I was asked to teach folk dancing at a grade school on the day of the Great American Teach-In, where teachers ask parents or friends to teach something to the students that isn’t a regular class. I taught 4 times – 1st, 2nd, 3rd and special kids. I was afraid they wouldn’t understand what “international” is, or “folk” or wouldn’t be able to do much, but my fears were allayed. I started by using a globe and atlas to talk about other countries, and some of the kids had even lived somewhere else, and they were pretty savvy. I showed some of my costumes I’ve collected from my trips, then I showed differernt instruments, flutes, tambourines, drums. Then I taught 2 dances to each class. I did the Hokey Pokey (American), the Chicken Dance (that actually originated in Germany), Seven Jumps (from Norway), and/or Tcherkessia (from Israel). I gave buttons that said “I danced with Terry” to the special kids. The teachers seemed to enjoy it as much as the kids and it was fun! The teachers fed me a (leftovers from theirs) Thanksgiving afterwards – a nice bonus. I took my camera but forgot to take pictures. Darn it!
Leave a Reply