Colorful native costumes, rhythmic Latin American music and non-stop national Colombian dances dazzled the senses of the McCallie Middle School on Tuesday as a group of 14 students from Colombia gave a 40-minute performance in Davenport Forum.
The Colombians, male and female middle school students from the British Montessori School in the capital city of Bogotá, is visiting Chattanooga on a cultural exchange program with McCallie. Maria Gonzalez, McCallie Middle School Spanish teacher, is the American point person for the exchange program between the two countries. Her father was born in Colombia.
Performing several native dances in traditional dress, the students had the middle schoolers clapping to the music and joining the dancers for the finale.
The students are from private, bilingual Colombian secondary schools and lived with host families while in Chattanooga. They attended classes at McCallie for two days and shared power point presentations on their native land and its culture. The group will also attend classes and perform at the Chattanooga Girls Leadership Academy before departing for a trip to Chicago on Sunday.
McCallie is planning a reciprocal trip in late May or early June as Colombian schools are still in session at that time of year.