Ethiopia is, indeed, a distant land, and I will be the first to admit that my experiences with the country have been limited to infrequent visits to the best Ethiopian restaurant in town, Ras Kassa's. However, Boulder was given a much more significant encounter with this East African nation at Chautauqua Auditorium (900 Baseline Rd., Boulder, 303-440-7666) last Saturday night.

The Mesgana Dancers is a group of 11 young girls between the ages of 7 and 13 who are sponsored through the Children of Ethiopia Education Fund, which provides tuition money to send them to good, private schools in their home country. While I initially expected a lovely performance of African dancing (and it was!), what I saw turned out to be much less about dancing and a great deal more about opportunities for young children.

I spoke with COEEF founder Norm Perdue, who said that he and his wife, Ruthann, were inspired to create this foundation after a humanitarian trip to Ethiopia in June of 2001. During their stay, the Perdues met a girl named Kidest, who was at risk of dropping out of school due to the cost of tuition, which her family could not afford. When the Perdues learned that her annual tuition came to about $100, they immediately offered to cover the costs for two years. Kidest and her family were extremely thankful, and the Purdues were amazed at how easy it was for them to impact the lives of these children. Upon their return to their home state of Utah, the Purdues shared their story with close friends, who were then inspired to participate in their endeavor. Thus, the COEEF was born and to date has more than 800 sponsored students.

The Chautauqua event was also co-sponsored by Ethiopia Reads, a non-profit organization based out of Denver that works to promote literacy as well as provide books to Ethiopian school children. Currently, proper education materials are a rare and precious resource in Ethiopia, and many schools do not have access to them.

The mission statement of COEEF reads: "The Children of Ethiopia Education Fund exists to improve the lives and futures of girls in Ethiopia; and to allow the opportunity for people in the United States and around the world, who have been more materially blessed, to give of themselves."

In the spirit of this mission, the Mesgana Dance troupe was born. The girls worked with their choreographer, Argoye Feleke, in Ethiopia to create traditional dances from nine Ethiopian regions, and they have been performing them on their current seven-week U.S. tour. Each dance consists of tightly knit, repeated motions of the feet, legs, arms and head, as well as handmade costumes of colored satin, intricate beadwork, and delicate adornments such as cowry shells and bells.

These beautiful girls all shared another, equally important accessory: enormous smiles. It was quite clear during the show that these children were enjoying themselves immensely, and their graceful, elegant movements were an extension of the joy in their hearts.

In addition to these dances that celebrated the harvest, rivers and natural resources, the girls sang several songs in their native language of Amharic. "Africa, Africa" paid homage to the beauty and resources of the country, and "Selam, Selam" was a song literally about peace.

The enormous pleasure that the dancers took in the performance was contagious. After the first song, a gaggle of young, knee-high, Croc-wearing girls descended from their seats to bop around in front of the stage.

The dancers also decided to share something extra with the Boulder audience: a celebration of Ethiopia's millennium, which happens to be in 2007. Ethiopia uses the old Julian calendar of Europe, and, therefore, according to Gregorian dates, the New Year is on Sept. 8 through 11, successively. The girls ended the performance with a New Year song, "Ababayosh," which involved much spirited clapping, stomping, and a trip through the auditorium and around the audience.

The Mesgana Dancers put on an inspiring, energetic performance. These young ladies shared their enthusiasm for dance, as well as their gratitude for the opportunity to receive an education.

Anyone interested in sponsoring a child or making donations to COEEF can do so by visiting www.coeef.org. Rest assured that this is not a Save the Children advertisement hosted by Sally Struthers that only mildly assures that your money is going to the right place. The Perdues have spearheaded their organization based on first-hand information and experience, resulting in resonant support across the globe.