Aguacero. That's what Panamanians call a downpour and that's exactly what we woke up to this morning. Today was the Baile Folklorico at the Primaveraschool. Fortunately by the time we departed for the school the rain had let up but it delayed the show by about an hour. It seems Panamanians are loathe to go out in the rain also!

Our performers today were students from the primary grades who are dedicated to the traditional dances of their culture, somewhat like our students that perform Irish dance.

The show began with a group of four girls singing traditional music, each taking their turn. Dressed in their uniform shirts they wore jeans and tennis shoes which gave the show an informal, upbeat start.

Following were several sets of dances that featured girls and boys . The beautiful dresses worn by the girls are called "polleras" and are intricately embroidered 2part outfits. Each region has its own style of pollera and color combinations. Brightly colored ribbons and gold jewelry are worn along with elaborate beaded headpieces known as "tembleques".

The boys wear "montuno", an outfit of a white long sleeved shirt, black pants, traditional straw hat and black and white shoes.

Another dance involved boys dressed as "Diablicos sucios" performing with castanets. The diablicos had red and black striped outfits and wore elaborate masks tied to their heads.

After pictures and a brief reception we headed home for lunch and a brief rest. At 2:00 we returned to Nutre Hogar to tend to the babies. Being a rainy day they did not venture out to our usual play space but were content to remainin the sleeping area with their toys and new friends.

Abbey, Mel, Natalia, Mira, and Jordyn playing with babies at Nutre Hogar

Panama Service Project poses with the La Primavera poyeras