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Theatre, circus, walking on stilts, baseball, fun games, juggling, soccer, dance...This chapter actually shouldn't be called "Theatre" but something like "Corporal Expression", something that indicates physical effort and that, of course, it's also fun to do! |
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We're looking into buying a piece of land big enough for future theatre and sport events |
See
below a list of all our activities! |
But
corporal expression is not just great for the physical development of
the participant, but also helps develop social skills such as working
in a team and playing fair. |
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Arte Acción Copán Ruinas has its own baseball team that practices twice a week. Together with the Canadian Jugamos Foundation (www.jugamos.org) we’ve trained a health instructor who is teaching in rural communities and organizing sport events. |
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*Circus
Dutch volunteer Marjon Duits is conducting circus workshops for children, young adults and also for our staff. The participants learn how to do acrobatics, poi and flag poi. We already made more than forty flags with Maya designs, so in the future we’ll continue to give presentations. October - December, 2009
*Closing Ceremony: Sport Event
As a closing ceremony of our health Project we organized a sport event for all participants in the community of Sesesmil I. we started the day with some soccer game. The it was time to play at seven different game stations (badminton, sack race, hoola-hoop and others)- Each child received a coloured nametag with a list of the activities to participate in, on which the coordinators wrote down the individual scores. We finished the event with snacks and drinks; diplomas and medallions for each participants and trophies for each of the four competing communities. October 28, 2009
*Inauguration basketball court in El Quebracho
When Robyn Cowie and Geoff Affleck of the Canadian Jugamos organization visited the community of El Quebracho last year, they found a schoolyard that turned into a serious mud pool every time it rained. So that’s when they came up with the idea to build a cement ball court, not only for basketball, but also for mini-soccer and volley ball. While Jugamos donated the cement, the teachers had goals made. On June 12th, when Geoff and Robyn were back in town, we celebrated the official inauguration of the court with a sport event. The little ones competed in an obstacle race while grade 3 and 4 had to skip their way to win a prize (and oooh… did the girls beat the boys!). Grade 5 and 6 played mini-soccer. The prize consisted of Frisbees, skipping ropes and a basketball. It was a fun event and while the kids were busy playing, Carin painted the name of the school in funky letters on the wall. June 12, 2009
*Baseball
Tournament San Francisco, Ocotepeque
The weather circumstances were not optimal (hot, hot, hot!) but nonetheless,
our team was ready for the first game of the year during the Rural baseball
qualification games in San Francisco Ocotepeque, organized by Peace Corps volunteers.
The kids lost the first game and won the second, but alas, it was not enough
to qualify for the nationals. Hopefully they’ll do better next year! April
18, 2009
*Maya Theatre Project
Our instructor of the Maya Project Lóndin Velásquez
has become quite a theatre aficionado and now teaches his own group at the Escuela
Amigos in Copán Ruinas. In his weekly classes he teaches his students
basic theatre techniques and of course the goal is to present a play this year
with Maya culture as a theme. March - present
*Healthy
Honduran Schools Project
We finally started
our new health project with Jugamos,
our Canadian partner organization, for real. Facilitator José Carlos
González teaches about various health-related themes, such as hygiene,
nutrition, mental health etc. Through sport, games and crafts, around 120 in
4 villages learn in weekly classes about these themes but more important: how
to apply them in their lives. February – November, 2009
*Baseball
Although we have no proper baseball field to play at, we don’t give up
and keep on practicing every Friday and Saturday! January – December,
2009
*Theatre
Classes for Instructors
During
her last month with our organization, intern Luise Krebs is offering an intensive
theatre course (9 hours a week) to our very enthusiastic instructors. Her classes
are a great help, not only for instructor Londin who’ll be conducting
theatre workshops for kids this year, but also for the rest of the team members
who learn not to be afraid to express themselves publicly through body language
and also tons of techniques and activities that will help make their future
workshops more fun and interesting. January, 2009
2008
*Theatre
Classes for Young Adults
Luise Krebs is offering the young adults
of the Casa Populorum (a home for scholarship students) weekly theatre classes.
Although they’re a bit timid, they enjoy the exercises in which they learn
what theatre is all about, how to use their bodies and how to express their
feelings. October – December, 2008
*Evaluation
Health & Sport Project
Instructor Luis Vado goes out to the rural
communities to teach about health through games and sport. He also assists in
the art workshops in Rincón del Buey, is trainer of our baseball team
and is involved in the local and regional youth committee of AIDS prevention.
So far, Luis’ goal has been to obtain as much experience as possible and
use those experiences to make a Health Work Plan for next year. We evaluated
the experiences until now in-depth and shared those with our sponsors of the
Let’s Play (Jugamos)
Foundation. The latest news is that Luis informed us that he has been accepted
by the Air Force and will therefore no longer continue to work with us. We were
lucky to quickly find replacement: José Carlos is now taking over Luis'
responisbilities. July- December, 2008
*Baseball
After a two-month recess, our kids are getting
back in the baseball routine! With Peace Corps volunteer Travis and
our new sport instructor Luis Vado they're getting ready for their first match
that won’t take long, because it appears that baseball is taking over
Copán Ruinas: both the high school and Mayatan Bilingual School are forming
teams, as well as the high school in the neighbouring Municipality of Santa
Rita. August - December, 2008
*New
Health / Sport Project
As of July of 2008 we have a new instructor who’s going to coordinate
a whole new project about health and sport. This project is developed in close
collaboration with Robyn Cowie and Geoff Affleck of the Let’s
Play (Jugamos) Foundation, from Vancouver, Canada. Robyn and
Geoff have spent the last six months in Copán teaching about health in
rural schools and looking for ways how to continue the project in the most sustainable
way possible. The idea is to sponsor a full time instructor who will work within
the Arte Acción Copán Ruinas team and whose responsibility
it will be to coordinate classes on health issues and sports in rural communities;
to set up a girls’ soccer team; to help out with baseball and organize
events such as the soccer tournament for World AIDS Day. The instructor in question
is Luis Vado, a young Copaneco who is full of energy and great at motivating
kids. July - November 2008
*Parade
in Copán Ruinas
What a party, this parade of clowns, musicians and colourful dancers on stilts!
Thanks to the participants of the IV Maraca camp, the inhabitants of Copán
could enjoy this colourful caravan and a poetry exhibition by Copán’s
"Hijos de Maíz". July 26, 2008
*Chess
Club
Nilson Cárdenas, one of our video editors plays chess whenever he can
and came up with the idea to start a club. So far he has found quite some people
interested and he also teaches children. His dream is to teach chess too in
rural communities and organize regular tournaments. June- October 2008
*Thanks,
Captain Ben!
For two years, Peace Corps volunteer Ben Latham has helped us with
the baseball training. He has carried equipment up the steep hills and through
wildly running creeks. He practiced in soaring heat and outstanding humidity.
He even suffered four long days when he accompanied the kids to Tegucigalpa
for the Second Baseball Tournament, but now Ben and his wife Kelly are returning
to the US. Thanks so much Ben, we'll miss you! (The good thing is; we already
have a new volunteer, Travis Ostrom, also Peace Corps. June 7,
2008
*Preparation
Third National Rural Baseball Tournament
With lots of extra training sessions, our baseball team is preparing for their
second series of national finals on May 30-31 in Tegucigalpa. The kids are excited
to go and proud of their brand new shirts and baseball caps. We played two games
against a team fronm the local bilingual school, and we beat then both times.
Go, Jaguars of Copán! May, 2008
*
Parade
Against Violence on Stilts
It has been an international tradition the last few years to organize parades
against violence on Labour Day (organized by the Catholic Church), but it was
the first time this happened in Copán. José David Rodriguez, who
has studied with us for years, asked if he and some of his fellow stilt acrobats
could participate on stilts. It was a bit short day, with only two days to practice,
but in the end they did participate and were proud to get on the front page
of the newspaper! … April 15-16, 2008
*
Stilt
Show Opening Remodeled Fort "Fuerte Cabañas"
Four of our students are busy preparing for their first paid performance! They
are hired to perform during the opening ceremony of the newly remodeled fort
in Copán and the president of Honduras will be there, so for our kids
it's a big thing!. March 25, 2008
2007
*
Stilt Workshops
Series
of acrobatics and stilts workshops conducted by Victor Leiva (Caja
Lúdica, Guatemala) and Santos and Allan Méndez
(Arte Acción
Tegucigalpa), resulting in a performance in the Central Park during the Cultural
Fair. December 21-29, 2007
*
Drama Workshops
Series
of drama workshops for the students of our advanced course, conducted by our
own instructor Londin Velasquez. November - December, 2007
2006
*
Circus Presentation
Acrobatics
workshop, parade and circus presentation for our students by our colleagues
of Arte Acción in Tegucigalpa. December 6, 2006
*Puppet
and Circus Workshops
Workshops (three times a week) taught by Allan
Méndez, student of Arte Acción in Tegucigalpa. July-August
2006
*
Artisan Fair Copán Ruinas
Participation in the Artisan Fair of Copán
Ruinas with an exhibition of children's artwork and photography; performance
of the stilted clown Alambrito; acrobatic show by students of our advanced course
and sale of products made by children of recycled materials. August 5, 2006
*Theatre
Workshops
Intensive theatre course for children, conducted
by Sanne van Willenswaard, student of the Theatre School of Utrecht (Holland).
April-June 2006
*Theatre
in Public Spaces Workshops
Series of workshops in which the children learned
how to use the unexpected opportunities that public places can offer, conducted
by Eric Bakker and Rutger Buiter of the Lunatics Theatre Group.
April 19-24,2006
2005
*Mini-Theatre
workshop
Theatric expression workshop for 23 children
by Canadian volunteers Raven Brown and Bracken Hanuse. November 14, 2005
*Expressive
Dance
Dance workshop for 20 children by Dutch dancer
and director, Caroline van Leerdam. October 27, 2005
*Kung-Fu
Workshop
Kung -Fu workshop for 20 children by the English
volunteers Michael and E. J. October 7, 2005
*Expressive
Dance
Dance workshop for 15 children by Salvadorian
dancer Victoria Murillo. May 5, 2005
1999-2004
*STOMP
Performance at the central park by the 7° grade
of the Mayatan School based on the music video STOMP, during the festival of
Copán Ruinas. March 2004
*Puppet Show
Two day workshop on how to make different
kinds of puppets and a performance by Theatre Bambú from Tegucigalpa.
January 2004
*Drama Classes by Juan Monsalve Pinto
Drama workshops for the 7° grade students
of Mayatan School by the Colombian playwright and actor Juan Monsalve. December
2003
*The Little Princess, Theatre Play
With 8 students of
the 7° grade of the Mayatan School
we adapted the previously performed play into a mute play, performed during
the Cultural Fair at the central park in Copán. September-December
19, 2003
*The Little Princess, Theatre Play
Based on a story by Honduran archeologist Ricardo
Agurcia, "The Little Princess" tells the story of a girl who falls
asleep and wakes up in the time of the ancient Mayas. She meets the last king
of the Mayas in Copán who tells her to spread an ecological message in order
to avoid destruction of nature and society in the future, as happened to the
Mayas. Performed by 20 students of 5° and 6° grade of the Mayatan School at
the town hall. January-June, 2003
*Drama Classes by the National Theater School
A week of drama
workshops directed by Edgar Soriano from Tegucigalpa in La Pintada, Town Hall
and Mayatan School, resulting in a public performance at La
Casa de Todo. November 2002
* The Song of the Chicharra, Theatre Play
A play about the different
insects in our environment, performed by the students of the primary school
in Nueva Esperanza. June-July 2001
*Drama Classes
Expressive drama course for children
between 4 and 8 years old. July-August 1999