Imagine Magazine - Johns Hopkins - November/December 2013 - (Page 36)

perform with the kids at venues such as children's museums. We quickly learned, however, that because we were so young-just seven and 10-people didn't take our fundraising efforts seriously. We would have to rely on our family for funding. Rhythms of Culture We reconnected with Fundación Batuta, who, along with a Mayan dance group, agreed to tape auditions of the children they work with and send the recordings to us. In 2008, members of these same organizations flew with the children to meet my family in my father's hometown of Tegucigalpa, Honduras, where we kicked off our first "tour," which we called Rhythms of Culture. Over nine days, we rehearsed dances and songs with 72 underprivileged children from Guatemala, Colombia, and Honduras- the countries that made up our own heritage. To publicize our program, we created flyers, arranged TV interviews, and even invited students from the school my dad had attended. On the stage of a beautiful theater in Honduras, in front of an audience of people both well-off and underprivileged, the children performed the dances and music of their people. Anthony and I, representing the cultures of the Middle East and Xinjiang, performed too. The children wore traditional clothing handmade by their mothers and grandmothers-clothing that had taken months to make. Children from the streets saw kids like themselves onstage. They had a voice, and for the first time, people were listening. Top:This 2010 trip was the ﬁrst visit to the U.S. for these Guatemalan children and their teacher. Middle: Yasmine demonstrates ethnic dances to attendees at the Miami Children's Museum, 2012. Bottom:Young Yasmine with Pasha Umer

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Imagine Magazine - Johns Hopkins - November/December 2013

In My Own Words
Interested in Econ
The World in Numbers
Reckoning with Randomness
Elliptic Curves
A League of Our Own
More Than Math
Developing Your Numbersense
Where Math Meets Imagination
Selected Opportunities & Resources
Dancing in the Footsteps of My Ancestors
Off the Shelf
Word Wise
Exploring Career Options
Planning Ahead for College
Students Review
Mark Your Calendar
Knossos Game

Imagine Magazine - Johns Hopkins - November/December 2013