I traveled a block for this gig, and it was one I’ve looked forward to. Holy Infancy is a big building with a small group of pre-K to 8th graders that I’ve connected with over six years, beginning with my PASELA experience – a pilot program linking arts with pre-school kids on the SouthSide of Bethlehem. I learned a whole lot from the pre-K kids, and use those skills in all of my shows. I learned the Tutti Tah from them, and use it to loosen up my shows.
Those kids are now in the fourth grade, but I’ve been back every year, so I know most of them. And they were cranked to take part. Cat Came Back, Bear Hunt, Magic Penny, along with Christmas songs. I picked on the older kids for their relative inactivity (but that’s the way they act at that age….), and basically got to play with the kids. It was cool.
This was a highlight for me in this Christmas season for several reasons. First – it’s my neighborhood. Second, I needed a big dose of holiday love this year, with my untimely divorce and move to Bethlehem. I needed a hug and I got a big one. There’s something to be said about love and respect from your neighborhood and from kids that restores my soul.
The coolest moment happened at the end after they all sang ‘We Wish You a Merry Christmas’ to me. The older kids asked for ‘Tutti Tah’, which is one I learned from the Pre-K years ago. It is a very silly, and physical playground song. It brought us all back to our common grounds in a wonderful way.
These folks restored my soul for the day.