Not What We Expected

Am still in my p.j.'s, sipping stewed coffee beans, and trying to think of something to blog about.  It is with hesitation that I choose to share my thoughts about last evening's Cuban dance concert.  Ever since I got home, my mind has been flying like a frisbee, trying to figure out exactly what it was that we saw.

Simply said, my expectations weren't met.  When I think of Cuban dancers, I immediately picture the tango, the salsa, the cha-cha-cha, and mambo.  I think of bright reds and ruffles, handsome men twirling their ladies and flouncing their flamenco-skirts.  My visions were of zippy and zesty, and what we got was a 2-hour display of smooth ballet-like movements punctuated with jerks and other acrobatic movements by a troupe wearing colorless and very unsophisticaed outfits.  Their dances told a story.....only I felt like the person listening to a joke but didn't get it! 

In situations like that, one has to look deeper, I guess, to appreciate the performance for what it is.  And, I think we did that.  It was more of a physical workout, with both genders dripping with sweat at the end of each set.  The men's muscles were defined, but the gals' figures were lean and non-curvacious.  The performers hailed from Italy, Hungary, Spain, and various parts of America.  Only two looked as though they could be from Cuba.  I guess I was looking forward to sun-bronzed island people and a stage filled with couples twisting and stepping in perfect unison to the sparkling rhythms of the Caribbean.  None of which we got.

So it is that we chalked up a cultural event to disillusionment.  Even though I didn't grasp the meaning of the dancers' stories, the experience was tolerable and will be memorable. Right after the concert, Cuban guava and coconut pastries were served to the crowd in attendance, along with red grapes and coffee......gotta say the snack was a sweet conclusion to a more-or-less disenchanted evening.

Today's Trivia 

Despite being a world apart politically, Cuba is only 90 miles away from the U.S.