The second day in Leon, our sponsor arranged a nice scenic tour of the city and some of its popular sites. We adventured around the town
using chop-top or convertible buses – buses made specifically for sight-seeing. Normally tourists weren't allowed toget off the bus and see the individual sights, but for Viva La Gente, they made an exception. There were some nice churches, parks and a very impressive convention center, The Poliforum, which is central to Leon’s local economy. The bus ride to and from the tour drop-off provided for some much needed venting and deep conversations with my friend, Leslie Kleiman (Tucson, Arizona).
Sidenote: I have a special BIG thanks to Eduardo for helping me solve the missing computer mystery (long story – but without his help, my computer may have gone ‘missing’ forever!). Muchas gracias amigo por su ayuda!
After the day finished, we went out to dinner with some other host families who hosted other students and enjoyed a stroll around more Mexican plazas. A clown act in the plaza made a public announcement that we were strangers. This gave us an opportunity to introduce ourselves and our origins, as well as promote our upcoming show.
Dance – Dance – Dance
BTS – Backing Track Show. At 7pm in the Plaza Mayor (a major Leon mall) Viva La Gente was scheduled to have a BTS on a small stage with a selected bunch of the cast. I made the bunch!
Hooray. Maybe, not… That day we had a full day of dancing. As I remember it, it was really not much fun at all, to be honest. We were run ragged from rehearsing so much. But come time for the BTS show, my lethargies were lightened when we were cheered on by 100’s ofMexican spectators with sparkling eyes. This had been the first performance in Mexico. The rumors were true: Mexicans LOVE Viva La Gente! I’m not sure where the transformation occurs, but I (and everyone else) became a rockstar. Maybe at the border there is an invisible force field that changes your appearance or abilities. Nah.
I felt like a king on stage. There were so many people watching this quick, 30 minute snipet of our show and people blew up with applause after each song. I performed in a few songs including Jai Ho – the crowd pleaser. When I finished in the crowd with theme song – Viva La Gente – people came to me to say good job, sign autographs, and take pictures. One lady even handed me her baby for a quick shot on her camera phone. Ridiculous!
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