Picture this! (parade memory)

This post is a visual companion to the one I wrote yesterday about the St. Patrick’s Day parade in Alexandria.  You can only describe so much.  To really feel the spirit, you need to see the picture so here is my accompanying post for today…..

When I first arrived at the church, the dancers had not yet arrived.  It was some sort of an open house day at the museum to promote attendance and a large table was set up outside in front of the main door.  “I’m terribly sorry,” I said “but the table has to go… A large dance school will be arriving here any moment and they have taken their picture on these steps for decades.  Could you please make some space for them?”  “How many people are we talking about?”  “At least 50 maybe more, depending on how many dancers stay for it” “Are you sure”  “Yes, very” And as he began to push their tables to the side, a sea of green swelled behind the back gate and soon the yard was flooded with dancers awaiting their moment to arrange themselves on the steps as dancers before them, arranged like a pyramid of Irish dancers all standing with their toes pointed, in the classic “Stand like an Irish dancer!”pose.

Yet another generation of dancers stand proudly sporting their Irish and connecting with the rythym of fiddles, squeezeboxes, and the bohdran.  Dance, dance, wherever you may be, and I will lead you all wherever you may be, I am the Lord of the Dance, said she.