The Tribune

By ALESHA CADET BRINGING to the stage the eighth episode of their "Dance of the Scrolls" series, the Virtue Dance Academy will present "Confessions of a Scandalous Widow" at the Rainforest Theatre, Wyndham Nassau Resort, this Sunday. Described as a "God-inspired creation," the show, which starts at 3pm, will be led by The Bahamas' home-grown prima ballerina Tia Johnson and feature actor Harrison Lockhart in addition to students from the academy. Marilyn Deveaux, Virtue Dance Academy founder and director, said fans of the academy's Dance of the Scrolls productions know what to expect in terms of presentation, but she is looking forward to exceeding those expectations this time around. She said this will be an exciting performance appropriate for all ages. According to the academy, "Confessions Of A Scandalous Widow" is taken straight from the scriptural text of Genesis, Chapter 38. "It brings to life two important biblical characters in the lineage of Christ, Tamar and Judah. It is such a provocative, yet inspiring story of a woman who had a dream and watched it die several times, only to finally see it come true in a controversial yet 'lawful' way," said Ms Deveaux. With the aim of spreading the gospel on an international level with their production, the members of the academy will be debuting "Scandalous" in New York City in April. The proceeds from the upcoming show will go towards covering costs for the New York trip. Fans of the Virtual Dance Academy know what to look forward to with this new show. Some may remember back in 2010 when the academy debuted it's fifth episode in the series which was called "Diary Of A Bitter Mother-in-law." Speaking to The Tribune in an earlier interview, Ms Deveaux said: "The show represented the new heights of growth that the students have reached in dance since their first production, 'Beauty and The King'. 'Diary Of A Bitter Mother-In-Law' was just an encore of that sold-out production from its first debut." For members of the audience, seeing 'Diary Of A Bitter Mother-In-Law' was like viewing a live movie with narration and lots of elegant movement, she said. "When you see a production by Virtue, you know it's an original," said Ms Deveaux. "The level of technique that these dancers have, you have never seen some of these things before." Tickets for this Sunday's show are priced at $45 for VIP; $20 for general admission and $15 for the balcony seats; all in advance. All tickets are expected to increase by $5 at the door; children under 12 years are $10 at the door. "Virtue is inviting individuals, school groups, church groups, anyone with a dream, anyone who needs encouragement, anyone who simply loves the entertaining or artistic appeal of dance theatre at its best, to come and experience this life-changing production at the Rainforest," said Ms Deveaux.