Anoche fue una noche de musica

Hey everyone,

Last night was pretty busy for me, but very cool.

First I went with Lori to a dance studio where they teach bellydancing, and maybe other types of arabic dance. She was going to be playing a type of arabic drum with her former teacher and another friend. So I was able to watch them put on a show of complex and entertwined rythms for the small class that was going on. The two drummers were professional musicians and were quite impressive in their improv and soloing. Lori also impressed me not only with her ability, but with her understanding of what they were talking about. It was definitely entertaining.

Then we went to a restaurant to watch a live faminco performace, with dancers and all. The singer sang in a high-pitched, nasally whine, which I´m told is the standard for the style of music. The guitars used complicated, and oft-changing chords, and a very interesting style of right hand strumming/picking. The percussionist (a friend of Lori´s, which is why we were there) played a Peruvian instrument, I believe, which was basically a wooden box that he sat on and drummed with his hands and fingers, changing the pitch by where he hit it, or by shifting his body on the thing, moving his leg up and down, etc. The dancers wore long flowing skirts that swished and twirled, and thick heels that they stomped to the beat. One of the dancers was confident and forceful, and obviously put her entirety into the dance. The other was a little hesitant, and it seemed like it might have been her first public performance.

After this we met up with some other people and went to a discotequa. They played a mix of music, but primarily salsa and merengue. This is when I realized that, whereas in the States no one can dance, here everyone can dance. I learned quickly that dance lessons will be about as important as Spanish lessons. But apparently there is always some Ecuadorian willing to try to teach a gringo a few steps. As a student, I´m pretty sure I failed miserably, but I was a few drinks in, so it didn´t bother me too much. Plus, I met some cool people, so I enjoyed myself overall.

If I had known how the night would turn out, I would have brought my cammera. But I´m always hesitant to carry it around with me, as robberies seem to be the norm around here at night. But perhaps I´ll start taking it anyway because I don´t want to miss some of this stuff.

Alright, that´s all for now.

Hasta luego.