NICARAGUAN DANCERS CAPTIVATE VERMONT
IN OCTOBER 2004
The Burlington/
Puerto Cabezas Sister City Program, as a high point of our 20th anniversary,
brought Dwayne “Neko” Waters and two young Nicaraguan dancers to Burlington
the last two weeks in October 2004.
Neko, Dianira, and Ofny were exemplary
ambassadors. From St. Albans to Johnson, with both children and senior
citizens, they got Vermonters moving to the multicultural rhythms of Nicaragua's
Atlantic Coast. While here they offered workshops for young people in several
schools and senior centers as well as performing their multiethnic dances
on television and in community centers.
The final performance at Burlington's
Contois Auditorium was an ideal example of interaction when students from
Vermont schools joined in the performance and members of the local band
Sambaducata provided live percussion on stage.
Neko is a 24-year-old native
of Puerto Cabezas, an award-winning dancer skilled in performing Caribbean
dances from Miskito, Creole, Garifuna and Latino roots. For several years
he has been instructing young people of Puerto Cabezas in dance as part
of an anti-drug program in the region. His workshops combine a high-energy
mix of aerobic dance activity and rhythmic Caribbean music.
Ofny and Dianira are two of
his best students, and together the group made many Vermont friends. A
DVD of their adventures here is available from the Sister City Program.
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