We left yesterday -- in two weeks!

Times racing by. As if this writing we, the Kwahadi Dancers, left yesterday ( in two weeks, thanks for reminding me Charles - I was just getting in the mood and my mind didn't stop to check what I wrote), Sunday, July 19th at 1 PM from Amarillo headed towards the Redbird Armory in Dallas. We will have spent the night, had a healthy breakfast at McDonalds, near DFW, check in at Continental Airlines and leave on flight 1136 ( Boeing 737-500 is the bottom photo ) at 12:45 PM for Newark, NJ.

A mere 3 hours - 45 minutes and 1,372 miles later we'll land at Newark. Wonder what the movie will be? Wait, what about the meal? What will it be?

At 7:25 PM we board Continental flight 24 ( Boeing 757-200 is the top photo ), depart Newark and head for Shannon Airport in Ireland. Do you know it takes 6 hours - 35 minutes to fly that 3,096 miles? So a movie, a sleep over and we're there? Well kind of.

Okay, check you watch and move it FORWARD 6 hours.

Finding food at the airport will be our first European adventure. This will be important!

Nine AM finds us boarding Marshall Coach Company and departing for Galway. On the way we'll visit the Cliffs of Moher (and another test of finding food), depart to see The Burren before arriving at the Renmore Scout Den in Renmore, Galway. Our host is Eamon Hartley.

After an evening meal we'll perform our first show at the Scout Den.

This is going to be such a blast, so much fun, work, opportunity to meet new friends, see so much of the beauty of Ireland, Scotland, UK and Paris.

How can you not join us for a tour?

Come on aboard the Kwahadi Dancers European Tour 09.

John Madden

Waiting to dance

Howdy. That's a West Texas greeting. I'm John Madden, proud associate advisor for the Kwahadi Dancers. My dress (we call it regalia) is a Straight Dancer.

The Straight Dance, sometimes referred to as Southern Traditional, is the formal and original dance of most of the Oklahoma tribes, including the Ponca, Osage, Kiowa, Comanche, Kaw, and many others. It is a dignified style, where the men who dance it keep a steady, flowing pace that is not interrupted with fancy moves or extra footwork. Because of its slow place, some people believe that it is an old man's dance, but this is not the case. There are many fine Straight Dancers in the Oklahoma area, ranging in age from ten to eighty. Some of the best places for Straight Dancers to go include the Ponca Hethuska and the Kiowa Tia-piah Society's Dance. The Ponca Hethuska is held twice a year in the town of White Eagle, Oklahoma, once in April and once in October. It is a formal war dance, meaning that it follows the old ways, and has many strict rules that must be adhered to. There, every dancer is required to dance every dance for the duration of the war dance, which is very tiring. The Kiowa Tia Piah Society holds their annual dance at Carnegie, OK over the Fourth of July. This dance is also excellent place to see Gourd Dancing.

I'm also a Gourd Dancer and will tell you about that later.

I'm Cheokee, adpoted into the Comanche, Tewa and Lakota, plus Scots/Irish.

Come see the Kwahadi Dancers. You'll have a great time, get to take once-in-a-lifetime photos, see outstanding dancing and meet extremely wonderful young men and young women.

The KWAHADI DANCERS.

Thank you,

John Madden

July 23, 2009

We'll be in the Dungarvan area, near Waterford, Ireland for the second day. Check out: www.abbeysidessoutgroup.com. You'll see Baden-Powell. Who's that? Check out the site and see. He's the reason Scouting is Scouting.



Know anything about Brownsea Island? It's where Scouting started.







The 23rd will be our fifth day out and 4th in Ireland. I'm looking forward to Ireland so much. My family came from there and it'll be a unbelievable thrill for me to step on Irish soil. How about, you? Any Irish in your family? What is your heritage? Find out and keep up with it. The next day we'll go to Belfast. Wow, how cool is that!

Check us out. Keep up with us.

Cliffs-Moher

The cliffs of Moher are located just south of the Village of Doolin in Co Clare Ireland. Rising slowly from Doolin they ascend to over 700 feet (213 metres) stretching south for nearly five miles (8km) to Hags head. Make a stop at the Cliffs of Moher part of your Ireland Tour.

We visit the cliffs Tuesday, July 21. Check out the site (http://www.cliffs-moher.com/index.php), see what we have to look forward to and hop on the blog to follow us.

http://www.john.maddenphotography.com

Welcome!

Welcome to our Kwahadi Indian Dancers European Tour 2009 Photo Blog.

Here you'll find photos and information concerning our upcoming summer tour.

We'll put on seventeen performances in our 23 day tour. There will be sixty-three people going on the tour which includes dancers, drummers, singers, and show assistants. We will travel by plane, bus, train and ferry. It will truly be a experience and opportunity of a life time.

Hop on the blog, travel with us, see what we see through "My Eyes" and enjoy sharing the adventure with us.

John Madden