Bedouins do Zumba in Meitar

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 After our brisk hour's walk in the desert surrounding my town, the women's march for at-risk children (see previous post) reached the end point,  Meitar amphitheater.

Bottles of water were waiting for us.

And  arcticim (popsicles) were distributed.

Then the invigorating music started and two Zumba instructors got the girls up and dancing.
The Jewish youth (in white march T shirts) lasted for a song or two.

But the school group in orange were full of energy and enthusiasm and danced on and on, into the night!
Their shirts say Hura Local Council, so I assume they are from Hura, the Bedouin town close to Meitar.

At one point the Zumba teacher took the microphone and told "the wonderful girls in orange who were so nice to join the march" that she had a song especially for them;  it was Arabic music and words. 
It was heart-warming for me to see the mix of the two Israeli "sectors" having fun together, or at least next to one another.
It made me glad I moved to the Negev.
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Opportunities for kids, so many

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 Meitar's Amphi was full of life yesterday evening, with a "Happening" to showcase some of the extracurricular activities that will be offered in the new school year that starts tomorrow.

 A judo student  threw his instructor to the mat seemingly effortlessly.
He is on just one leg in the photo!

 Ah, and here are the karate kids.
My grandson Dean might join them; he is already very advanced in karate.
Did I ever tell you why I moved here?
 My Naomi and her family will be coming from Australia to live in Meitar from October to April! Guy got a sabbatical.   For seven months my three grandkids will be living only one kilometer away!

Look how these acrobatics girls lifted the younger ones!

 Several dance groups performed on stage.
These three dancers came to stand in front of where I was sitting on the lush grass so they could see the other groups.
I couldn't resist taking a picture.
(Update: I should explain that all the girls in a certain dance wore a protective  knee pad on one leg because there was a lot of kneeling on one knee.) 

Even little kids are learning the movements of capoeira.
It is quite amazing what kids can learn here in little Meitar, in  the Negev desert, in the middle of nowhere.

 One of the several youth movements active in the community gave a final cheer off to the side.

Even the dogs were happy as everyone headed home.
Nice ambiance in the amphitheater. 
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(Linking to Our World Tuesday.)

Our spartan amphitheater

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Under the string of colored lights,  the stairs leading down to Meitar's "Amphi."
Enlarge the photo 2x and you can find some benches, the stage, a few rows of  stone seats, and lots of grass.
And the outer row of Meitar's houses.

We are looking to the north/ northwest and I reckon the buildings off in the distance are Palestinian villages or towns beyond the nearby Green Line.
Meitar was built just south of the West Bank, just below the Green Line, i.e. in Israel proper.
On this map you can see the white dotted line - - - - -  marking the 1949 Armistice Agreement Line.

To the east, west, and south of Meitar are many Israeli Bedouin villages, towns, and even one Bedouin city, Rahat. 

I have only lived in Meitar for two weeks so I haven't seen any events in the amphitheater yet.
Soon summer vacation ends and probably the activity in the amphi will pick up again.

You can drag that map around or zoom in on Meitar.
My 2010 paper map gives the population as 7,500.
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(Linking the big sky and rare summer clouds to SkyWatch Friday.)
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