‘When you pray, move your feet': Annunciation community dances for healing
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For the last 12 weeks, Tom Forchas has been practicing his dance moves in a St. Paul dance studio. He hasn’t danced like this since his wedding, 17 years ago. But to raise money for Annunciation Church and School, he’s putting on his dancing shoes again.
Saturday is one of Annunciation’s biggest fundraisers of the year, Dancing with Annunciation Stars. The fundraiser is an embodiment of “when you pray, move your feet,” the African proverb shared by Annunciation principal Matt DeBoer in the hours after the mass shooting on Aug. 27. Fletcher Merkel, 8, and Harper Moyski, 10, were killed. 28 others were injured.
Since then, that proverb has been a mantra for the community, repeated by parents and printed on Annunciation T-shirts. Saturday’s fundraiser will include both dancing and prayer.
Forchas is one of the six “stars” taking part in the fundraiser. The dance is his way of saying thank you to a community that made sure his family could get up on their feet, after his daughter Sophia Forchas, 13, was shot in the head and spent nearly two months recovering in the hospital. He spoke with MPR News in his first one-on-one interview with media since the shooting.
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“Everyone picked us up when we couldn't stand, and helped us out, and I thought how do you give back?” said Forchas. “So one small way was to do this dancing fundraiser bring some joy to the community.”
Sophia was in the hospital for 57 days. Initially, her doctors expressed worry that she wouldn’t survive. Forchas said the school and parish did a rosary every night until all the kids came home from the hospital.
“Just knowing that they were there every night for all 57 days was impressive,” said Forchas.
The Forchas family has leaned on their faith over the last five months.
“I used to believe that the Lord he doesn't give us more than we can handle, but I know that's not true anymore,” said Forchas. “We are thrust into things that we definitely are not able to handle, but if you come back to Christ and ask him for the power to get through it he will give you the strength, and then some, to get through anything.”
Sophia is now back in school full-time. According to a Jan. 2 update from an online fundraiser, she’s attending outpatient occupational and speech therapy as part of her recovery. Sophia’s younger brother was also in the church during the shooting. He was not struck, but the family has also focused on the care of his mental health.
Sharing joy
Along with Forchas, the other five “stars” are Minneapolis police Lt. Ryan Kelly, who was the first officer on the scene during the shooting, and Devin O’Brien, an Annunciation parent who jumped into action in an attempt to stop the shooter. Kate Winter is an Annunciation parent who took a leave of absence at her job as chief of staff for Medica, to serve as chief of staff for principal DeBoer. And Kate Uding and Jennifer Gruenzner are also Annunciation parents, who have played a vital role in the aftermath. Each participant is paired with a professional dancer.
Forchas rated his dance skills as on a scale of one to 10 as “negative one” before he started this process. Now he says it’s a “six, seven” (yes, he’s referencing the meme).
On Tuesday, the dancers had a dress rehearsal for students and staff at the school. Introduced as Tom “Twinkle Toes” Forchas, he was the last to dance for the students. His dance is a combination of swing dancing and the fox trot to a medley of songs: “You Can Never Tell,” by Chuck Berry, “Lose Yourself to Dance” by Daft Punk and “Dancing Through Life” from the musical Wicked.
Sophia has a special appearance during the last song. Forchas’ dance partner Jessica Restivo, waves Glinda’s magic wand over Sophia. Sophia takes her dad’s hand and twirls. The crowd of students and staff clap and cheer.
“I talked with a teacher as it finished and they said this was oddly emotional,” said Annunciation parent and fundraiser co-chair Kristen Neville. “That's not something that typically comes from it. It is typically just pure joy.”
The students got to vote for their favorite dance. It went to Lt. Kelly. But on the night of the fundraiser, dollar amounts are translated into votes. The goal is to raise $250,000 for the Annunciation Teacher and Staff Wellness Initiative. That money will go toward mental health initiatives, professional development and staff retention.
“What I'm hoping for this weekend is that the teachers feel celebrated, that they feel supported, and that they know that this community sees them and sees what they are coming and doing every single day despite what is really hard, really hard,” said Neville.
Forchas is nervous to put his dancing skills on display for Saturday night. But he’s looking forward to sharing his joy with the countless people who have supported his family.
“I think the healing part will come when I dance in front of family and friends, and I can see their joy,” said Forchas.
