Day 4- The Day of Dance 💃🕺

 ¡Hola! Me llamo Hope y canto como soprano dos en Shrine. 

This post is the result of a sudden burst of energy at 2 a.m. after the tango show (of course, lol). It's long, but it's worth it!

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The day began with a brisk walk at 7:15am to the Buenos Aires Metropolitan Cathedral and Plaza de Mayo. The sky was a rich idigo hue which highlighted the intricate white architecture beautifully. A phrase I consistently say during this trip is, "woooah that railings, pillars, terrace, etc. is gorgeous...". Additionally, Buenos Aires smells even more like metallic sea air at dawn than midday which was lovely. The city reminds me of Seattle, WA from the misty sea aesthetic and the trees.

Fun Fact: the really cool building is the home church of late Pope Francis! It is very elegant and breathtaking.

After my morning adventure, I joined more friends to eat an early breakfast at a Cafe. I ordered Cafe de la Leche (coffee) with this coffee cake/pastry-thing that melted in my mouth with each bite. I don't drink coffee usually, the taste of American coffee grosses me out, but I wanted to try some Argentinan coffee because the country is known for the drink. WOW. It was delicious! The drink paired excellently with the treat I ordered. I have no clue what the treat was, lol, as I specifically chose it because I could not recognize anything about it. It kinda tasted like those buttery powdered sugar cookies w/ nuts grandmas usually give in tin cans at Christmas but with this pudding mixture and more flavor.

Something that endlessly entertains me this trip is watching Dr.Westerhaus's reaction to literally anything. What takes the cake so far is this moment:

The bus drivers kept driving right past Shrine at stops, even when we waved, and this was his reaction the first time it happened. 

So the bus...imagine the Axelite NAU bus during the 2:00pm after class rush, then add 30 plus people, and you get the Buenos Aires bus line. My left arm sure got a workout gripping onto the rail. This is the first time in my life I have spent more than a day, let alone a week, in a city over 100,000 people. The Buenos Aires city population is 3,100,000 and the Buenos Airez Metro area population is 15,370,000. And if you couldn't tell by now, no habla espanol. Because of the change of scenery, I am cherishing every minute of this opportunity because I am learning so much! :)

HUGE SHOUT OUT TO JAVIER (above)!!! He has been doing most of the translating and helping us with learning Spanish phrases! He also helped us pick out the venues we went to. Muchos gracias!

After an hour ish bus ride to the Mataderos market, I experienced the fragrance of freshly made breads, sauces, steak and chicken. The spice combinations made me feel like I was in some kind of magical food pantry. It was like I could already taste the many foods I never knew existed with every step I took.

Importantly, the live dancing was awe-inspiring. I absolutely adore how much the people of Buenos Aires embrace dance into their day. People just don't feel and celebrate life in their bodies in the US like they do here. It is very refreshing and joyous to see and something you have to 'feel' in person to understand. 

Something that musicians frequently preach is, 'music unites' and 'music is a universal language'. Before this trip, I believed it, but I thought these phrases were too cliche. However, after an interaction with a man at the Mataderos market, I changed my mind. The phrases are not cliche, but, saying them without the experience of interacting with someone you have a language barrier with is a bit ignorant. You just don't know the depth of truth in, 'music unites, music is a universal language' if you haven't experienced music making with someone you can't 'speak' to. At the market, I interacted with a sweet man selling handmade South American instruments. Many of these instruments, like the pan flute and this one ceramic rock-looking instrument you play with your mouth and fingers (it's like a kalimba and a flute had a baby), are played in our energetic piece 'Ojos Azules'. When the man noticed I was admiring the instruments, he picked up the pan flute, looked directly at me, and motioned for me to pick one up from the table. I was bewildered at first, why would someone I have no relationship with invite me, using their handmade instruments, to play music with them in the middle of a large public gathering? But, honestly, I was so excited I was somewhere where music collaboration was so informal and free the thought left as soon as I picked up the pan flute. Through hand motions and visual learning, he coached me how to properly blow air into the instrument to create sound. Soon, we were jamming like there was no tommorrow! I even showed him a photo of our choir at the end of our jam and said thank you. I know it's unlikely, but I hope I meet him again someday. I wish him a good life. :)

Michael Jackson Thriller in the hotel lobby, I guess music really transcends lol.

Next, tango, wow, wow, wow. Where do I even start? It was so fun but so challenging. Usually when I dance, it's a go with the flow-individual thing. And when I'm dancing with other people, there's no form at all it's just kinda jumping around and occasionally holding hands while jumping around. I thought I'd have an affinity for tango, given I made my own Circus Arts/Hula Hooping dance routines for years when I was a teenager, but nooope. The second the instructor danced with her partner the first moments of class, I remember thinking, "wait a minute, wait a minute, I believe this is going to be harder than I expected ahaha." She danced so gracefully but the footwork was so fast and I could feel the connection between the dance partners guiding the movements. That was a lot of unfamiliar things to take in at once but nonetheless I jumped right into the tango! It was awkward to feed off of the energy of another person you are dancing with in an organized fashion. I felt like a baby gazelle not gonna lie. Despite this, I eased into the tango overtime. Shout out to Zeke and Eric, you guys were great and encouraging dance partners! Overall I learned I just needed to get out of my head, feel the music more and have fun! 

Finally, the tango show at Madero Tango! IT WAS ONE OF THE COOLEST EXPERIENCES EVER!!!!! WOW WOW WOW!!! After a refreshing and delightful conversation with some friends in Shrine over Dulche de Leche, the show opened with a quirky man in a black suit and tie with silver designs on the front of his jacket and sides of this slacks. He also wore a very daper hat and was hilarious (mainly like body comedy-semi mime stuff). The man briefly explained the show told the progression Argentinian culture from start to present day. I could go on and on about the show but here are the highlights:

1. The women were all dancing so amazingly in heels, how?!?!

2. The grace, elegance and fire of the dancers and live music radiated everywhere in the room. I could sense the passion and precision from them in every movement and note change. It was really something else.  

3. There was a section with fire imagery, tribal drumming, and crazy jumping mixed with tango. My friend called it the 'Clacky Clack Fire Wow' section afterward, but it was anything but funny because the POWER AND ENERGY in that room. My mouth got dry because it was hanging open out of awe for the entire time. 

4. The mezzo soloist. She has such an emotive and powerful voice. Especially with 'Don't Cry for Me Argentina'

5. It overall was amazing to see how talented dancers can paint a moods and tell stories with movement. There were many sections with different tones (joyous, sensual, tragic, funny) with the same dancers and they all pulled it off. Again, people in the USA just don't dance and move like the people here. In Buenos Aires, there's a certain 'air' to how people hold themselves and great others where they lead with their body and celebrate with their body. This aspect I have yet to see in the USA to this degree.

6. The neon lights of Madero Tango reflecting on the river, it looked like sparkly confetti resting on the surface of the water. Me gusta. 

If you read all of this, muchos gracias, you deserve some Dulche de Leche! Hopefully I can learn to make it for you all soon ;) So excited for the rest of the trip!!!

 

Gracias por leer!

- Hope 🧡