Today was a special day for me in South Africa. The JazzArt Outreach Coordinator, Mzi, took me along with him and another assistant to teach a handful of dance classes to a community outside of Cape Town. I was privelaged to work with children ages 8-14 with a variety of backgrounds. The children are not all fortunate to have supportive families or stable health, and they look forward to days like today to use the arts as an expressive outlet. Most of them seem so shy until you hand them some dance moves and some music then you get to see them come alive. It's truly touching watching a smile form on their face just by given the chance to let loose. And whats even more inspirational is their ability to keep that smile without a single complaint, nevermind what reality they are dealing with at home. They are just happy to be there. Any dance teacher probably knows this, but one of the best feelings in the world is at the end of the day when a child runs up to you with a big squeeze and a thank you. But really I should be thanking them. They are inspiring me to keep doing what I'm doing and to never give up no matter what kind of lemons life decides to throw at me.
Sleep well Cape Town...
No comments:
Post a Comment