I did a choreography for a choral arrangement of a Colombian cumbia called Cumbia del Sol, arranged by Audrey Snyder, and presented at the last summer choral concert, 2015, of the Douglas Morrison Theater in Hayward, CA, where the DMT Chorus does its three annual performances. Luanne sang with this chorus for many years and was its music librarian. The earlier rehearsals for this concert were the last she attended until her health prevented her from continuing. She never made it to the concert. During the early stages of the practice for this music piece, César Cancino, our choral director, asked me to make a demonstration for the chorus on how to dance Colombian cumbia as he was planning details on the integration of this dance into the song performance, so I went to the stage. As I was passing by Luanne, in her straightforward style she said to me: ?Don?t move the hip too much.? She knew I usually do. I practiced with my dancing partner and we got our routine straight, smooth and rhythmic, and I hoped Luanne would come back to choir practice and I could tell her of our progress, but I never had the chance because that day she made that remark was the last day I saw her. She never had the chance to watch our concert. So, Luanne, if you can still read this from the other side of the veil, I tell you I did not ?move my hip too much?. I miss you, sweetheart. God Bless You There. Luis Prada Tenor/Baritone from Colombia, South America
