Hello, all--
I just returned with Anna Mei from her dance class. The day is gray and drizzly--the relentless overnight pounding of rain has left everything drooping, drenched and tired-looking. I may have told you this--forgive repetitions. Anna Mei's dance class meets on Saturday and Sunday mornings from 7:30-9:00 am. There are about 16 girls in the class, ranging in age from about 4 to 10. It is a precious sight to see them gather--dark-headed, almond-eyed beauties with round faces and pudgy little hands.
Anna Mei is a celebrity--the only westerner in the class. The first day after class, Anna Mei proudly announced, "I have 15 new friends!" None speak English, other than one or two who can say "Hello. What is your name? How old are you?" By the fourth week, those questions weren't interesting to them any moreThe classroom is a large rectangular room with a wood floor and windows on three sides. One wall is mirrored, with a barre mounted low enough for the young students to use it. The windows are vertical rectangles that will spin all the way around, hung in the middle on some kind of dowel. When they are open, there is enough space on each side of the window to use as a door--which the students frequently do at their break time. Outside is a large tiled courtyard, under a roof. The wood floor is old--there is so much "give" to it that I think a class of adult students might crash through if they jumped on it. Near the mirrored wall there is one section, about 7 or 8 inches, where the wood is missing altogether. The girls are aware of it and I have yet to see anyone put their foot in it, although they dance all around it.
The teacher is a young woman who clearly loves the children, and who is obviously a very talented dancer. Her movements are fluid and so graceful--it appears that her arms are suspended on some wire or string with someone above manipulating the controls. In effortless motion, she looks almost fluid. Beautiful to watch.While our Vietnamese helpers call it "ballet", there are many elements that are traditional Vietnamese folk dance. I wish you could see it. They use their hands in the most graceful movements. The fingers curl down, one at a time, then the wrist bends under and turns outward, and the fingers uncurl in the reverse order. It looks like a flower closing in one direction, then opening up to the other side. I never tire of watching it. I can't help but think of these young flowers, faced one way, then closing to their old direction and opening up to a new one. I pray for these girls, that they will see a new life waiting for them.
In addition to being the only westerner, Anna Mei's God-given talent for dance has made her one of the star students. She is often called upon to demonstrate the steps and movements. The other girls seem to like her a lot, and a group of 5 or 6 is usually with her every minute of the break time. Of course, my little glow-worm enjoys every minute of it!
There are some other very talented young dancers in the class. One is a girl of about 10, who looks to me like she will be able to dance like the teacher one day. Another is a girl of about 4 years. She usually has her hair in two little buns on each side of her head. She is precious and looks to be very serious about dance. I just want to squeeze her. When a new session of classes begins, I think Joy wants to join. Faith might join in, mostly to be with Joy, since karate would suit her interests better.
Grace and beauty can be found all over the world-even in my world, which may seem drooping, heavy, and uninviting at times.
May His goodness be evident to you today!
(Note: In the top picture above, the 4-year-old dancer is in the center. What a cutie!)
