Todays inspiration

ATS® in Guadalajara

It would seem the ATS® is alive and well in Guadalajara Mexico, I found not only one but two different troupes!

We have Tracy Rhaj the lovely and talented “Tapatío” gone to L.A. returned to Gudalajara ATS®/fusion teacher seen below:

I sat in on one of her classes, they were getting ready for their upcoming show that yours truly will be dancing in to celebrate the most epic holiday of all times, dia de los muertos. If you don't know this about me I've celebrated dia de los muertos for years now, it's my all time favorite, so what a pleasure to be in Mexico and be able to celebrate!

Here are Tracy's ladies warming up:

Then I got to visit Alina and her lovely ladies at work!

What a pleasure to get to spend time at two different studios seeing my much loved ATS® at work!

After 3 months into my travel, and 2 months in Mexico dance studios are my home and all the dancers have turned out to be my family.

Guadalajara is beautiful and the Mexico version of SF, so I felt happy and homey there, a little grit, a lot of art, and a little fog make me a very happy girl, but then meeting the dancers, and then more dancers.
How to explain, here is the family. The love, the support, the instant let's go out and have fun. Here is the warm hug and the smiling face and the magic makers that show me their town the way it's supposed to be seen.

No wonder I fall in love with every town I see, I get to see it through the eyes of those that love it the best!

Guadalajara

I'm staying in the historical center of Guadalajara. The streets range from crippled to crowded most all paved with some sort of brick, thick, old beautiful brick racing up from the plazas to form cathedrals and towers with spires. The antiquated and the ridicules meet in between. Squares overflowing with vendors and their crap; cheap plastic toys of fluorescent colors imported from China, shoe shine after shoe shine, cotton candy vendors with their tall sticks slung over their shoulders, the alternating pink and blue emulating the gothic spires. There are men selling bas of deep fried pork skin doused with chili sauce, lime, and salt, men walking around with fake multi colored mohawks. Religious artifacts are sandwiched in between under wear vendors and taco stands. One ambitious man carries 5 crucifixes, each 3 feet tall, and tries to sell them to those that pass by.

I'm falling in love with Mexico, a place where the religious and the ridicules meet and live in harmony.

As I was wandering through the streets it began to rain, light drops turned to downpour and the festive, over packed square cleared. People scattered like roaches when the lights go on, myself included, and I ended up in a quaint little cafe. The windows were wide and clear and made perfect for people watching, there were a few vendors struggling to cover their goods.

The server after assessing my pathetic Spanish brought me my coffee and slipped me his number, which seemed odd since his English was way worse than my Spanish.

The rained lightened but didn't stop and the sun was beginning to beat it's retreat so I thought I would do the same.

Here's my visual journey:


Our Lady of the bus station.

 Road snack, chips doused in chili, lime, and salt.

 Bus money.

  At the market.

um the pros and the cons

Just thought I'd capture a little truth for you, it's important to watch the progression.

                                          

run away from my run away

Passing on my inspiration to you

You may think you don't like poetry, you might be right, but you might be oh so wrong. I was turned onto this man by Elana Brutman, and those of you that know her know she has impeccable taste in all things.

So take a moment.

Let yourself and listen and change.

and then hear some more.

did I happen to mention

I'm having a great time!

When the road bends so does the body. The best thing about traveling is the detours..the whens and wheres of who I am and where I'm going. 

The word of the day is hippies and turtles and gringos with chocolate granola covered bananas. I think I have wandered into a hippy haven, a habitat of inglés and ATM machines that dispense US dollars only, definitely an oddity in this supposedly small town of Sayulita. 

After hitting up the tranquil small beach town of Chacala I feel almost in a state of culture shock being faced with the ebb and flow of the world wide back packers tour ground. Cobble roads are still to be found but shops and shops of she-she items and hostels built in the image of the Winchester Mystery house

I leave tomorrow for Puerto Vallarta and then on to Guadalajara and so forth. 

I am getting exited to teach and perform and can't wait for this beautiful event in San Miguel de Allende.

Honestly I think I am just broody today.

Road side revelations

“A journey is like marriage. The certain way to be wrong is to think you control it.” – John Steinbeck