Join us for any or all of the after-hours opportunities at Following Christ 2008.

Art Night — Saturday, Dec. 27

A slideshow and presentation by Dayton Castleman.

Dayton Castleman is an artist who prefers to work in site-specific constructive installation. He grew up in New Orleans, and has large-scale public work in Philadelphia, including Eastern State Penitentiary Historic Site, critically acclaimed for its artist installation program. His smaller-scale work has been shown across the United States. He received a BA in art from Belhaven College in Jackson, Miss., and his MFA in sculpture from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. He is currently an assistant professor of art and design at Trinity Christian College near Chicago. His wife Karen dances professionally, and his four-year-old daughter Anna is a budding dancer, painter, sculptor, actor, and storyteller. They do not starve. They rent.

Movie Night — Sunday, Dec. 28

A screening of the 2008 Angelus Student Film Festival “Outstanding Documentary” winner, As We Forgive, produced and directed by Laura Waters Hinson.

Theater Night — Monday, Dec. 29

A one-woman play, Juliet, performed by Melissa Hawkins.

Melissa Hawkins became a company member of Studio K in Budapest, Hungary, upon graduating from Northern Illinois University in 2002 with a B.F.A. in acting. During that year she performed in the world premieres of A Goreny Dala and Angel Land at Studio K. She was also handed the newly-translated Juliet, and playwright Andras Visky asked her to perform the English premiere when she returned to the States. Three years later, Andras attended the English premiere of Juliet in 2006, bringing with him another solo-drama written for Mrs. Hawkins, and the promise of more to come. Along with Director Christopher Markle, the three of them created Theatre Y. Juliet has been touring internationally since July of 2006, including performances in Hungary, Romania, and the New York International Fringe Festival, where New York Magazine listed it as one of the top five most-promising plays of 2007.

Dance & Music Night — Tuesday, Dec. 30

Presenting original choreography by Benjamin Wardell and others, performed by Karen Castleman and Valerie Nicholson; and a musical performance by FC08 worship leader Brian Moss.

Karen Castleman began her dance training at Civic Dance Center in Bakersfield, California. Further studies took her to San Francisco Ballet School and Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre School before earning a B.A. in Dance from Belhaven College in Jackson, Mississippi. Karen worked with Ad Deum Dance Company in Houston and at Marah Dance Theatre in Philadelphia before globe-trotting as a soloist with MOMIX. Karen has worked with Nina Watt, Lesley Main, and Myra Bazell and has studied under Dede Barfield and Lauri Worrill-Biggs. She has performed works by Randy Duncan and Ron DeJesus, as well as Doris Humphrey, Martha Graham, and Jose Limon. In Chicago, Karen worked with MOMENTA and Hedwig Dance Company before joining Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, where she has danced since November 2008. Karen would like to thank her wonderfully supportive family, especially her husband, Dayton, and daughter, Anna.

Valerie Nicholson is from south Mississippi and received her early dance training from Sylvia Henington in Hattiesburg and Rick and Rose Faucher at Ballet Magnificat! in Jackson. She later received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Christian ministry with a minor in dance from Belhaven College. She has since performed with Tulsa Contemporary Dance Theatre in Tulsa, Oklahoma; Living Water Dance Company in Jackson; and is currently a part of Front Porch Dance, in Jackson. She currently teaches ballet in Hattiesburg, and maintains a small business in organizing and decorating homes, “Adeline House.”

Benjamin Wardell began dancing at age ten. After completing his training at Classical Ballet Memphis School, under the tutelage of Pat Gillespie, he danced with Cincinnati Ballet for five seasons, achieving the rank of soloist. In 2006, Ben moved to San Francisco to join Alonzo King’s Lines Ballet, where he was given the opportunity to explore mind-opening philosophies and physicalities of movement while traveling extensively through the United States and Europe. In addition to being a dancer, Ben is a photographer and writer. A large part of his artistic interest is to combine multiple disciplines through methods that allow each art form to augment the capabilities of the others. Ben has danced with Hubbard Street Dance Chicago since January 2008.