new kind of 4th of July

Monday, July 4^th, was a big day for me. I went with Olivia into Khayalische to teach a ballet class in an old run down class room. There were about 12 boys and 3 girls, all about 8 years old. They stripped out of their pants and put their holy tights right over their underwear, proudly standing, ready for their class. I led them through a ballet warmup on the cold concrete floor, and showed them how to do some fun ballet jumps. Then Olivia helped them remember the dance they had been working on for our end-of-session show, and I taught them the new section. I was so amazed at how interested they were in learning ballet, and how they paid such close attention to what I was doing. They had such an enthusiasm for moving their bodies, especially getting to jump and run in their class room!

I went back to the Dance For All studio but with an opened heart. The kids who get to work in this beautiful facility are really just a lucky few of the many who learn ballet through Dance for All. The far greater majority of kids in the townships don’t get to do anything of the kind. I feel such an appreciation for this gift that I have been given, to dance and express myself with my body, and to get to teach this to other people.

I am determined that outreach will be a big part of my life forever. There are so many kids, all over the world, who I know would rise to the occasion if ever given the chance to dance. If I can ever see the smiles again that I got to experience on Monday morning, I will always be a happy and fulfilled person.

I've had a few conversations with the other LEAP teachers, and the year round teachers, in an effort to learn from their experience teaching the kids at Dance for All. Sometimes it's really defeating to think that many of the kids didn't eat breakfast, or go home to abusive families, or don't even have a family at all. Many of the kids won't ever be professional dancers, and most of them will never leave their township lives. It seems that what keeps everyone going is to remember to be empathetic and not sympathetic. I am uplifted when I think what an amazing blessing it is for anyone to be able to have an outlet for expression. I will never forget the people who encouraged my passion to dance, and I hope that these kids will always be happy when they think about dancing.

I hope I get more of a chance to discuss this, but a handful of the kids are hugely talented and have incredible potential, even to become professionals. A few of the older ones, one boy in particular, would be best in a contemporary company. Some of the younger ones could be ballet dancers if they had the right training, and kept up the motivation to work for it. We are discussing the possibility of encouraging a few of these kids to come to the states next summer to do some kind of summer program where some of us could house them or be their mentors. This is a huge undertaking...these kids need visas, and some don't even have birth certificates. If they wanted to, I think it could be so cool to help make this opportunity possible.

We celebrated 4th of July at Mama Africa, an African restaurant in downtown Cape Town. I ate crocodile, kudu, and springbok! Mark Baird, the director of LEAP, came to support us for our last week, and it was great to welcome him.