Bringing ballroom to Haiti!

I decided to get a bunch of the kids together to teach some Salsa and Merengue lessons. Seeing as how we were a little short on girls, most of the guys were forced to practice with each other. They didn’t mind much though. For about two hours, the place came alive with Latin music that could be heard from down the road. It didn’t take long, however, until the music changed to hip hop and the kids began to show off some of their own moves! The group quickly grew to several dozen of all ages. It was a great time. It gave me goose bumps watching some of them dance. Once the music comes on, it’s as if they come alive, even the quietest boy.

Now, there are a ton of kids who want to learn more. I'm going to begin working with a few of them to choreograph a ballroom/latin piece that they can perform. Though this may seem a little strange teaching ballroom in rural Haiti, the reality is that Haitians played an important role in the creation of mambo/chacha along with Cuba and the Dominican Republic. Also, have you ever heard of Jean Michel Erole? He's Haitian and a world professional ballroom dancer!

Yesterday, a bunch of us ignored the T-storm warnings and embarked on an hour trip out to see my first waterfall. As you can see from the picture, it was beautiful. There's a 25 ft and a 50 ft jump off point on the rockwall into a deep pool of cold water. It was a great day with great weather. When I wasn't swimming, I spent most of my time just sitting on a rock trying to take note of everything around me. I've never seen such a sight. The river flowed for miles with thick forest on both sides and trees leaning so far in as to cover the river. It reminded me of something out of Jurassic Park.