Today's page comes to you from San Antonio, TX where I am speaking at a conference on electronic communication. Before we remember the Alamo, however, I can't forget Monday's assembly at which Spanish teacher Alejandra Young--who originally hails from Costa Rica--introduced a band from the Dominican Republic named Grupo Fantasia.
Grupo Fantasia methodically broke down the basic distinctions between Cuban rhumba (the mother of modern Latino music), Puerto Rican salsa, and Dominican merengue. All this was accomplished with students participating on the clave, marimbas and congas. When we were invited to dance,
Marco (whose parents--former PA teachers Eleo and Casilda Abreu--are from the DR) proved that the apples don't fall too far from the tree with a snappy merengue with Stephanie.
The entire experience was educational and inspirational, and left us more appreciative of cultural diversity within Latino(a) populations.
Back to San Antonio: it is important--when traveling the world--to exercise sensitivity to local nuances of culture. Here I am blending seamlessly with locals.
Of course, tourists couldn't compete, and understandably kept their distance....
