Though I’ve only been to Masca once before for 2 days, I always feel at home here. It’s hard not to. First, George and Clara are two of the dopest people I’ve ever met. And their son, George Ever, is too cute!! They have made Masca their home and the base for George’s organization, Global Block. This brotha is on a fantastic mission using Hip Hop worldwide to reach and teach young people. They are both active with the Garifuna community, working in Masca to preserve the culture and traditions. Between the two of them, they have the four elements of Hip Hop covered. George has been a Hip Hop activist for years and his experience is astounding. I consider it a pleasure to chat and build with him in their lovely home and village. I’m glad that we both are on the same side and are going to team up for future programming.
Little George is walking now. I accompany him and Clara on their afternoon walk along the beach. I could have sworn I was tired, but being here is so refreshing. It’s not a tourist spot, but a real place. You place your order at a restaurant and put it on your tab. Lovely!! Clara’s dad is like the chief of the village, a very nice man. And the Sylvia Center is named after Clara’s mom. It’s where George and Clara teach workshops with the young people. This place is a gem. The breeze and sound of the crashing waves is therapeutic. Que lastima that I will be leaving early the next morning to head to Teguc…again, I will definitely be back here!
Back at San Pedro Sula airport to go to Teguc. Sad to leave my village, but excited to see my friends in the big city. An uneventful flight, I arrive and am greeted by my friend and colleague, Isadora Paz. She helped plan the last two envoy trips and has arranged a few workshops for me here. I will be staying at the brand new Centro Cultural Arte y Amistad. Mathilde runs this place and what an amazing job she is doing. Paris-Tegu is an France-Honduras alliance organization that has created a place for youth to come to learn dance, visual arts, music and so much more. They offer a holistic environment, teaching the kids about organic foods and how to take care of the building. I’ll be staying in one of the guest rooms. How sweet!! Living in an arts center…so if the choreography fairy visits me at 3 am, I could just jazz-run across the hall to the dance studio and get down. (This never happened, though.)
Thursday is a rest day. I let my friends and students know I am in town and just relax. Isadora and Lempira, her beau, are incredible dancers and friends. We have dinner at Isadora’s parent’s restaurants and catch up and start planning a future trip. (The theme of this trip is very Terminator-like, “I’ll be back.”) Friday is here…YAY!! I have two workshops, covered by press courtesy of friends at US Embassy, and lunch with embassy colleagues. The workshops were amazing…I got to meet new students and get reunited with some of my alums from last year. What an honor to know that my students still remember me and the choreography from 12 months ago. Additionally, they embraced me as eagerly as before…if not even more so. It was great to see Carmen Urcuyo and Eric Aldrich from the Embassy and not only catch up but plan for the future. 
I love teaching. Be it in DC or Bolivia or St. Kitts, I love teaching and opening up the world of dance to young people (and adults too). Here in Honduras, there is a genuine lack of qualified teachers to meet the kids at their natural talent and give them technique and opportunities to use the dance as a career. Knowing my students still remember the choreography from a year ago and still use it…it’s more than a compliment; it doesn’t stroke my ego, so much as it tells me there is an opportunity here to do more. Well, my four-day voyage is coming to a close. But I know that I will be back…May 2010 is looking good…we’re going to start there and see what happens.
No comments:
Post a Comment