If you want to shake up the daily routine, try dancing cumbia.
That’s what a physical education teacher at a primary school in central Oaxaca decided to do.
In a video that went viral on social media, Diego Cortez instructs a group of at least 14 students of mixed grade levels in his Latin rhythms class, directing the children in their first basic steps and turns.
“. . . Prepare the turn, I’ll tell you when . . . And there I go! Hug . . . Now out . . . Good job!”
A dedication below the post reads, “This is the result of the great effort and dedication of physical education teacher Diego A. Cortez, here at work in his Latin rhythms workshop, with the goal of developing first to sixth grade elementary students’ motor skills at Resurgimiento Primary in Reyes Etla, Oaxaca. Thank you for supporting our children!”
The video has been more than 38,000 times on Facebook, where many users celebrated the teacher’s efforts, noting that knowing how to dance is an important social skill in Mexican society as well as a demanding physical activity.
“Teaching them to dance cumbia is indeed useful; this way, when they’re a little bit older they’ll know how to ask their cousin to dance [at a family gathering] and they won’t have to sit in a corner and watch everyone else dance because they don’t know how,” one user remarked.
“Wow! It’s great to see this type of videos; it lights up my day. Congratulations to the teacher; without a doubt, this says a lot about his work and enthusiastic approach toward teaching. It even made me want to learn to dance; I could use a few dance classes. Congratulations and good luck,” commented another.
According to information provided by the school, the class, which transforms the school’s computer lab into a dance floor, incorporates other Latin dances in addition to cumbia, including salsa and bachata, as part of a club called Bailarte, which will be open to students for all of the 2018-2019 school year.
Source: El Universal (sp), Excélsior (sp)
