It was a bit intimidating performing for several hundred highly disciplined cadets in uniform, but we ended up being able to teach them a lot of things. Tae Kwon Do is a required class here, so everyone knew it and was able to participate in the demonstrations my brothers and sisters and I do. We also do a dance where we use Tae Kwon Do moves to electronic music, were pretty impressed and had never thought of doing the art to music.
This home is run by a young, 24 year old woman who is probably the most selfless person I have met. Of her own freewill, she drives over two hours every morning to arrive to this home and sincerely care for the severely mentally handicapped people that live there. Most of the men, women and children who call this place home have been given away by their parents or abandoned. When we were in the States, my sister and I had visited a number of different thrift stores like Goodwill and the Salvation Army to ask if they would donate…
This is one of the largest crowds we have performed for. The children ranged from age five, to eighteen as well as numerous teachers, professors and principles. We did a morning presentation and then an afternoon presentation. We do choreography where we throw a ball between us, which is meant to convey our life. Some one tries to steal it, we drop it, but ultimately it is in our hands. We combine hip hop music, cool dance steps and vocals to communicate that their life is in their hands and they must chose to protect it, use it and not…
It was incredible performing for such a large crowd of men in uniform, and such an honor to speak with all of them. Some will directly be deployed into the jungles and know they may not make it out. Sometimes we break boards in one of our Tae Kwon Do demonstrations that we use to talk about discipline and seeing beyond an obstacle. My brother was preparing to break two boards with a palm strike when he was distracted, struck the boards in the wrong way and ended up breaking his hand.
It was fun but challenging to perform for a crowd of around 700 screaming excited girls who treated us like rock stars. They were so intelligent and quick to listen and learn. We still stay in touch with some of them by email.
