The Show Part 2

After Zargani finished his announcements, one of the Atsigani women sat cross legged in the center of the stage as others stood or sat on the sides with instruments. Soon a droning and buzzing of staggered wind pipe instruments began to play coupled by slow beating tambourines and drums, which two men sat upon, striking with their palms and fingertips.

Voah was delighted even before the woman started singing and then four others from the sides startled the crowd as their voices rose in harmony repeating a recall of the woman in the middle. They started to move their wrists and hips in time with the music as they converged and orbited around the woman in the middle who was now unfolding her arms and legs and beginning a contortionist dance.

The song started to accelerate and the chanting women each left the stage to give way to other instruments and a few male dancers, two that wielded changing of small fiery braziers that they twirled around their arms and bodies and in the center, the contortionist woman was joined by Biram, the man who had been flirting with Voah during their travels. The tempo was faster and his dance with her became very suggestive and soon he found her eyes in the crowd. A slow smile sprouted at that. She looked over to Gonyaul to see if he was enjoying himself.

Gonyaul’s eyes were shining with enthusiasm for the performance. He hadn’t experienced anything close to this in the past seven years. Yet this was a much different atmosphere and theatrical spectacle than anything he experienced among his fellow Vaux.

He had never seen a contortionist before. He was very flexible; however, she seemed to defy human anatomy. Did she have a different type of skeleton? The combination of movements, props, sounds and the outdoor stage were invigorating to his artistic sensibilities and planting new ideas in his mind.

He took Voah’s hand as he made eye contact with her. His smile was indisputable evidence that he was enjoying himself. The quick peck on her cheek, first strike, was evidence that he was even more elated that he was enjoying this experience and making memories with her.

His attention went back to the center of the performance, wondering what curious and wonderful things would come next.

A group of nimble Atsigani were next. Jumping, twirling and tumbling to the merriment of the crowd that gasped and clasped with ever vault and summersault.

They twisted effortlessly through the air, landing as close to the crowd as they could. At one point the men jumped on each other shoulders standing walking around as one, thrice as tall as one.

Gonyaul cheered and clapped along with the rest of the crowd. He thoroughly enjoyed the showmanship, passion and bravado they exhibited. It was stark contrast to how they behaved during their travels together. The performers generated in him all the desired emotional responses their professional displays were designed to create.

Gonyaul’s imagination was alive and stretching, guided by these never before seen feats; or in some cases things he had experienced but never in this way.

Three persons high? The human acrobatic tower was impressive. Voah was very limber and could be acrobatic, but the ways in which these people moved was beyond that. Although she had seen and experienced all of these sorts of things before, it still brought back that feeling of wonder like being a kid again and gave her the desire to practice.