Among them are Baha'ism. The dances of the Philly Baha'i Youth Workshop are part of that mission. The dance movements show separation, distrust, confrontation, alienation. The bitterness surges forth, a stark analogy of the most divisive black-white relations. In a dramatic climax, they raise their companions from the dead.
Pairs clasp hands in a show of amity.
When Lee Gould 18, of Ottsville, Bucks County, performed the dance last year at Robin Hood Dell before 500 inner-city youths, he was nervous. Midway through, when the Baha'i dancers lay fallen on the stage, the air filled with boos. But as the two sets of dancers rose and became unified, applause grew until it was thunderous. I think these kids were really watching. It's not often that Baha'i efforts to combat racism are loudly applauded.