Christchurch Band Together

These posts are a bit late, but finals are really slowing my blog time down :(
 10/23/2010
Today Ruth, Brittany and I went to the benefit concert for the Christchurch earthquake. We were supposed to meet the UCanDance group at 10:30ish. However, we just missed our bus, and had to walk halfway there before catching another. Then, once we reached Hagely Park it was already crazy crowed.  It took us half an hour of wandering up and down the massive field before we finally found the dance group. Somehow, I managed to be already sunburned by this point.

In the beginning there for just a few people.. 

It was such a beautiful day, everyone was our in summery clothing, basking in the sunshine.. Mmm.. Lovely!
Bands were already playing on the stage, and while we could barely see the performers, they were also projected on to two huge screens. Being with the dance group meant we didn't just sit still and 'hang', like so many other people there, we got up and we danced! Clearing away extra blankets to make room for swinging, twirling couples. Unable to sit still, Sara and I broke the ice with the first dance- and earned ourselves a spot on national TV.

When a particularly good band came on stage a group of us would run/skip/dance our way up to the stage area. Not content to just sway with the crowd, we continued our dancing. Forcing the crowd to make room for us as we spun, dipped and laughed our way through the songs.

We completed many MJ's, Salsa, Bachata, and even 1 1/2 roeda circles. But for the grande finale Jesse started a conga line that went all over the field! I'm not sure how long it eventually ended up, but it was massive, crazy and so much fun!

Never before have I experienced such a concert; no shoes, no most pit, just beautiful dancers all having the time of these lives. The UCanDance group is filled of some of the most amazing people I have ever met.

See if you can find the dance group.We're center left, look for my pink shirt. I think we're doing roeda?  

35 bands
10,000 people
very few shoes
lots of sunburn
and one old lady who punched me in the shoulder because she thought I was being too rowdy(during one of the few times I was actually standing still)