Jessica turns 15

Deb was uncharacteristically anxious to get to Jeckos party. I guess first I should explain who Jecko is. She lives "over there" with her family, having moved there when she turned nine. Her Uncle wanted to see her for her Quince, so he paid for her to come back for a little over 2 weeks. "Over there" her name is Jessica, but of course here, she is Jecko, much like here I am "Andres".
The "Andres" thing is pretty funny. We were driving by a donkey today when it started its braying. I still can't believe how many things can start that donkey to braying...seeing a dog, not seeing a dog, walking, not walking, hearing a rooster, hearing another donkey, a truck driving by, a breeze...the donkeys just like to remind us they are still around, so at random (and noisy) intervals, they start in with their stupid braying: "Hee-haw, hee-haw". Except, they say it in Spanish, so it is more like "ee-aw, ee-aw". (For those not in the know, in Spanish the "H" is always silent at the beginning of the word...still not funny, but, well, there it is. I thought the piece needed a joke at this point).
Well, as this donkey starts his music, Gabe starts laughing. "Listen, he is calling you!" he said. "Andres! Andres"
And after listening...yeah, you could work that out of it without too much stretching of the imagination. Much like the rooster call...that one Gabe says is "Christ es nacio" (Christ is born) and, when you are listening for it with that grain of skepticism that makes movies believable, yeah, you can hear that in the rooster call.
Back to Jeckos party, it was scheduled to start at 9. We got cleaned up in the beloved shower. By now I was more used to it. You have to take extra care with the bowls of water to rinse off all the soap. Should you leave a bit of soap, when the sun hits...oh, that itches. And if you have to choose between scratching residue soap and cincuda (mosquito) bites...woe has befallen like like no tide has woed you before.
We get there very early, about 9:15. Of course, that means we are the first ones there so we wander inside where the Simpsons is on. Oddly, the show ends about 18 past the hour. It was an old one that I knew very well, so I was able to follow it fairly well even in Spanish, an occurrence I naturally was very happy about. Still, the grating voice of the dude who does Homer in Spanish grates on my nerves.
After the show we hang out for a few minutes watching the stream of people going in and out of Jeckos room getting her ready, then we headed out to grab seats. By this time the Bandias were there, so I joined them while Deb and Gabe wandered off to be with some of their friends.
Instantly Moreno started in. "Si, bailes hoy?" (You are dancing tonight?)
As always, my nerves started to get the best of me. I have always wanted to dance and seldom have. I think I danced 1 slow dance at Jennifer's prom, and once or twice at Christmas parties have done 1 slow dance at each. Then there was the hour salsa class but that is about the extent of my dancing experience. Once a girl asked me why I had never learned. I said I did not know where to start. She said I had to start somewhere, but when I suggested her feet she no longer wanted to dance with me. Go figure.
They all started doing the Johnny Bravo to intimate what they thought gave me dance-worthy credentials. I should not have shown them, even in jest, that particular bit of pop culture homage Kenneth and I have been known to do because they were now determined to get me to dance it in front of a bunch of people I did not know.
Unlike the Christmas Eve and Grandmas birthday fiestas, this one had well over a hundred people and the music was being done by a live, trained DJ. Unlike my normal persona, in company like that I am very, very shy.
After an hour or so the dinner started being served. UNfortunately, just before they started serving the headache proved to be too much for Deb so she and Gabe headed home. I debated leaving but chose to hang out instead. It would prove to be a fun decision.
IN Bordonal they dance a style called cumbia (or kumbia, I have seen it spelled both ways). Whereas salsa is fairly regulated in 3 beat movements, kumbia is simpler, consisting of two steady, pulsating beats and no null beats. Typically the dancers form a circle. The foot movements are fairly reserved...often a slide left with one foot, the other foot then tapping close, then the second foot returning to the starting position while the first foot makes a similar tapping motion.
The simplicity of the foot movements means there is a lot of freedom for hand, hip, chest, and head movement. As sensual as salsa can be between two people, kumbia can be in and for a group.
The nature of it also calls for a lot of individuality. At various points, almost by consensus the group will look at one individual who then moves into the center to perform their own individualized dance, often enough joined by a partner of the opposite sex for a quick duet.
This solo dance ranged widely. Moreno is famous for his spins and ducks and proved to have remarkable chemistry with Vivian, a young lady 6 or 7 years his junior. That did not stop her from performing some bump & grind moves that might get a dancer thrown out of some pretty seedy strip clubs in the USA...
Tecka and Norma have also obviously danced together a great deal, having perfected a move where she leaps along one side of him, legs fully extended, then he uses her momentum to swing her to the other side where she repeates the swing. This night they teased a new move for quite a while before finally breaking it out. After she swung from side to side she then brought a leg alongside either hip and he then threw her into the air. It was pretty spectacular.
Less talented dancers such as Charlie were also more than welcome. His specialty was to walk into the center of the circle, ignoring the beat, stop, and flip a crisp military salute. It was actually pretty funny.
But everyone is encouraged to take a turn. I was again struck by their friendliness as they finally, by dint of overwhelming number of requests, got me out and dancing. And it did not stop there. They somehow managed to convince me to do the Johnny Bravo in the center of the circle.
Probably the highlight, though, was the dance with Jecko. For many Mexicans, the girl turning 15 is the biggest celebration of their life. It is bigger than Christmas, their birthday, and probably even their wedding. It is when she gets her last doll, her first (theoretically) pair of high heels, and many similar things. The night belongs to her. Each male is encouraged to take at least one turn in the center of the circle with her, and so even I took a turn. And let me assure you...she is a much more talented dancer than I, but still...what a sweetheart.
The DJs were only paid until 2, so by about 2:45 or so the party wound down. After the final dance, the traditional pranks started. Someone grabbed some water from the llavadora and started chasing Norma. Since she had been dancing almost non-stop for close to 5 hours, she was already soaking wet, but sometimes it is the idea rather than the reality of an event...naturally, she went looking for revenge while someone else went after Jecko. A spirited but fun water war followed, closing off a fun evening that really revealed yet another fun side of Mexican culture, a culture that has its harsh and difficult times, but these are always offset by good times like the Quince.