TA News

On Thursday, October 17, Thetford Academy, with the New Hampshire non-profit Compas de Nicaragua (Friends of Nicaragua), was proud to host the Nicaraguan dance troupe “Daughters of the Corn” for the third time.

Compas, founded in 1992 and now led by Littleton, NH native Michael Boudreau and Ana Narvaez of Managua, Nicaragua, began as a small, informal community service effort focused on service trips to Nicaragua. The group traveled annually to the Nicaraguan community of La Primavera–building a community center, starting a tree nursery, and launching “Women in Action (WIA),” an advocacy group supporting the region’s poorest women and children.

Every few years, Compas helps to bring WIA’s Managua-based dance troupe “Daughters of the Corn” to New England for cross-cultural exchange programs. With more than 500 visits to schools and other organizations to date, Daughters of the Corn use their visits to perform traditional dance, promote Compas’ mission, and educate audiences about their culture.

At TA, the troupe started their day with visits to Senora Brettell and Senora Chambers’ Spanish classes. Language students had the opportunity to practice their Spanish conversational skills by talking with the dance troupe members in small groups. The Daughters of the Corn then performed traditional Nicaraguan dances for the larger TA community. The event was interactive, joyful, and educational–and gave TA students the important experience of learning about another culture first-hand.