Breaking the Ice

Ramsey tells me that he wants the students to get comfortable with me by doing a formal icebreaker with them...something that will work with the language barrier. I first get them to make nametags for themselves so that I can get to know them better. Then I think that dancing will be a good idea to break the ice. Not much talking needed - and a chance for some slapstick. I ask the students to show me a cultural dance. They are super shy. I pick out boys and girls and they pair up (without touching of course) and dance for me as another super shy girl - Noi, who has a lovely voice - sings for the dancers. It's my turn so I try to teach them some "Western dance moves" as if I know such a thing. The recent death of Michael Jackson tempts me to demonstrate the moonwalk, but I have never been successful at that. Instead I teach them the "pimp walk" from blues dancing as well as that embarrassing move people bust out as a joke at the beginning or end of a dance party. You know, the one where you flap one hand behind your head, while the other hand grabs a foot from behind jerking it up and down while the only remaining free limb hops back and forth, all the while your torso flexes about like a fish caught and thrown onto the deck of a fishing boat. (This is Bryanna favourite move...classic.) It's funny seeing all these Laos student doing it. They are laughing and having a good time.

I decide to make it more interactive by getting us all into a big circle and getting each student to contribute a dance move that the other students would have to imitate. This goes quite well and some hilarity ensues. I am quite impressed with some of their dance moves - they are more creative, suaver and braver than their shy demeanor would have me initially believe. I am surprised by how sexualized some of the moves are. It's all that pent up sexual energy. At the end I teach them a team cheer, with everyone's hands in the middle and then yelling "Go team!" as their hands fly up into the air.

Ice...consider yourself broken.