Tela's Got Talent!!

Okay, this post is coming really late, but it's still relevant. This past May, Juli and I were on a tour of the northern coast of Honduras as Cultural Envoys in Dance. After fun times and successful workshops and shows in La Masca and San Pedro Sula, we ventured to Tela. At La Casa de la Cultura we met and were floored by some AMAZINGLY talented and self-taught young dancers. The girls were sassy and fabulous and their vestuarios (costumes) were more dope than ours. The young guys...wow, apenas hay palabras (there are barely words)! These young men watch youtube clips and then try to teach themselves the breakdancing moves. What they've been able to accomplish on their own is incredible!! All these dancers meet everyday on their own will at the center and practice for hours. While Juli and I do not have the ability to spin our hands and head, what we were able to was help their musicality and teach them about the history of Hip Hop.

Again, we worked our two days of magic with willing students and coordinators and had a full house at the big show!! We performed, the students performed and members of the audience joined us for the final cipher. We were so impressed by this group of young people that we decided we should do something for them. Hip Hop dancers in the States are shoe fanatics (ladies and gents alike), so we thought maybe we could get a few folks to donate some kicks to these kids who do not have the latest or greatest foot attire. What began as an idea has materialized into a whole campaign. Life, Rhythm, Move Project put the word out about our shoe drive and it blossomed into "We Got Sole." We have collected SO many pairs of shoes for the Tela youth. It is apparent that the best way to ensure the shoes arrive and also to really show that we are invested in these young people, is to deliver them in person. So, in December, I will be returning to Honduras to continue this cultural diplomacy...shoe diplomacy if you will. We Got Sole is sure to continue as an ongoing LRM...Project!