Harbourfront Center is full of life, particularly at this time of year. The Luminato festival was in full swing. It is a celebration of the arts and culture, culminating in a carnival kind of partying. My tita Lucy, who is now in Toronto for a brief visit, and I headed down to where the crowds were going. The air was thick with an anticipation of great revelry. A huge throng of people joined a parade, ala carnival type in Brazil, complete with beads, costumes, dancing, and even stilt walkers! Tita and I flocked to the tented amphitheater. A crowd was already gathering and eagerly waiting for the show to start. We took our seats. There was a huge roar when the band was introduced. It was a Brazilian group, can't remember the name now but I definitely remember them perform. In a word, it was amazing. When I saw the first band member come out with his do -- I swear, his dreadlocks were fixed with luminous neon sparklers all the way to his beard! -- I was transfixed. Then the others piled out, each one a distinct personality. Two members, including Mr. Neon dreadlocks, were particularly flamboyant. The other, came out with a huge white hat, I thought his hair (obviously in dreadlocks) must as be as towering as Marge Simpson's. They were both playing the big bass drums but held it with one hand and tossed around their sticks. My, what strong sinewy arms they have. And Mr. Marge was clearly a winner with the women with his hips fluidly moving with the music. There was a lot of drumming and percussion, intertwined with horn instruments. It was loud. It didn't matter that I couldn't understand a single word (they sang in Spanish). The beat, the rhythm was infectious. It felt raw and primal. It was enough for the mass of humanity there to move in unison. There was no way to resist getting up from your seat and jumping, swaying, stomping, grinding to the music. It was crazy. Even my 72 year old tita was not immune. Imagine gyrating and bumping hips with a complete stranger. What a night!
No comments:
Post a Comment