Adriene Thorne
Prior to ministry, Adriene pursued a nearly 20-year career in the performing arts. She danced professionally with the Dance Theatre of Harlem's Workshop Ensemble and toured the US and Canada in a Broadway musical. Adriene has performed at The Metropolitan Opera House and Carnegie Hall among others. As a musical theatre performer, she worked with five-time Tony award winner Susan Stroman on Crazy for You, and had the privilege of being selected for the cast that taped the show live for PBS's Great Performances. She joined the long line of Radio City Music Hall Rockettes in 2000 and assisted in implementing their summer training program at the Harlem School of the Arts.
Adriene graduated from the State University of New York, Empire State College with a B.A. in Cultural Studies that had a Creative Writing focus. She completed her Masters of Divinity degree with an emphasis in art and psychology at The Pacific School of Religion in Berkeley, CA. At her graduation in 2008, she was awarded the schools highest honor, The Koinonia Award. It is given to distinguished graduates who have strengthened the school through outstanding contributions of spirit, insight, and intellect and those who have earned the respect and recognition of their peers and the faculty.
Adriene's ministerial gifts lie in the areas of healing with the arts, worship and liturgy design, and crafting prayer. She served as the Interim Worship Director at the Pacific School of Religion before coming to Middle on the Reformed Church in America's Commission on Christian Worship. Adriene was the 2010-2011 Visiting Artist at New Brunswick Theological Seminary – a role in which she shared with seminarians theological reflection and her expertise in the field of dance. In 2010, Adriene joined the board of Room for All, which advocates for the full inclusion of LGBT persons in the life of the Reformed Church in America.
Adriene has taught throughout her career, both nationally and internationally, developing curricula for all age groups that integrate movement with concepts of teambuilding, identity, and healthy living. Her mission statement says, in part, that, the arts provide an extraordinary opportunity to encourage self-reliance, foster creativity, celebrate difference, and demonstrate self-love. While no longer performing professionally, Adriene enjoys connecting various artists with religious institutions interested in creative partnerships. She is currently working to publish her short stories and a book of prayers as she contemplates further academic studies. Adriene is thrilled to be offering her gifts in a faith community interested in following Gods lead, having fun, and living the good news with playful imagination.
