Just think of how you’d feel if, as a parent, you knew that the solitary gift of a new dress—and that alone—would more than suffice as a Christmas gift for your young daughter. Well, in many developing nations, including those in the poorer nations in Africa, just one new dress is all that many girls want for a present. Alas, even that single wish often doesn’t come true. This fact sparked the story line in A Wish for a Christmas Dress, a new children’s book by Milwaukee author and philanthropist Raejean Kanter.
In the story, a little girl asks Santa Claus for a new dress. Santa (with the help of a recurring character in Kanter’s books named “Grandma Book”) grants not just the one girl’s wish, but those of many more girls in her village. Just prior to the launch of her book—and in partnership with St. Ann’s Intergenerational Center—Kanter organized a clothing drive to send 400 dresses to the African nation of Cameroon to grant the Christmas wishes of just that many young girls.
After learning about the book and Kanter’s clothing drive, Janus College Preparatory & Arts Academy offered to recreate the story in the form of dance; 10 dancers from the academy will bring the Christmas Dress story to life through their expressive art, featuring choreography, costumes and drumming reflective of the culture of Cameroon. The 20-minute-long dance premiers on Wednesday, Dec. 19, at 5:30 p.m. in Discovery World’s Todd Wehr Theater (500 N. Harbor Drive).
Though not necessarily in theme with the dance or the book (though certainly “in theme” with our local holiday season traditions), cookies and milk will be served following the performance. This event is free and open to the public.
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