So Toshi keeps asking me to do these shows with him.  I am considering myself to be very lucky.  And I am considering the rehearsals to be like free concerts, free concerts for meeee! Then today during our rehearsal for Sunday's show at Tupai, I realized the musicians were sending me messages.  Many many messages.  Although I know they weren't meaning to send me messages nor were they aware that they were doing so. Pero los músicos me mandaban mensajes, hoy en el ensayo, muchos mensajes sin saberlo.

You see, I found myself naturally doing certain things because of them.  I was having fun, and we were very much accomplishing what needed to be accomplished.  Then I realized the musicians were teaching me all kinds of things, things to apply more readily to my dancing, and to life in general.  Sin querer yo estaba haciendo la cosa a su forma.  Pasandolo bien y haciendo el trabajo necesario.  Y me di cuenta de que ellos, los músicos, me iban enseñando cosas, muchas cosas para aplicar a mi baile...y a la vida.

No, not technical things.  No cosas técnicas. Though I'm certain they have many technical things to teach me. Ideas I guess.  Ideas.  Me presentaban con varias ideas.  Ideas which may appear to be kind of obvious but, not necessarily... 

Ideas que se han convertido en ser lecciónes,

Ideas that turned into Lessons:

• play - jugar
• experiment - experimentar
• be in it - estar en ello
• share - compartir
• laugh at myself - reir de mi misma
• enjoy the process - disfrutar del proceso
• collaborate - colaborar
• be open - estar abierta
• and flexible - y flexible
• take breaks - tomar descansos
• do my part - hacer mi parte
• relax - relajar
• try new things - intentar cosas nuevas

And rehearsal kept trying to end, but they couldn't stop playing.  No paraban.  Perhaps because two are percussionists, and Toshi is somewhat rhythm-obsessed.  Someone would walk by an instrument and start playing it, almost like a reflex, and, well, another jam session would begin.  Pura diversión.

Well, like I said, I'm lucky.  And rehearsals with these guys are fun, and hmmmm, do I want to be in a band?  ( I want to be in a band, secretly, a band like this one.  It is fun! ) But I want to do what I do still, while connecting more with their ways.

And just who are these músicos I am referring to?  Toshi Onizuka, Giovanni Cruz, Al Martin, and Jon Hughes.  Their styles, well, Latin for sure, fusion, Afro-Carribean, Latin-Jazz, stuff like that.  And here is some exciting news, Givoanni and Al are super curious about bulerías and want to learn...

What do you have to say?  Ever been in a band?  Are you a musician?  What have you learned from one?  Leave a comment.