Un Intercambio Lindo (A Beautiful Exchange)

A highlight of the trip came very early. On our first night of teaching, we held a public lecture/demonstration on the influence of African dances on Hip Hop and other American contemporary dance forms. This was really fun. It wasn’t just because we got to teach the general public some new dance moves and spout off about what they are called and where they come from, but it was more so because this was truly new information. The audience was so attentive and eventually the volunteers were willing to try. But more than this, MOCUSABOL, an Afro-Brazilian group came and talked about their traditional dances and dress. A bailar Saya! I LOVE learning about other cultures first-hand. This community exists but is very marginalized. They live in La Yungas, located very high with very rough terrain. The general public was learning about this community right along with us foreigners. The standing-room only crowd was so receptive; countless people approached us afterwards thanking us for the new wrinkles on the brain and everyone was up and dancing with the Afro-Brazilian group, including Public Affairs Officer David Hodge. It really was a beautiful night.