Dear Jam Cruisers,
Although it was a major disappointment that we couldn’t stop in Belize City on January 8th, there is a silver lining to every cloud and our legacy is still strong there. Due to a $13,750 grant from Positive Legacy the 4-day Deer Dance Festival was performed in Santa Cruz, Belize the from Jan 6-10th. The grant provided education and technology to Maya teens in order to integrate students in the video production of a documentary about Maya heritage and the traditional practice of the Deer Dance. The project will culminate in the creation of an educational workbook and a documentary which will be shared on the Positive Legacy website this coming year. This project supported the vision of Mopan Maya leaders in Santa Cruz to preserve their sacred tradition for generations to come. Check out a trailer for the Maya Deer Dance, a Cool Anthropology and Daniel Velazquez documentary.
In addition to the Deer Dance grant we also provided $2,500 for the installation of an Educational Tropical Garden and an environmentally conscious muralrepresenting Belize biodiversity in Memorial Park, Belize City. The mural was painted on January 8th and the garden was installed on January 16th with the help of the local community partners.
Last but not least we also provided a $1,000 grant to Drums Not Guns in Punta Gorda, Belize to support the promotion of non-violence and self-empowerment among at-risk youth through drumming lessons/circles, dancing, poetry and more. In the spirit of ‘One World United through Music’, Master Kriol Drummer Emmet Young brought his drumming students to the Village of Santa Cruz on Jan 8th to perform for school children, exchange culture with marimba musicians, and join his students to watch the Deer Dance. We are proud and grateful that in spite of our technical issues getting to Belize, Positive Legacy partners gathered to celebrate this project and share their unique musical heritage in our absence.
Thank you to all of you who supported our program before Jam Cruise through our Deer Dance Campaign and to those of you who supported us on Jam Cruise this year!
If you would like to make a donation towards our project in Belize, please follow this link to make a tax deductible donation today: MAKE A DONATION