Reflections from Dad!!

This blog entry is by Anna and Kelly’s father. I visited the Dominican and was able to see their play, spend some time with the Mariposa and get…just a little taste of what it’s all about here.
The performance took place in the yoga studio above ground at the Extreme hotel. It was idyllic; , a grass roof, beautiful dark wooden floor, open air and when I came into it the girls were all lined up and ready to meet me.. They were all so beautiful and it was great to finally get a chance to interact with them a bit. It wasn’t much, really; they all introduced themselves in English and I returned in Spanish. Easy enough, but fun to meet a few that I had heard the most about for one reason or another. They were giggling and amused to meet Anna and Kelly’s dad. We were waiting for Sarah who was running a little late and the girls wanted her to be a part of it. While we waited, they danced a little and interacted with each other so positively—they were nervous about the performance and antsy to start.
The performance itself was one of the great things I’ve seen. It wasn’t perfect; there were times when the performers were distracted, clearly nervous, or missed a cue, but it was extraordinary in how well rehearsed it was--a tribute to their directors-- and in the conviction of their voices in what they were saying--a tribute to the process.
Of course, I could only pick up maybe 1/3 of what they were trying to communicate and Anna and Kelly filled me in later on the content, but it was so evident that they were words of empowerment because they were delivered so convincingly and with such force. One of the things that is clear to me is that, after having gone through this process with Anna and Kelly--this creation of a performance—this experience in theater—what the Mariposa’s come away with is so much more. Through the dialogue over the last month, through the everyday experience, the laughter, the fighting, the serious dialogue about the issues that they must face on a daily basis, they come away with—at least for now—a belief in their own potential. Any observer could have seen that in the performance. They were confident, poised, intelligent and…..Mariposa, I guess.
The foundation, because of the success of the production, desires Anna and Kelly to write up what they did in order that perhaps it could be repeated should they not return. A professor from UMass is interested in the process as well. How did putting together this show bring forth such confidence in these individuals? How did it bring together the Haitian and Dominican girls? And it’s nice to know that there is interest in this kind of thing continuing—the idea of theater or performance as a method to heighten potential in individuals, to tell an experiential story and, most importantly to bring disparate groups together in peaceful collaboration…and to create beauty.
Because that’s what it was in the end. Beautiful. The Mariposa girls, the work they did, what Anna and Kelly did for them and for all those involved in the project. Truly, I am humbled in their presence. It is an incredible undertaking brought forth by committed individuals who are working against odds so few of us can even begin to comprehend. I am astounded, after having gone into the village where they live, after having met so many of the mothers and the assorted denizens of this area of the Dominican how difficult the odds are that they face.
While thoughtful and calculated curriculum is an important consideration in making these changes, it is in the delivery of that curriculum that the magic can happen. That is vital to understand….for Mariposa, for education. These girls were successful, this group worked because they were able, through Anna and Kelly, through the setting of high expectations, hard work, patience, understanding, and most importantly listening to one another….to bring forth what was really on their mind and to express it willingly and publicly. Their potential is enormous and it is my hope that they can realize it in their lives, though it is only hope. It is the work that the Mariposa does, that Anna and Kelly did and the spirit of these young women that will help determine that fate. To leave some of them behind here…knowing the strength it will take for them to live a semblance of a life that we take for granted is heart-wrenching.
I walked around the village with all of them yesterday and, despite the poverty, despite all that you and I would take as severe hardship, they were joyful, funny, charming and….I would say happier than most children I’ve met. But that will change. They were walking slowly, and they should. They had nowhere to go, and they were children growing into what will most likely be a difficult adulthood. Bless them all.