Wednesday, August 08, 2007

Raices V

Even though this place is called the Dance Party, I'm not a dancer. I play in the band so I don't have to dance. I'm simply too self-conscious to move in the manner required by most dances. However, there is a lot of dancing at camp here in Panamá, and dancing is one of the Traditions being shared at Raices.
Since several cultures were represented, we had several kinds of dances. Young people from all the different cultures participated; American indigenous, Afroantillano, Latinos, and estadounidense all learned and performed in mixed groups. (When I use the word "American" I am referring to peoples of Central America, South America, and North America. I do not use the word to refer to one nation in North America. That would be like calling the French "Europeans" to the exclusion of everyone else in Europe). The Dancers made their own costumes. What a talented bunch!

First, the American indigenous dances. The teachers explain the dance that will be performed.


The group dances!




Then, a dance from Africa




A Panamanian Típico dance


A Salvadoran Dance (or at least that's what the Trippies told me. It's definitely not Panamanian)


MAYPOLE!!!!


Limbo!


DANCE PARTY!!!!!



The Bishop busts a move




8 comments:

June Butler said...

Wow! A bishop busting a move.

Jane R said...

LOVE the bishop.

And all the dancers!

MadPriest is going to tease you again. He doesn't realize what hard work it is to witness all this great dancing and to be with super-energetic young 'uns nonstop.

Matthew Hubbard said...

As Monty Python might say:

"Nobody Move!"

"IT'S DA BISHOP!"

And after the freeze dance move, we break into Peter Gunn.

valentino said...

Hubba Hugga...very cool, indeed!

Irving Porter

Paul said...

What a joy to see all this dancing - a vision of the kingdom!

(We ain't all gonna be sitting on clouds and harping, let me tell ya. Heck--I mean Heavens--if the music is as good as one should expect, we will have trouble sitting at all. Let's get up and boogie, bishops included!)

KJ said...

DANCE PARTY!

As a kid, I hated going to camp and have only just come to realize it's because the camps I attended really sucked.

My first "camp meeting" memories were at the local Nazarene camp. No dancing there! Women and men had separate swimming times -- Like the little gay prep wanted to see female bits in the water!

Padre Mickey said...

kj, I went to Nazarene camp, too. I was also forced to attend Youth group at the Nazarene church for a while. That came to an end when, at age 14, when it was my turn to lead the discussion, I introduced them to non-canonical gospels. I had read this book (which was terrible, but I was a kid!) titled "Did Jesus Write This Book?" The author claimed that, since the Book of the Secrets of Enoch contained some beatitudes, that perhaps Jesus wrote it. So, here I am in Nazarene Youth Group, talking about the Essenes and Nag Hammadi library. Needless to say, I was never allowed to lead group again. I was also shunned.
Lucky me!!

Camp in Panama is a million times better than camp in los estados unidos. The youth plan the camp and run it, too! We old folks just fill in as chaplains.

KJ said...

LMAO, Padre!

Oops! You likely briefly lost your salvation. Good thing you went forward at the next altar call, which would have been at the very next and every church service of course.

I See You!

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