So I once heard that Cuba (which has great ballet) has free performances because of socialism, or whatever. This seemed absolutely fantastic, and is just one of the many silly reasons Cuba remains top of my travel destination list (old cars, no advertising, rum, cuban food, spanish with a fun accent and the chance to do something technically illegal). However, I attempted to see a free ballet in Honduras and quickly realized why free is actually an epic fail. Ironically, I blame the Americans & the free press.
The Dance Theatre of Harlem came to Tegucigalpa for a free performance. Last night there was a special showing for the US Embassy, which I couldn't attend because the tickets were non-transferable. So I left work early to go with a few friends tonight. After an hour of some of the worst traffic I've ever seen, we arrived only to find out that it was "sold out." The woman on the street getting tips for helping people park in tight spots said that the Americans hadn't shown up for the performance yesterday and they all showed up today and now nobody could get in. Additionally, the local newspaper publicized that the performance was "gratis"... you can imagine the chaos, even for a art form that only old women and little girls enjoy.
Given that we couldn't see this once in a lifetime international performance, we opted for Chilis. But I got a salad, which I haven't eaten since I got here because fresh lettuce is hard to come by. So alls well that ends well.
The most surprising thing in all this is the fact that ballet found me in Honduras. I'd been passing by a dance studio aptly called "Dance with Me" (in English!) on the way home from work for a few weeks now; I'd been meaning to stop by to figure out what type of dance and with whom exactly. Instead, a few Hondurans from church thought to invite me to this ballet performance. And when I got in the car, the other girl starts talking about how she goes to ballet pointe classes twice a week. When I mentioned I used to dance ballet, she couldn't stop repeating "k cool!"- needless to say I felt the same. Turns out we're quite the kindred spirits, even if her favorite movie is The Godfather.
So now I have a girl friend who wants me to go to ballet classes 2x a week with her and get back into pointe. And I flash back to that split decision when I chose not to pack my dance bag, because after all, who dances ballet in Honduras? Guess we know my packing priority on my next trip back. Can't wait until customs inspects that one ;)
Afterwards, I proceeded to have a comical conversation with my amigo explaining ballet in Spanish as he drove me home. I should clarify that this poor guy has never seen a ballet before, but for some reason kept asking questions. So between my broken vocabulary (I described a tutu as a plate and composer as "the one who writes the music"), he got quite an earful. Still no idea how to translate Nutcracker or say Balanchine with the right accent.
All in all, I'm incredibly jazzed. Both by the fact that I've found a friend who dances ballet and the mere fact that I've found some friends. That's quite a feat when you have the vocabulary and independence of a small child.
The Dance Theatre of Harlem came to Tegucigalpa for a free performance. Last night there was a special showing for the US Embassy, which I couldn't attend because the tickets were non-transferable. So I left work early to go with a few friends tonight. After an hour of some of the worst traffic I've ever seen, we arrived only to find out that it was "sold out." The woman on the street getting tips for helping people park in tight spots said that the Americans hadn't shown up for the performance yesterday and they all showed up today and now nobody could get in. Additionally, the local newspaper publicized that the performance was "gratis"... you can imagine the chaos, even for a art form that only old women and little girls enjoy.
Given that we couldn't see this once in a lifetime international performance, we opted for Chilis. But I got a salad, which I haven't eaten since I got here because fresh lettuce is hard to come by. So alls well that ends well.
The most surprising thing in all this is the fact that ballet found me in Honduras. I'd been passing by a dance studio aptly called "Dance with Me" (in English!) on the way home from work for a few weeks now; I'd been meaning to stop by to figure out what type of dance and with whom exactly. Instead, a few Hondurans from church thought to invite me to this ballet performance. And when I got in the car, the other girl starts talking about how she goes to ballet pointe classes twice a week. When I mentioned I used to dance ballet, she couldn't stop repeating "k cool!"- needless to say I felt the same. Turns out we're quite the kindred spirits, even if her favorite movie is The Godfather.
So now I have a girl friend who wants me to go to ballet classes 2x a week with her and get back into pointe. And I flash back to that split decision when I chose not to pack my dance bag, because after all, who dances ballet in Honduras? Guess we know my packing priority on my next trip back. Can't wait until customs inspects that one ;)
Afterwards, I proceeded to have a comical conversation with my amigo explaining ballet in Spanish as he drove me home. I should clarify that this poor guy has never seen a ballet before, but for some reason kept asking questions. So between my broken vocabulary (I described a tutu as a plate and composer as "the one who writes the music"), he got quite an earful. Still no idea how to translate Nutcracker or say Balanchine with the right accent.
All in all, I'm incredibly jazzed. Both by the fact that I've found a friend who dances ballet and the mere fact that I've found some friends. That's quite a feat when you have the vocabulary and independence of a small child.
Love your blog julie! :) When are you stateside again?
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