Waka Waka!

I am so very proud of our dance and exercise group: “Happy Dancers”, they named themselves. We just performed at August Games, the local week-long celebration of culture and sport. For 3 weeks, we practiced most afternoons, mastering fairly complex choreography to Shakira’s “Waka Waka” song.

Each Tuesday and Thursday afternoon about 20 of us meet for an hour, some young ladies still in secondary school, a number of teachers, some farmers, and several grannies! We alternate between the two local bar/shops – utilizing their dance/catering halls. I crank up music that they love – Brazillian forro, Akon, Caribbean soca, and some reggae for cool down. We dance a crazy mix of aerobics that I make up on the spot, try to complete a rousing set of pushups, crunches, and lounges, and sometimes attempt a little yoga or breathing exercise. We go home feeling warm and energetic. Amazingly, they come back to do it again!

We have been going strong since the beginning of June; some ladies have even come to EVERY class. I knew this would have been a very fun project for me, but I didn’t start it right away because I was afraid the local women would be too busy to come. Most local women are farmers and get plenty of exercise walking miles to their farm in the bush, farming, making farine and cassava bread – their local staples – which are quite labor intensive, hauling water, and maintaining their gardens and animals. But in May, I talked to other volunteers in Amerindian villages who were successfully starting exercise groups and I was inspired. So, I came back, put up some posters and many women came out.

In addition to our exercise, we share a health tip with each meeting – might be about weight loss, nutrition, or stress relief. A few weeks after I shared the importance of drinking water, especially clean water, I had several ladies share that they were no longer having headaches! Soon, we plan to start addressing gender and women’s issues.

Back to “Waka Waka.” We were asked to share a dance for August Games. The other villages were coming with their sport teams and traditional games competitors for the week. We danced in the opening ceremony alongside a number of traditional Wapishana and Wai Wai (tribes) dances, songs, and skits. Our dance was based on the choreography from the video and our aerobics. We had movement all over the stage, partner dancing, flying fabric, and a moving circle – fairly different from the traditional dances. The ladies did a great job making my crazy choreography a success! I was so nervous when the time came – would everyone remember where to go on the stage, how many times to walk back forth, or how the dance ends? But, throughout the dance, I looked around and saw the ladies smiling, dancing, and really having fun. I even looked into the audience and saw the same. When the song finished and we all raised our hands, I waited for the normal half-hearted clap Aishalton audiences tend to give performances. But, my eyes found our chief in the front row and I heard him: “YEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!” and I saw him jump up and cheer with the audience. We were so happy to walk off to a proper roar. I heard the MC compliment and congratulate us, and I collapsed into a hug with my dancers. We were asked to do at another concert during August Games, so we danced a few night later. With one performance behind us already, we danced even better! Check out the pictures, courtesy of James.