Try to keep dancing out of a performance during the ADF and it just doesn’t happen.
Last night, the ADF musicians took the stage to present everything from dance accompaniment pieces to original compositions, drum solos, and even a vocal percussion piece you just had to move to.
It’s trueBaldwin Auditorium was hot last night. The music was only part of the reason, though, thanks to the ineffective air conditioning. The audience was also blinded by a bright light during the first half of the performance. Unfortunately, it was not the grace of God smiling down on the music, but the sun setting in the curtain-less windows of the old auditorium.
In the midst of comments such as ‘The sun is sucking the life out of me,” everyone had fun nonetheless. The audience consisted mostly of dancers, who knew last night’s performers well; besides accompanying dance performances at the ADF, the musicians also play live music during classes in the Six Week School. Last night, the dancers got to show their appreciation by clapping and cheering out names.
By the finale, Comparsa, a traditional Cuban Carnival rhythm, the dancers couldn’t help themselves. Starting with a white-haired man in the front, the audience began to stand up and dance, which evolved into a mass conga-line through the auditorium, ending up on the stage.
It was hot, sweaty and loud, and there were people flooding the stage. Looks like the ADF musicians know how to rock it.
