Happy Earth Day!
Young Brooklynites danced, sang, and told stories about Mother Earth at the annual Salt Marsh Nature Center’s Earth Day event on April 22. The dancers’ leader said moving and shaking for the planet, on the planet, allows them to connect with it.
“It’s great to dance outside,” said Brooklyn Dance Center director Gail Kroog. “You get to feel like you’re part of the ground.”
The Brooklyn Dance Center holds the event at Salt Marsh Nature Center every year. The center teaches teenagers dance, and they also do community events, such as fund-raisers for charitable causes. The Salt Marsh Center, located in Marine Park, boasts hundreds of acres of marsh and grassland, as well as associated wildlife.
As in years past, the day included a diverse array of dances, as well as Native American story telling. The story telling, which is led by Roman “Redhawk” Perez, is important because it stresses the importance of taking care of the environment.
“It’s about keeping it clean and not destroying it with litter,” said Kroog of the stories. “And honoring the Earth because it’s our home.”
Kroog said she loved all the dances, but that the belly dancing led by Diana Perez was particularly appropriate for Earth Day.
“It’s very earthy and folky and works well with the outdoors,” she said. “It was a beautiful image the veil’s colors blowing in the wind.”
