Aztec Dance Class

PKG for 2002-06-13 - RUNS 1:54

Intro

An Aztec dance class organized by New Mexico State University's Cooperative Extension Service offered Albuquerque youngsters a hands-on opportunity to learn about Indian traditions and history. Anna María Pérez-Wright has the story.

Video	Audio
	(Nat. sound: music) About 20 Hispanic children from Albuquerque's La Mesa Elementary attended an eight-week Aztec dance class offered through a New Mexico State University 4-H after-school program. La Mesa Elementary is located in the heart of Albuquerque's immigrant district. Program coordinator Shawn Flanigan says all of the participating children, who range from five to eleven years old, come from Hispanic immigrant families.
Insert title at :32-:39 Shawn Flanigan Program Coordinator	"So many of the kids at this school are of Latin American origin. We thought it might be interesting for them to learn something that's from regions where they might be from or members of their families might be from."
	Mario Vargas Hernández, Aztec dance teacher and performer, volunteered to direct the class. He emphasized Indian respect for Mother Earth and taught the meaning of the White Eagle Dance, a traditional Aztec warrior ritual. Vargas taught the class in Spanish, with occasional translation from La Mesa teachers and staff.
Insert title at 1:05-1:12 Juliana Diamond La Mesa Elementary	"What he's saying is, before starting the dance, we need to ask for permission from Mother Earth. Mother Earth is the ground where we're standing on."
	Most class time, however, was spent dancing to Aztec music played by Vargas relatives. Everett Gomez, 11, says the dancing was the best part of the class.
Insert title at 1:24-1:33 Everett Gomez	"We dance like we're, like we're from Mexico and we're the Aztecs and so we just dance, and it's real fun."
	Many of the children's mothers made Aztec costumes for kids during the class, which is part of 4-H's effort to reach out to new audiences with activities that appeal to diverse communities, including Hispanic and Native American children. For N-M-S-U's College of Agriculture and Home Economics, I'm Anna María Pérez-Wright.