Huriel

Last week the kids finished another quarter of the school year, which meant there was a round of exams. The older kids are required to take an Arts class and for their exam they have to choreograph a group dance and then perform it in front of the whole school. I went to watch them Thursday and Friday mornings. Most of the groups consisted of about 20 kids trying to copy their favorite pop stars' dance moves that they had seen on Youtube videos. At times it was painful to watch but I sat in front taking pictures, as they instructed me to do.

I met Huriel one of my first weeks here. He broke his finger and would show up every once in a while to show me that it was moving better. He's in the Special Ed department. He has this interesting balance of confidence and shyness, which I can appreciate. A couple of Sundays ago he asked me to buy him a Michael Jackson CD at the market. I was able to find a nice mix with a lot of MJ's greatest hits.

Friday morning he walked onto the center of the basketball court in front of all of his classmates wearing black dress shoes, a white belt and a white styrofoam hat. I waited for the rest of his group to join him, but then I realized he was going solo. Billy Jean started to pump over the speakers and he proceded to moon walk back and forth for a full 5 minutes...shedding his white hat and jacket in the process. It was very Napolean Dynamite-esque. Afterwards he came up to me asking for my approval, I honestly told him it was my favorite all of the dances...and I took his picture.