Dancing

 Sister Kacher asked if anyone wanted to come learn some African dancing? Several of us said, "sure". Sister Despain and I said we'd show up at the 6:30 pm time but Sister Kacher said it would probably be at 7 pm. I had to laugh that she told the dance instructors 6:30 and the sisters 7 pm.  She was correct and we waited for about half an hour until Sister Kacher used a large water bottle turned upside down to beat on like a drum and showed us how to warm up. It made us sweat, but nothing like how the instructors danced.

Three drummers walked in about 7:15 with their drums and two others came in after. They lined us up and the drums began to beat in fast rhythms while the instructors showed us what they do. African dancing is a whole body work out. They have a fast one, two three right, one, two, three, left while their hands, arms, legs, hips, heads, and shoulders are all moving. I would watch the feet and my hands wouldn't move much, if I watched their hands and heads, my feet didn't move much. I'm not sure how they were all so coordinated and energetic.

We made promises that videos would not be populated to maintain our ego just a little bit. Those instructors were very good at what they did, but not so good at being able to get our bodies to do what they could do. Except for Sister Belnap and Sister Kacher. Obviously Sister Kacher had experience and seem to know what the instructors would do next.

The middle drummer is very intense and watched me as I tried to dance African style. When the lesson was over, he came up to me and asked if I remembered him. On the first day of touring Accra to stay awake (December 5) we went down to the ocean and Brent Belnap took us to see how drums, baskets, and crafts were made and I met Moses there. How he remembered me is a mystery. But I pulled out my photos and sure enough there he was!

This is the crew!

Belnaps with the drummers and dance instructors

Little bit of a drum lesson. The palm, fingers, base of the palm and side of the hand are used on different places on the head of the drum for different tones and pitches.

December 5 Moses with the same intensity and longer hair

First full day in Accra when I met these men. 

That morning Sister Belnap got word that her father in law had died. They were preparing to go on an emergency trip home as soon as her husband and the rest of the OGC team got home from Sierra Leone. I watched her let loose on the floor and wondered if she felt it was a good release of tension. Of course we all applauded wildly and someone took a video. It was really amazing.