The Landing pulsed with the sound of hip hop music as Briercrest dance crew Refined/Undignified shook the stage with dance, drama, and the message of the gospel last Friday and Saturday night.

Students, community members, and dance enthusiasts of all ages lined Centre Street to get a seat at the highly anticipated Refined/Undignified final show–both nights were packed.

The show opened with a few guests and some R/U highlights, which were followed by a short presentation on Invisible Children, the charity to which the proceeds of the show were donated. Right before R/U came on, the audience was treated to an incredible performance by Youth Quake's STOMP team.

Then R/U was up–the dancers' energy was electric as they told their story using hip hop dance and poignant dramatic scenes. "The performance was really moving," said Natalie Ott, who saw the show.

The story followed four characters and their quest to "find more" while wading through the familiar struggles of relationships and the pursuit of perfection. Each character eventually realized in his or her own way that life without Christ is not life at all.

"Relevant issues, energizing music, and such a strong message came through... and all from Briercrest students," said Ott. "There's something very powerful happening on this campus, and this is the fruit."

Such powerful results came with a lot of effort. "The process of putting the show together was a long one," said Jennifer Wall, one of the crew's managers. "As leaders, we spent the last six months trying to dream up a concept for the show. It took about six weeks of intense teaching to get the show ready for this past weekend, and over the past month, the team spent five or more practices a week learning their parts."

It paid off, and the community members weren't the only ones blessed by it. Through a modest cover charge, merchandise sales, and snacks, R/U raised over $1570 for Invisible Children, a dynamic charity that seeks to improve the quality of life for war-affected children in Africa.

"It was an honor to put this show on for our community because they have been so faithful in coming around us and supporting us as a team," said Wall. "We were thrilled to have a packed house both nights, and we are excited to bless the ministries of Invisible Children with a donation of $1570 toward their Schools for Schools Campaign.

"I have never seen a group of people come together and work so hard toward a common goal," she continued. "My dancers have been dedicated to and excited about this new show–they wanted to dance the gospel message, and our prayer was that it would be clear."

It seems like it was.

Auditions for next year's Refined/Undignified were held on Sunday, so that means more R/U is coming your way.

For more information on R/U, check out www.briercrest.ca/refined. To find out more about the Invisible Children movement, visit www.invisiblechildren.com.