A Mexican Dance

This colorful dance reflects on themes of aging and hospitality and broadens our appreciation of the spirituality of other cultures. The Mexican people have always had a deep respect for old persons. This is not a dance laughing at the elderly, but a dance laughing with them as they express their joy in a long life. They know God's promise: "Even to your old age I am the same, even when your hair is gray I will bear you" (Isa. 46:4). The dance of little old men could be used to inspire intergenerational discussions by raising key questions and ideas: What perspectives can age bring? How can these lead one to dance in the face of that which might have brought one to a paralyzing fear earlier in life? Age brings insight: the elderly Simeon and Anna had the ability to recognize a baby in the temple as the Christ while others did not (Luke 2:29-38). How can one keep doing the inner dance as the body begins to stiffen? What types of social dances have been done by different generations?…