Job Fair & Djembes

Today was an adventure. I went with a busload of other Taylor students to a job fair in Indianapolis at the Convention Center downtown. A variety of organizations were there, everyone from consulting firms to the FBI to Target. I was specifically going to talk to Ontario Systems, which I did successfully. After that, I was at a loss as to what to do. I wandered by a few more booths and chatted, then my roommate, anotehr friend and I headed out of the fair in search of lunch. We found it at the Circle Centre food court, where I got a gyro. That was happy.
After lunch, we continued wandering, and found ourselves in the Indianapolis Artsgarden, attached to the mall. We had happened upon a show for local schoolchildren by an African drum group. The group explained each of their drums, and, when they would play, the children, all probably between 8 and 10, with a few younger, would empty out of their seats and dance their hearts out up front. It was so joyful to watch. It made me think, Taylor doesn't allow dancing because it has been perverted and used for evil, but, when children dance, unchoreographed, it is what dancing was meant to be. They would jump up and down and wiggle- not to look coordinated or graceful, but because it was FUN and delightful and the music compelled them to. Most dancing I see is either provocative, as in VH1, or canned, as in a highly choreographed ballet. To see neither- to see the children being free and fun, laughing and wiggling- I think is the most beautiful.
One of the drummers- the woman of the group- also danced to the music, a cultural dance. It reminded me very much of the hula I'd see in Hawaii- graceful and meant to tell a story. It was mesmerizing.
The djembes, rather than the job fair, was the highlight of my day.