“Dance Again” Accepted for the This Moment Art Show

I am delighted to share that my original song “Dance Again” was accepted for Indivisible Burke’s This Moment Art Show on June 19, 2026.

The show invited artists to respond to the question: How are you feeling in this moment? The prospectus describes This Moment as a space for artists to process these tumultuous times through work that may be political, personal, painful, joyful—or some combination of all four.

When I considered the call, I realized that the songs I already had did not quite express what I wanted to say. So I wrote a new one.

“Dance Again” began with a simple idea: The darkness is real, but it does not get the final word.

The song acknowledges troubling headlines, hunger, grief, and the hard seasons people endure. But it also turns toward faith, ordinary gratitude, resilience, and hope. Its central message is that sorrow has a season. Joy returns. Even after dark nights, we can rise, bloom where we fell, and dance again.

I wrote the lyrics, composed the melody, worked out the guitar chords and rhythm, and then transcribed the full song into sheet music. That last step matters to me. Once I have written down the melody, rhythm, lyrics, chords, and structure, the song is no longer something I am carrying only in my head. It becomes a complete piece of music that I can practice, preserve, and perform.

Excerpt from the sheet music for “Dance Again,” an original song with words and music by Jewel H. Ward.

I submitted the song with both a guitar chords-and-lyrics sheet and the full vocal melody in standard notation. I was thrilled to receive a positive response from the This Moment Art Show team.

I have also been invited to perform “Dance Again” during the show’s Community Art Evening on Sunday, July 12. The event runs from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m., with performances beginning at 5:30 p.m.

This acceptance is especially meaningful to me because the submissions were juried by the show’s planning committee. The prospectus states that entries were evaluated by three artists using a rubric. Knowing that someone encountered this song on its own terms and decided that it belonged in the show means a great deal to me.

“Dance Again” is the first song I have written specifically in response to a call for artists—and then had accepted for public presentation. For me, that outside confirmation means something very simple and very powerful:

Someone wants to hear my songs.

And yes, artists do appreciate a little validation now and again.

Now I have to finish learning it as a performance piece.

And then, I suppose, write the next one.

Please watch my performance of “Dance Again” on Vimeo, or come hear me perform it live on July 12, 2026. I hope you’ll join us for some—or all—of the program events listed below.

xo,
Jewel

Program graphic for Indivisible Burke’s This Moment Art Show, a month-long exhibition in downtown Morganton featuring art, music, poetry, and community events from July 4 through August 2, 2026.