The following day, we traveled to our site for the mini show and did community service by cleaning up the park we were performing in that afternoon. We only had 20 people with us for the show, so we spent a lot of time rehearsing new dance positions and solos, since our normal mini shows consist of about 40 students. That evening we returned to the hostel to meet the rest of the cast who had flown during the night and slept at the hostel during the day. It is crazy how much we miss each other when we are only apart for a day, but when we see one another every day all day long, it is hard for us when we are not together.
This week was very special because my mother, father, and brother came to spend the week with me and the cast. I had the chance to quickly see them during host pick-up before I met my host family for the week. It was so great to see them after being away from home for so long and I could not wait for them to meet my family on-the-road.
This week I was hosted with Danny from Mexico City, so I got to stay at his home with his real family. I was hosted with seven other students- Miguel, our dance captain, Max from Germany, Bonnie from Colorado, Nozomi from Japan, Will from Washington, and Emanuel from Mexico. It was a house-full, but it was going to be a great week and a perfect introduction into the outgoing and fun Mexican culture.
Wednesday, we had another mini show in a different part of the city. Our stage was in the middle of the street and as we rehearsed, crowds gathered around to watch. If funny how foreigners who sing and dance attract crowds.
Thursday was our Community Impact day and my parents and brother joined us for the day. I was with a group that had the opportunity to build altars for a holiday called "Dia de Muertos" - Day of the Dead. It's a significant holiday where families celebrate and remember their loved ones who have passed away. To celebrate the holiday, families usually construct altars in their homes. Our altars were for a Catholic Church and were much more elaborate and detailed. We were divided into two groups and given the freedom to create our own designs for the altars. We used colored sawdust to create patterns on these large platforms and then we put papier-mache skeletons on top of the design.
It was so great to have my parents spend the day with some of my cast mates and really get to experience what we do on a daily basis.
That evening we had another mini show that my parents were able to watch. I am no longer surprised by where we perform. At the beginning of the semester I would have assumed that one of our mini shows would be in an auditorium. However, I have learned that assumptions get me nowhere because we could be performing in an outdoor amphitheater, in the middle of a street on a makeshift, somewhat questionable stage, or next to an office building in front of a tent. I have learned that it is not about the location of our shows, but rather, it is about the impact that we have for the people who attend the show whether its performing for several hundred or 30 people.
Friday was our host family day, so I took the day off and spent it with my family. I met Breton at the hotel and he and I walked around exploring the area to find lunch. After lunch we continued exploring the city and talking. It was really nice to spend time hanging out with my brother. Once we returned to the hotel, mom, dad, Breton, and I headed back out to walk around the hotel and look at all the fancy shops around the area. That evening mom and dad took me out to dinner at The Hard Rock Cafe where we enjoyed a nice American meal.
Saturday we spent the entire afternoon preparing for our special show the following day. We had the opportunity to perform in the Zocolo, which is the world's third largest public square and can hold up to 200,000 people. Because we were expecting such a large crowd we needed to rehearse our Mexican medley and continue fine tuning our show.
Saturday I had the most embarrassing moment that I have ever had in my life and I will happily share it with you. For some reason, while I was rehearsing, John our vocal instructor, called me over and told me I was going to be singing a solo in the Mexican medley. I about gagged when he told me I was going to sing because it was a song I had never learned. But he pulled me aside and we quickly started learning the song for about 20 minutes until we were ready to rehearse with the whole cast. While the rest of the cast was rehearsing, I stood aside to continue practicing, while my heart was racing and I was about to have a panic attack. As I was rehearsing with a microphone in my hand, and by this point, I was really getting into the song, all of the sudden I heard silence and then someone said "Collin." I turned my head only to find 100 people staring at me with huge smiles on their faces. I had been singing into the microphone while it was on. I immediately turned bright red, and if that wasn't enough, since I wasn't paying attention, I thought they called my name because they were ready for my song, so I walked over and stood in the center ready to go. Then, someone said, "Collin, what are you doing? It's not time yet." All I could do was laugh at myself. Thankfully, I was replaced for the solo, and I realized that I am happier being a dancer.
Finally the day came for our big show. Our stage was set up in one corner of the plaza facing a beautiful cathedral with the second largest flag in the country waving in the breeze.
We started rehearsal after lunch and as we were warming up on the stage, thousands of people walked by and some stopped to watch us. We couldn't rehearse many songs during the afternoon because we did not want to give away our show. It began to rain, but that didn't stop people from coming to watch us rehearse.
We ended up performing for about 7,000 people in the Zocolo and I will never forget standing on the stage and looking out into a sea of people with the lights of the cathedral illuminating the most beautiful flag silently waving in the night sky. After every song, the crowd went wild and all we could hear was the deafening sound of the audience.
It was very special to spend the week with my family and for them to spend time getting to know my other Mexican host family. It was also great to show my parents how I have grown this semester and what I have learned about the world and myself.
