WARDEN — The dancers of Warden’s Ballet Folklórico Viva México performed at the Warden Library Thursday afternoon, entertaining one of the largest crowds a library event has drawn, said Librarian Jean Boersma.

“We were pushing 100,” Boersma said. “They just kept coming.”

About 15 dancers of wide-ranging ages and sizes demonstrated traditional moves from Mexico on the library lawn, in both denim shorts and skirts and full, flowing dresses in bright colors. The audience sat or stood in the shade of the tree on the library lawn, many of them holding up phones to capture the moment on video. After each dance, one dancer would shout, “Viva Mexico!” and the dancers would enthusiastically respond, “Viva!”

When the dancers went inside to change costumes, a few children tried acting out the steps they had seen in the performance. Adults with the group explained to the audience in English and Spanish the history and symbolism behind the dances.

The performance was part of Warden’s summer library program, Boersma said, and while a dance demonstration might not seem very library-ish at first glance, it actually fits well with the library’s mission.

“The summer library program has several aspects to it,” she said. “Of course, we are fostering reading and love of books, but we’re also focusing on engagement and creative expression, connecting with the community and providing programs that the community wants to see.”

The library’s summer program includes a different activity every Thursday, Boersma said. The theme for all the NCW Libraries this year is “Plant a Seed, Read,” and Boersma has been using that to focus on gardening and farming. This Thursday’s program will emphasize a farm-to-table theme, she said, and students from the local 4-H Club will let the kids become familiar with farm animals.

“The kids who are showing animals at the fair will bring their animals in, because they’re as safe as live animals can be, well handled,” Boersma said. “(The 4-H students) will show us what they’ll do at the fair and tell us all about their animals, and then I always have a craft at the end of the program.”

About 50 kids turn up most weeks for the programs, Boersma said.

“This year (we’ve had) more than I’ve seen in the past,” she said. “We’re reaching deeper into the community and including people I haven’t seen before. It’s really fun to watch.”

In a small town, the library can be a hub for the community, especially for the children, Boersma said.

“It’s something that the community is finally recognizing,” she said. “They’re understanding that (the library) is safe and free, which is really important to the community of Warden.”

    Dressed in the traditional flowing, colorful dresses, dancers from Ballet Folklórico Viva México demonstrate the Jarape, or Mexican hat dance.
  

    Children try their hand – and foot – at the dances they’ve just seen from Ballet Folklórico Viva México as the dancers change costumes inside the library.