Hi Kimberly, Ali, Hannah, Anushka and the rest of the ADC team,

 

I just wanted to say how incredible the performance was last night and I hope everyone is enjoying a well-deserved rest this morning.

 

I also wanted to let you know how grateful Conrad and I are for all the effort you have put into helping Nina. Seeing her use her body as a vehicle to express herself through dance and seeing her self-confidence grow has been a dream come true. The fact she not only performed in six dances but stood there in front of an audience and shared her very personal story is just short of a miracle. Her anxiety hasn't been cured, it's likely she will always have to live with it, but her ability to not let it stop her living her life has grown in strength. It takes incredible courage for Nina to do these things in the face of an all-consuming, uncontrollable fear. The fact she was brave enough to feel that intense anxiety and push through and do it anyway is testament to Nina's strength and courage and the incredible efforts of Kimberly, Ali and every member of the Auckland Dance Company. You have been such positive role models and so kind, welcoming and fun. I was trying to get to sleep last night after the excitement of the show and I was struck by the tenuousness of it all. Imagine if Nina hadn't managed to drag herself out of the car that day. Imagine if Kimberly hadn't been the amazing, unstoppable force of positive energy and determination that she is. I can tell you Nina would be in a very different place today. The truth is you all, in your own ways, some of them small, some of them big, have changed the course of someone's life for the better. You have ignited a spark in my daughter and I hope it'll start a fire that will light her through a long and exciting life. Nina's journey is far from over but you have given us hope for the future and we are so grateful for that.

 

Thank you very much for your magnificence!

 

Jen xx