Santa Cruz and Hip Hop
Last weekend was an unexpected adventure. I decided to do something new and push myself out of my comfort zone. I traveled to a city called Santa Cruz about 2 hours northwest of Porto Alegre to attend a hip hop and dance workshop with my hip hop teacher, Aluisio, his girlfriend, Marla, and another dancer, Cassio. I took the bus with Cassio in the morning to meet Aluisio and Marla who were already there. We had some lunch and then took a few workshops in hip hop, experimental, and jazz.
It felt so good to get out of Porto Alegre and see something new. It was also nice to spend some time with just Brazilians. Aluisio knows a little English just from listening to lots of American music. So between my little Portuguese, his little English, and acting things out we had quite a fun time of trying to communicate with each other.
After classes during the day and watching a show of various dance performances we grabbed some dinner at the typical Brazilian hour of 11 pm. We then went back to his aunt's house where we showered and got ready to go to the club. His aunt was so sweet and welcoming even though we couldn't really say much to each other. She slept on a mattress on the floor with her daughter to give us her bed and her daughter's bed to sleep in. I felt so bad that they slept on the floor especially since it was quite chilly that night and there was no heat on.
We arrived at the club at 3 am. Honestly I do not know how I was still functioning at that point in time, but I had a few drinks and got some energy back. Sooo glad we went because it was the best music I've heard since I arrived in Brazil! American hip hop music! Porto Alegre typically plays rock and electronic music....NOT my type of music I like to listen to let alone dance to. The music was great and I enjoyed watching many talented dancers battle each other. It was quite a scene!
We arrived back at his aunt's house around 6 am as the sun was just starting to come up. I had been awake for 24 hours and I thought to myself...I am getting to old for this! I bundled up in a blanket and slept for two hours before catching the bus back to Porto Alegre. Needless to say I spent the week trying to catch up on sleep from that one night, but it was totally worth it! :)
It felt so good to get out of Porto Alegre and see something new. It was also nice to spend some time with just Brazilians. Aluisio knows a little English just from listening to lots of American music. So between my little Portuguese, his little English, and acting things out we had quite a fun time of trying to communicate with each other.
After classes during the day and watching a show of various dance performances we grabbed some dinner at the typical Brazilian hour of 11 pm. We then went back to his aunt's house where we showered and got ready to go to the club. His aunt was so sweet and welcoming even though we couldn't really say much to each other. She slept on a mattress on the floor with her daughter to give us her bed and her daughter's bed to sleep in. I felt so bad that they slept on the floor especially since it was quite chilly that night and there was no heat on.
We arrived at the club at 3 am. Honestly I do not know how I was still functioning at that point in time, but I had a few drinks and got some energy back. Sooo glad we went because it was the best music I've heard since I arrived in Brazil! American hip hop music! Porto Alegre typically plays rock and electronic music....NOT my type of music I like to listen to let alone dance to. The music was great and I enjoyed watching many talented dancers battle each other. It was quite a scene!
We arrived back at his aunt's house around 6 am as the sun was just starting to come up. I had been awake for 24 hours and I thought to myself...I am getting to old for this! I bundled up in a blanket and slept for two hours before catching the bus back to Porto Alegre. Needless to say I spent the week trying to catch up on sleep from that one night, but it was totally worth it! :)
Taking in some of the sights during a break from the dance workshops.
Dance battles at the club
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