An abridged account of La Magica en Panama

This trip was pure magic. The collective energy, the physical and emotional investment, was so inspiring it fueled me more than food or water. Sharing and spreading the passion and thirst for dance became the air I breathed. I was reminded of the moments when I first fell in love with dancing, and relived those moments with the students day after day after day. The homesickness I felt towards the end of my trip in Panama is unparalleled to the separation anxiety I feel now for the culture and the people there. During our classes, technique and structure fell away, and all that mattered was the communal feeling of bodies in motion, harmonizing with the greater hum of the spaces we occupied together. I learned to live, laugh, and love more fully with each community I was a part of. The language barrier became permeable through the infectious rhythms and percussion we created in our classes. We suddenly understood each other on the most primal and instinctual level we could...the body. Every place we interacted with was already anticipating our return. The vibrancy of spirit within each person affirms the power dance can hold. There is such a need and desire for this type of community service work in Panama that we were welcomed with open arms and open hearts. When there is mutual receptivity, greater growth and learning can blossom. My life is forever changed in ways I could never have anticipated. My dance family has grown 200 plus. I left a part of myself in Panama and took a part of Panama with me so that wherever I may go, these memories stay housed within the depths of my heart until we are reunited once again to continue our journey together. Me encanta Panama, y baila con todo su corazon.

Muchos Besos,

Lynn