Blisters

Greetings friends,

Of the many things Dagbe can teach, I think one of the most important is how to use your body. This first week has demonstrated that there are parts of my body that I underutilize in my day to day life, which has inevitably led to a myriad of aches and pains, bruises and blisters. Despite this, it shows me that I can be more mindful of how I walk, stand, sleep, sit, and most importantly, dance. It is a hard lesson, but a good one.

As others have mentioned, we are performing the dance Agbekor and below are some of the things I have learned to pay attention to:

1. Sit on your waist when dancing
2. Use your chest to throw your arms out
3. Don't stamp on the ground
4. Take smaller steps
5. Protect your toes
6. Keep your head up

... and many more.

I hope to incorporate these into my life back stateside and if I am lucky, help others to do so too. Ultimately, I think we all need to get back in touch with how we carry ourselves and Dagbe is the perfect place to learn that lesson.

Peace,
Nate