > 0:12:24Joining the current Zephaniah troupe will be
0:12:24 > 0:12:27some now-retired senior dancers,
0:12:27 > 0:12:30and it seems the novelty of being back in Deborah's class
0:12:30 > 0:12:33is holding up the process.
0:12:33 > 0:12:36Get back and go again, and you need to be quiet.
0:12:36 > 0:12:37Girls, I have no time!
0:12:41 > 0:12:45Because Zephaniah dancing is just that wee bit more special,
0:12:45 > 0:12:48we've been able to create a really close bond together,
0:12:48 > 0:12:50and it is nice to come back and dance again together,
0:12:50 > 0:12:52after all this time.
0:12:52 > 0:12:54Like, we've got girls, including myself,
0:12:54 > 0:12:58who haven't been in this dancing room in, like, three years,
0:12:58 > 0:13:01so, it's just getting people and girls who haven't danced
0:13:01 > 0:13:03with each other or been in a room with each other,
0:13:03 > 0:13:05just, to get it all together,
0:13:05 > 0:13:08but, hopefully, by Friday... What you see now will be
0:13:08 > 0:13:10completely different to what you see on Friday.
0:13:10 > 0:13:13Stop. We need to try and do this.
0:13:13 > 0:13:15Right, right, girls, come on.
0:13:15 > 0:13:17Hayley and Katie, you come.
0:13:17 > 0:13:20Well, if we're going to present the gospel, it has to look right.
0:13:20 > 0:13:22You know, there will be a lot of carrying-on in the class,
0:13:22 > 0:13:25but we are all aware, underneath the carrying-on,
0:13:25 > 0:13:28it has to be right, and I refuse to put work up if it's not ready.
0:13:28 > 0:13:31- STICKS RATTLE - No, no.
0:13:31 > 0:13:33I would.... No, no, no, no. It's too quick going into that.
0:13:33 > 0:13:35I would have went on with that.
0:13:35 > 0:13:37Girls, you just want to see the shape of you...
0:13:37 > 0:13:39Deborah, she's been stressed out, but she hasn't been,
0:13:39 > 0:13:43like, crazy, crazy, and that's something that I've taken from it,
0:13:43 > 0:13:44is, like, how not to stress.
0:13:44 > 0:13:47At the end of the day, it's not me that gets to decide what happens,
0:13:47 > 0:13:50it's God that gets to decide, so I should leave it up to him, really.
0:13:50 > 0:13:52It's helped me deal with loads of things in life,
0:13:52 > 0:13:54like school and music and things like that. I don't get really,
0:13:54 > 0:13:57really stressed out about them, because there's no point.
0:13:57 > 0:14:00It's going to be what it's going to be.
0:14:00 > 0:14:02As well as dancing with Zephaniah,
0:14:02 > 0:14:05Jasmyn often sings Christian songs as part of the performance.
0:14:05 > 0:14:07# I was lost
0:14:07 > 0:14:12# When you found me here
0:14:12 > 0:14:14# You pulled me close
0:14:14 > 0:14:18# And you held me near... #
0:14:18 > 0:14:21I love music. I just...
0:14:21 > 0:14:23It just made me so happy and it just gives me such peace,
0:14:23 > 0:14:27and I obviously love to dance. I've been dancing since I was six.
0:14:27 > 0:14:30Dancing is the first gift that I can recall ever having.
0:14:30 > 0:14:32I could dance before I could sing.
0:14:32 > 0:14:35I could dance before I could ever play an instrument.
0:14:35 > 0:14:38Zephaniah gives me the opportunity to use my gift for God's purpose,
0:14:38 > 0:14:40and his advancement, so I guess
0:14:40 > 0:14:42I'm so thankful to Zephaniah for that
0:14:42 > 0:14:44that I don't use my gifts for selfish purposes,
0:14:44 > 0:14:46but they're for a greater purpose.
0:14:46 > 0:14:51# All I have is all from you
0:14:51 > 0:14:55# And all I want is all of you
0:14:55 > 0:14:57# Your grace... #
0:14:57 > 0:15:01I see myself as a messenger for God in everyday life,
0:15:01 > 0:15:02and everything that I do,
0:15:02 > 0:15:05so, of course, dancing's a big part of it.
0:15:05 > 0:15:08It's another way I can show the gospel, through,
0:15:08 > 0:15:09other than words,
0:15:09 > 0:15:12and the purpose is to save the lost
0:15:12 > 0:15:14and people that don't know God,
0:15:14 > 0:15:18and to bring those who do know God joy and refreshing into their lives.
0:15:22 > 0:15:25I feel like whatever God gifts you with,
0:15:25 > 0:15:27you should use for his glory and, yeah, some people may not
0:15:27 > 0:15:31understand it, sometimes, but God sees our hearts
0:15:31 > 0:15:34and he knows why we're doing it and he sees our minds,
0:15:34 > 0:15:36so I think God loves it.
0:15:57 > 0:15:59- Back on the Garvaghy Road...- Hello.
0:15:59 > 0:16:02..Geraldine has been waiting for Bonnie's return from school.
0:16:02 > 0:16:05An important letter has arrived in the post
0:16:05 > 0:16:08from a local university that Bonnie wants to attend.
0:16:08 > 0:16:09I opened it, now.
0:16:14 > 0:16:17- Isn't that brilliant?- Yeah. - A wee interview!
0:16:17 > 0:16:19That's really good.
0:16:19 > 0:16:22I'm just delighted that she got an interview
0:16:22 > 0:16:24cos it's been every single day,
0:16:24 > 0:16:27she's been texting or phoning, "Has the post come yet?"
0:16:27 > 0:16:29And I'm having to go, "No."
0:16:29 > 0:16:31It's been a very stressful few weeks.
0:16:31 > 0:16:34I was waiting for my interview for Queen's.
0:16:34 > 0:16:35It's where really want to go
0:16:35 > 0:16:38and all my friends had got their interviews
0:16:38 > 0:16:40and I hadn't, and I was just very...
0:16:40 > 0:16:44Not a good time, but I'm sure it's in God's plans.
0:16:44 > 0:16:46She's got a place in Stirling
0:16:46 > 0:16:49and I don't really want her to go to Scotland
0:16:49 > 0:16:52cos I like to be involved,
0:16:52 > 0:16:54and I think, probably, going off to university,
0:16:54 > 0:16:56that's the scary thing,
0:16:56 > 0:16:59that I won't be involved any more,
0:16:59 > 0:17:03you know, and I think that's why I want you to stay at home,
0:17:03 > 0:17:07cos I want to still be your mummy and look after you
0:17:07 > 0:17:11and bring you places and do things with you.
0:17:11 > 0:17:14This is our time, going to festivals -
0:17:14 > 0:17:15Mummy and Bonnie time.
0:17:20 > 0:17:22For all the Zephaniah girls,
0:17:22 > 0:17:26competing at festivals runs alongside their Dance Ministry,
0:17:26 > 0:17:30and even with the Good Friday performance happening tomorrow,
0:17:30 > 0:17:33the competitive circuit must be given its due.
0:17:33 > 0:17:35We're at Ballyclare Festival,
0:17:35 > 0:17:38where Bonnie and Emily are both competing against each other,
0:17:38 > 0:17:39so the girls will be fighting for
0:17:39 > 0:17:42- first, second and third place, tonight, won't you?- Sure.
0:17:42 > 0:17:44- As friends?- Yeah.
0:17:44 > 0:17:46Ah, well, we'll see.
0:17:46 > 0:17:48VIOLIN MUSIC PLAYS
0:17:53 > 0:17:56And I think the competition's good for the two girls, you know?
0:17:56 > 0:17:58It's hard if you're not the adjudicator's choice or
0:17:58 > 0:17:59the adjudicator's style,
0:17:59 > 0:18:03and, tonight, we have a really strong festival adjudicator,
0:18:03 > 0:18:05and I feel Emily has more of me in her,
0:18:05 > 0:18:08more of a feis style in her,
0:18:08 > 0:18:11and then, I have Bonnie, that was born into festival dancing
0:18:11 > 0:18:13and she has a wee streak of me,
0:18:13 > 0:18:16so, erm, it'll be interesting to see how the results go, tonight.
0:18:16 > 0:18:19VIOLIN MUSIC PLAYS
0:18:25 > 0:18:27Bonnie is only young into this age group,
0:18:27 > 0:18:29but she's standing out tonight.
0:18:29 > 0:18:32She's very, very natural, very controlled,
0:18:32 > 0:18:35and so I've been writing on her mark-sheets a lot
0:18:35 > 0:18:38about the strength of her legs, the control of her feet,
0:18:38 > 0:18:40the precision of her turning.
0:18:40 > 0:18:42She never... She never falters.
0:18:42 > 0:18:44FASTER MUSIC PLAYS
0:18:44 > 0:18:47BELL RINGS
0:18:48 > 0:18:51Clearly displaying the adjudicator's preferred style,
0:18:51 > 0:18:54Bonnie picks up some silverware. APPLAUSE
0:18:54 > 0:18:57The true recipient may be in question, though.
0:18:57 > 0:18:58You're acting like it's your cup.
0:18:58 > 0:19:00I heard someone say well done to you.
0:19:00 > 0:19:03- You didn't get up and dance. - But I dance in my heart.
0:19:03 > 0:19:06I dance, when I'm watching you, I am dancing in my heart.
0:19:06 > 0:19:07You didn't get up and dance, though.
0:19:07 > 0:19:10- You didn't work hard.- I know, but, it's, what do you call it?
0:19:10 > 0:19:12A consolation prize cos I don't get up and dance.
0:19:12 > 0:19:15- A-star for effort. - A-star for effort.
0:19:15 > 0:19:19You can tell your kids you're proud of them, but I think
0:19:19 > 0:19:23bringing Bonnie to festivals and watching her dance,
0:19:23 > 0:19:24that's... That's my pride.
0:19:24 > 0:19:27That's... I just...I love it.
0:19:27 > 0:19:31For Emily, who didn't place so highly in this particular competition,
0:19:31 > 0:19:34it's all about perspective and having the right attitude.
0:19:34 > 0:19:35'If you don't do the best at a festival,
0:19:35 > 0:19:37'you just have to get over it.'
0:19:37 > 0:19:39Tomorrow, it's not about competitions,
0:19:39 > 0:19:42it's about our Zephaniah Dancing, so we just need to focus on that,
0:19:42 > 0:19:44and focus on what we're doing.
0:19:44 > 0:19:46It's Good Friday and that's what's important.
0:19:56 > 0:19:59BIRDS TWITTER
0:20:05 > 0:20:08The next morning, Drumcree Church has opened up to let
0:20:08 > 0:20:11Deborah and the Zephaniah Dancers in for some rehearsal time.
0:20:11 > 0:20:13OK, let's go. Let's go.
0:20:16 > 0:20:19Making her way up the aisle of the church has brought back
0:20:19 > 0:20:21fond memories for Deborah,
0:20:21 > 0:20:23adding extra significance to the upcoming performance.
0:20:23 > 0:20:2626 years ago, I got married in this church.
0:20:26 > 0:20:29It had been mentioned that I would stop dancing, at the time,
0:20:29 > 0:20:32and I did stop, you know, for a time, and I never,
0:20:32 > 0:20:34ever thought the day that,
0:20:34 > 0:20:36when I was kneeling up there at the altar,
0:20:36 > 0:20:39that I would bring a pile of Irish dancers into this church.
0:20:39 > 0:20:41It's a wee bit of a miracle.
0:20:41 > 0:20:44It's like God's just way bigger than how we think, at times,
0:20:44 > 0:20:46and that's quite amazing, and it's...
0:20:46 > 0:20:49It's just really nice to see.
0:20:49 > 0:20:52MUSIC: Curlews by Grasscut
0:21:01 > 0:21:03It's different
0:21:03 > 0:21:05and, for some people, as I've been hearing already.
0:21:05 > 0:21:07some people are not happy,
0:21:07 > 0:21:10because it is dancing, you know,
0:21:10 > 0:21:11and the church stable think
0:21:11 > 0:21:13that that's un-respectful,
0:21:13 > 0:21:16but at the same time, they're informed of what we're doing,
0:21:16 > 0:21:18and they'll make that decision, themselves,
0:21:18 > 0:21:21of whether they'll want to come out or not.
0:21:26 > 0:21:29Obviously, whenever you mention Irish dancing,
0:21:29 > 0:21:32everybody has their own thoughts on that,
0:21:32 > 0:21:35but I think that times have changed.
0:21:35 > 0:21:38A lot of people are concerned about, you know,
0:21:38 > 0:21:41the world coming into the church,
0:21:41 > 0:21:42but I don't see it that way.
0:21:42 > 0:21:46I see it that the message, the word of God, is still the same.
0:21:46 > 0:21:48It hasn't changed,
0:21:48 > 0:21:51but just because we dramatise it or because we put a bit of music to it,
0:21:51 > 0:21:53whether that be contemporary music
0:21:53 > 0:21:55or whether that be traditional music,
0:21:55 > 0:21:57I don't think it really matters.
0:21:57 > 0:21:59To me, it's the meaning of it - the heart behind it.
0:21:59 > 0:22:04- MAN'S VOICE:- Into your hands, I commit my spirit.
0:22:04 > 0:22:06Into this flesh...
0:22:09 > 0:22:11We're not here to offend anybody.
0:22:11 > 0:22:14We're here just to worship God and that's what tonight is all about.
0:22:14 > 0:22:16It's about worshipping God,
0:22:16 > 0:22:18and what He has done for us and what His Son has done for us,
0:22:18 > 0:22:22and Irish dancing can do that, so whether people perceive it as
0:22:22 > 0:22:25it's the right thing to do in the church or not,
0:22:25 > 0:22:28or whether people perceive it as a different culture or not,
0:22:28 > 0:22:32they're seeing a church that's doing something in a different way,
0:22:32 > 0:22:34and maybe they've been hearing preachers before,
0:22:34 > 0:22:36about hellfire and damnation and that -
0:22:36 > 0:22:39and I'm not saying that's wrong - but what I'm saying here
0:22:39 > 0:22:43is that this is the story being told in a different manner,
0:22:43 > 0:22:44to embrace all people.
0:22:44 > 0:22:46Don't sit behind a pillar, whatever you do.
0:22:46 > 0:22:49And it seems like all people have caught wind of what's
0:22:49 > 0:22:52happening in Drumcree this evening.
0:22:52 > 0:22:53As the congregation pour in,
0:22:53 > 0:22:57Deborah is realising the performance has become a talking point.
0:22:57 > 0:23:00'I think this is all very normal that we're dancing here tonight.
0:23:00 > 0:23:02'This is all very normal to me,'
0:23:02 > 0:23:05but the more I'm hearing of people that's coming into the church,
0:23:05 > 0:23:07they're all like, "Is this really happening here tonight?"
0:23:07 > 0:23:09There's a real sort of buzz going on.
0:23:09 > 0:23:11Heavenly Father, we just pray for tonight,
0:23:11 > 0:23:13and I just commit all these girls to you,
0:23:13 > 0:23:15and I pray, Lord, that you just look after them,
0:23:15 > 0:23:18and we pray that they be a blessing tonight in Drumcree,
0:23:18 > 0:23:20and that you are glorified.
0:23:20 > 0:23:22- In Jesus' name, amen. - Amen.- Amen.- Let's go.
0:23:31 > 0:23:35As the dancers begin, the eyes of the congregation are on them,
0:23:35 > 0:23:38to see just how Irish dance can deal with
0:23:38 > 0:23:41the most important event in Christian history.
0:23:41 > 0:23:43STICKS CLICK
0:23:50 > 0:23:52Innocent!
0:23:55 > 0:23:56Innocent!
0:24:01 > 0:24:03Guilty!
0:24:03 > 0:24:05Guilty!
0:24:12 > 0:24:14- MAN'S VOICE: - Jesus is led away to be crucified.
0:24:16 > 0:24:17We talk about Irish dancing,
0:24:17 > 0:24:20and we all know that it would normally be put down to
0:24:20 > 0:24:23a certain group of people, and yet, to see the story being told
0:24:23 > 0:24:26the way it was told tonight was incredible,
0:24:26 > 0:24:29and what an impact, and it couldn't not have an impact.
0:24:37 > 0:24:39STICKS CLICK
0:24:42 > 0:24:44STICKS CLICK
0:24:47 > 0:24:49STICKS CLICK
0:24:52 > 0:24:54STICKS CLICK
0:25:00 > 0:25:02- DEBORAH:- People, they didn't expect,
0:25:02 > 0:25:05you know, what was going to happen, and I always find that with people,
0:25:05 > 0:25:07they just have this face on them, as if, like,
0:25:07 > 0:25:10"What is actually happening in front of us?"
0:25:13 > 0:25:15I suppose, tonight, for the first time, I really sort of
0:25:15 > 0:25:17tried to sit down and watch them,
0:25:17 > 0:25:20and, erm, yeah, I thought they were lovely.
0:25:20 > 0:25:24I have to say, my favourite bit is after the tomb, you know,
0:25:24 > 0:25:26and Emily coming down, or Mary Magdalene coming down,
0:25:26 > 0:25:29and dancing down and picking up the girls.
0:25:29 > 0:25:32I just thought that was special to see that happening here tonight.
0:25:32 > 0:25:36FAST TRADITIONAL IRISH MUSIC PLAYS
0:26:08 > 0:26:12From the very beginning, I don't know why, I just got so emotional.
0:26:12 > 0:26:15I've just... I was crying from the very beginning.
0:26:15 > 0:26:18It was just... It's not something I would normally do.
0:26:18 > 0:26:20I wouldn't normally be here, do you know what I mean?
0:26:20 > 0:26:23And now that I am here, it's...
0:26:23 > 0:26:26Something else just took over. It doesn't matter.
0:26:26 > 0:26:29I was born a Catholic, but that doesn't mean to say
0:26:29 > 0:26:31I have to go to a Catholic church,
0:26:31 > 0:26:34you know, and I don't have to go to a Protestant church,
0:26:34 > 0:26:36or any other kind of church.
0:26:36 > 0:26:38You can praise God anywhere
0:26:38 > 0:26:40and Zephaniah has taught me that, there.
0:26:40 > 0:26:43- Hiya, are you all right?- Yes. - That was brilliant.
0:26:43 > 0:26:46'It's funny, when people say to me, you know, "Why do you do this?"
0:26:46 > 0:26:48'And I don't often think about that.'
0:26:48 > 0:26:50I just think, I'm doing my dance class, and I'm just doing
0:26:50 > 0:26:53the next thing, and I'm just doing Zephaniah Dancing.
0:26:53 > 0:26:56I never really stop to think, you know, "What am I really doing?"
0:26:56 > 0:27:00until someone really stops me in my tracks and says, "This is great."
0:27:02 > 0:27:04I don't think any of us really know the significance
0:27:04 > 0:27:07of what has actually happened here tonight.
0:27:07 > 0:27:09We've seen what can happen, not just in this church,
0:27:09 > 0:27:13but in any church, and it's just where we come together,
0:27:13 > 0:27:14as a group of people, and worship freely,
0:27:14 > 0:27:16and that's what has happened here tonight,
0:27:16 > 0:27:20and the Zephaniah Dancers have been key to that.
0:27:30 > 0:27:32Easter Sunday, however,
0:27:32 > 0:27:36came with a slight sting in the tail for Zephaniah.
0:27:36 > 0:27:37Unhappy with the direction their
0:27:37 > 0:27:39church had been taking recently,
0:27:39 > 0:27:42some parishioners walked out as the girls got up to perform.
0:27:44 > 0:27:47Unfortunately, it ended up in the newspapers,
0:27:47 > 0:27:48and there's just a wee thing here,
0:27:48 > 0:27:50it says, about the dancing in the aisles,
0:27:50 > 0:27:53"It was the final straw that broke the camel's back."
0:27:53 > 0:27:55You know, I guess the people had had enough,
0:27:55 > 0:27:58and I can understand that if they're passionate about their tradition,
0:27:58 > 0:28:01and about how things go forward, but how can I stop it?
0:28:01 > 0:28:06Because I really believe that God started this ministry and I love it.
0:28:06 > 0:28:08It's challenging. It's a lot of hard work.
0:28:08 > 0:28:10Sometimes I feel I'm crazy,
0:28:10 > 0:28:13but I just feel that God has really did a big work...
0:28:13 > 0:28:15a big work in my life,
0:28:15 > 0:28:17that it's just a natural part of me
0:28:17 > 0:28:20and I hope and I pray that it lives on.