“Tonight’s Going to be a Good Night” by the Black Eyed Peas was the tune celebrated by 32 visiting Danish students who formed a “flash mob” dance at the opening of Carnival Village on Friday.
Wanting nothing in return but warmth and smiles, students from the Hojskolendk traveling school have so enjoyed their short stay on St. Thomas that they wanted to show their gratitude to residents in the form of a celebratory dance skit, according to school instructors. And what better place to do so than Carnival Village marking the start of the island’s most festive season of merriment and celebration.
“Our goal is to create a broader prospective when encountering and relating to different cultures throughout our students’ future travels in life,” said school coordinator Claus Marquart Jorgensen. “Our students create lifelong friendships and an appreciation of traditions experienced through participation in events like carnival.”
The group made up of 18- to 23-year-olds has been on St. Thomas for a little more than two weeks now, staying at the Bolongo Bay Beach resort. Students attend outdoor classes in five-hour blocks each day to work on team-building skills and project management. Other classes in the three-month semester include personal growth, communication skills, sports, photography and meditation.
The students have practiced their surprise dance routine daily in between classes.
The students will head to St. Croix where they will serve as volunteer farmers on the island’s Reef to Ridge Farm. The Danish travelling school has held a “Singing Carwash” fundraiser for local children in past years in partnership with the University of the Virgin Islands and has organized a cultural gathering for area youth.
The school currently conducts similar classrooms in India, Central America, Canada and New Zealand.
