What does faith look like when the answers do not come easily? That question formed the heart of Paradox, the 12th season of One Body One God (OBOG) dance ministry, which brought audiences to Philip Sherlock Centre for the Creative Arts as the company celebrated 14 years of dance, ministry, and creative expression.

Under the sub-theme ‘Life is a Paradox of Faith’, the season explored the tension between what believers know, what they see, and what they choose to trust.

For Artistic Director and Co-founder Judene Edwards, Paradox was born from the recognition that questions are not necessarily the opposite of faith.

“There is often a space between what we know and what we see — the space where questions live,” Edwards wrote in the season’s artistic statement. “This is the space of Paradox.”

Rather than attempting to resolve those tensions, the production invited audiences to sit within them to consider how people hold onto hope when circumstances suggest otherwise, how they trust when they cannot see, and how they continue to believe in God’s goodness when life does not necessarily feel good.

The programme moved through these questions using 12 works, combining new choreography with pieces from OBOG’s 14-year repertoire.

The season opened with Kaiō, choreographed by guest choreographer Kai Wiggan, drawing from Luke 24:32 and exploring the awakening that comes when Christ is revealed through God’s Word. It was followed by Note to Self, choreographed by Abigail Edwards.

White, a work about the sometimes necessary act of reminding oneself of God’s power in the midst of discouragement.

Other new works included Ever-Present-Help, choreographed by Sophia McKain, head of the Dance Education Department at Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts; Joy Winds, choreographed by Royane Green; and Even in the Valley, choreographed by Oneil Pryce.

Together, the works examined different dimensions of the faith journey, from spiritual conflict and wandering to community, joy, divine presence, and the possibility of hope even in difficult seasons.

One of the distinctive features of Paradox was its deliberate conversation between OBOG’s present and its past.

The company revisited repertoire including Nichola MacDonald’s Master’s Cloak (2013); Oceans (2014), choreographed by OBOG founders Charissa Clemetson and Sherona McAllister; River of Life (2016), and His Presence (2020), allowing works from different points in the company’s history to sit alongside new choreography. Together, they demonstrated how questions of faith continue to resonate across generations and seasons of the company’s life.

Psalm 23, performed by the company, presented faith as something strengthened through community and divine presence, while Struggle of the Flesh traced a journey from fight to freedom.

What began as an idea for “one show” grew into a Christian dance ministry bringing together dancers from more than 15 churches and dance ministries across Jamaica.

The company’s name is rooted in Ephesians 4:4–6 and its vision of “one body”, “one Spirit”, and “one God.” Over the years, OBOG has sought to demonstrate through dance that people from different churches, backgrounds and ministries can come together around a shared purpose. The 2026 season reflected that history.

OBOG founding member and soloist Gabrielle Barnes performs in Struggle of the Flesh, becoming physically entangled in fabric as a visual representation of the struggle of the flesh explored in the work. The piece draws on Galatians 2:20 and Romans 7:15–24.