Today I found myself thinking back to the best part of this past summer which I spent in Australia at the Dance and the Child International conference. One of the most amazing moments happened on the very first day. All of the dance groups were gathered in one area waiting for the opening ceremonies and to pass the time a couple of the dancers from my group and I began doing the Cotton Eyed Joe. Before we knew it groups from Brazil, Canada, Japan, and all over were joining in – many of whom had never seen the Cotton Eyed Joe in their lives! It wasn’t long until other groups were sharing traditional social dances from their own cultures!

Though many of us couldn’t speak the same languages, sharing these simple dances got us to break away from out separate groups and start to share the space. After each dance as we waited for the next group to start one up we mingled with the other groups and got a sense of everyones true passion for the dance.

“Dance in any culture, in any form, is a true leveler.” – Baz Luhrmann

Caught on film here is the last moment of “The Bunny Hop.”