THE DANCE OF LIFE
Nicaraguans Bring A Bit Of Their Culture To Fairfax Audience
By EMILY A. WILLS
Messenger Correspondent
(The following article appeared in the Friday, October 14, 2004 Edition of The St. Albans Messenger- More photos may be found at:
FAIRFAX -- The gym at BFA Fairfax came alive Sunday evening, October 10, 2004, as more than 100 people gathered to enjoy the sights and sounds of Central America.
Five Women moved gracefully around the room in bright dresses, swaying to the music of acoustic guitars as they performed traditional Nicaraguan dances.
The dancers belong to an organization called Women in Action, a group of 40 who live and work in La Primavera, one of Managua, Nicaragua's poorest neighborhoods.
Women In Action helps women and children of La Primavera improve their quality of life by offering nutrition, health, education and craft projects, as well as a cultural renewal program of which folkloric dancing is a part.
The dancers arrived in New Hampshire on September 18 and performed in many venues including the University of New Hampshire and Plymouth College before coming to Vermont. Host families have opened their hearts to these women who are so far from home.
Martin Puchi, a Nicaraguan visitor who acted as mistress of ceremonies at Sunday's performance, said the biggest difference between Vermont and Nicaragua is the weather. "It is so cold here," she said, laughing.
Then Puchi turned serious.
"Another great difference between La Primavera and Vermont," she said, "is the amount of food to see, buy, and eat. In Nicaragua, there are few jobs and low pay. There is food, but we are poor and are not able to buy it. If we could have good jobs at home, we would not need to come here and do this [dance], but we are thankful to have the opportunity."
The Rev. Elizabeth Griffin, pastor of The United Church of Fairfax, knows just how difficult life in La Primavera can be. Griffin has visited Nicaragua twice over the past two years, working alongside these women who struggle just to survive. She was instrumental in bringing this group to Vermont.
"In a spiritual sense," Griffin said, "we are all brothers and sisters. It is my duty as a pastor to serve others and to give others an opportunity to serve. This is it."
The dancers seem to have taken every advantage of the opportunity presented to them by Women In Action and Reverend Griffin. The women who performed on Sunday have not had formal dance training. They have worked on their routine for the past six months for four hours every day to become skilled enough to perform for foreign audiences.
This trip, which involved obtaining a United States visa, earning money through shows to pay for their plane tickets, and seeing a world outside of La Primavera, was according to Puchi, worth all the hard work.
The Fairfax Community Library, through a grant funded by the Vermont Public Library Association, sponsored the event. The dancers themselves are funded by Compas de Nicaragua (Friends of Nicaragua) which is a New Hampshire non-profit organization whose mission is to promote cultural exchange between Nicaragua and the United States.
----- ----- ----- ----- -----
For more information on Compas de Nicaragua, visit it Web Site at:
Ana Narvaez, choreographer and dancer with Women In Action, moves gracefully in a traditional Pacific region Nicaraguan dance
Two dancers from La Primavera perform a skillful dance about a beautiful woman who must go to to village market and back, balancing a basket on her head.
The dance troupe from Women In Action swirls their elegant skirts as they perform at BFA Fairfax on Sunday night