Ciscoe's Dance, page 6
Ravi Gancha’s home was a block east of where Ave Guana and Ave Chinnai intersected. Ave Chinnai was one of the two main roads for the Viddhana neighborhood. This street held the Viddhana Festival each year. Latisha and I came to the festival five years before and it was the most colorful and extravagant festival we had ever seen. It was one of the few occasions that the neighborhood opened itself to the rest of the city. We were looking forward to attending the Viddhana Festival that following year, but the Civita created a law prohibiting non-residents of the Viddhana neighborhood from attending the festival. There was a belief that the Viddhana Festival would upstage The Festival of Josette as the city’s main festival. The Civita got pressured by the Regnator and the wealthy citizens of West Walter’s Grove District to create the law. It was an awful thing to do and Delia had tried to get it changed since it was enacted.
The home was in a hastancia style similar to what you would see in the city of Adrian. The hastancia homes were wide, flat, two-story buildings that resided on a couple of acres each in the neighborhood. The Viddhana people had large families and preferred this style of home over the Bremen style that was in the rest of Walter’s Grove. I immediately noticed the huge malpe trees that towered the property from the rear. Those malpe trees were a signature feature of every hastancia home I had ever seen. The main walkway created a straight path through spectacular grounds. I could smell the perfectly cut grass with orange, white, and silver flowers on each side along with small brownberry trees. The home was decorated in orange and silver, the main colors of the Viddhana people. Two men at the main entrance greeted us. They wore orange jumpsuits and matching headdresses. Silver necklaces, bracelets, and belts accessorized the jumpsuits. The man on the left side of the entrance opened the door and we entered the home.
The living room was enormous and had a dance floor where three women were dancing to a fast drumbeat. The women were known as Lavanny dancers. Lavanny was a traditional dance of the Viddhana people. I understood from the Viddhana Festival we attended that this part of the dance was meant to be received as an invitation. Latisha and I watched the Lavanny dancers move across the dance floor in a movement similar to a side step in Guanamamma dancing. The Lavanny dancers were dressed in orange maxi dresses accentuated with silver on the sleeves, midsection, and the bottom of the dress. Each woman wore a thick silver necklace with a large orange pendant. The Lavanny dancers looked beautiful.
Ravi Gancha greeted us a few minutes after the invitation dance. He had a big smile on his face and motioned us to a table just past the dance floor. The table was decorated in orange and silver and filled with food. There were several people sitting at the table waiting for us to be seated.
“I’m delighted you have decided to take up my invitation for this evening,” Ravi said, as we took our seats. “I could tell you both enjoyed the invitation dance from our Lavanny dancers. We always welcome friends with that dance.”
“The dance was similar to a dance step we use in Guanamamma dancing,” Latisha said. “I liked the way the Lavanny dancers glided across the floor with that side step.”
Ravi placed his hand in front of his face and tilted his head forward. “Thank you, Mrs. Latisha, for your observation. Our style of dancing is quite similar to Guanamamma dancing. That’s why I wanted to invite you to my home. However, we will get to that discussion later. The Viddhana people do not like to discuss business before dinner.”
I met his family while a couple of servers began placing food on our plates and filling our glasses with drink. Ravi sat in between his sister, Anil, to the left of him, and his mother, Saloni, to the right of him. To the left of Anil were her husband, Tarique and their two daughters, Kamanda and Bismilla.
“Thank you for coming, Mr. Ciscoe and Mrs. Latisha,” Bismilla said, after she gave us a big smile. “I told my uncle that Parvah and I appreciated how much you both stood up for us at your teaching session. We did not think that other people in the city would have made that kind of gesture for our people.”
“Our teaching sessions are for anyone who wants to learn Guanamamma dancing,” Latisha added. “My husband and I will not tolerate anyone being treated like they don’t belong in our class.”
I nodded in agreement as the entire family at the dinner table gave us warm smiles of approval.
“Please bow your heads,” Saloni said softly. Ravi’s mother had an angular facial structure with high cheekbones. Her complexion was a shade darker than her children and it made me wonder what their father looked like. Saloni led a prayer, blessing the food, family, and guests that would partake at dinner. The prayer was short but meaningful.
“How long have you both been dancing?” Ravi asked, after several minutes into the dinner. I had just bitten into a piece of Apma, a triangular-shaped sweet flat bread with a honey spread on top. It was so soft that it melted in my mouth. I remembered having Apma at the Viddhana Festival and could not stop eating it.
“We’ve been married for sixteen years and started dancing together a year prior,” Latisha answered. “I knew Ciscoe would only marry someone that could dance with him. I wanted to make sure that would be me.”
Everyone laughed at the table. I patted Latisha’s thigh and she smiled at me. I don’t remember ever demanding that she had to dance. But she assumed correctly that I would want a wife who could dance Guanamamma.
“Hopefully Ravi can find someone that he can come together with, like you two,” Saloni interjected. Ravi rolled his eyes. “We are looking forward to seeing you dance in a few nights here. The Viddhana people love Guanamamma dancing and it has a similarity to Lavanny dancing.”
Ravi sighed and added, “Please excuse my mother. She is always trying to find me a wife. But she is correct in the fact that there are similarities between the dances. And we feel if we can have expert Guanamamma dancers showcased in our neighborhood on a regular basis, then it will give us a connection to the rest of the city.”
“As you know, Guanamamma dancing is being pushed out for Piccanta dancing. Latisha and I have lost our jobs in the Roxie and Penelope District and the people of the city seem to not appreciate Guanamamma music and dancing anymore.”
Ravi frowned. “Yes, Mr. Ciscoe. Delia told me what has happened with your situation. That’s why I reached out to you both. I believe our connection can help each of us. We would like more people from the other districts to come to the neighborhood to enjoy our food, listen to our music, and be a part of the Viddhana Festival. The Viddhana neighborhood wants to be a part of this city.”
I nodded. “This neighborhood is a part of our city. I’m sad that we are not allowed to attend the Viddhana Festival anymore. I hope that awful law gets changed.”
“I appreciate your sentiment, Mr. Ciscoe,” Anil answered. I noticed she had the same tan complexion and facial features as her brother. But her dark brown eyes were the most prominent facial feature and they could draw you in easily. “My brother has been working with Mrs. Delia Villanueva for quite some time to get that law removed. But their efforts have not made the Civita or the Regnator budge. We want to show that the Viddhana people are no different than any other people in this city. And if we can connect through dance, maybe that will open the eyes of the rest of the city that we all are one people.”
“Plus I like Mrs. Delia for my son!” Saloni added.
Everyone laughed again at the table. I saw Ravi blush and got a sense that he did have feelings for Delia. Was Delia going to talk to me about that as well?
“We have another performance for you to watch,” Ravi said.
I nodded while eating Maharra, a spicy rice based dish with grilled chicken and yellow peas. I dipped the Apma into the bowl of Maharra and it was delicious. I had to add this Viddhana food to our regular dinners.
After dinner, we returned to the dance floor and sat on a royal blue sofa. The dance floor lighting dimmed and a spotlight appeared in the center of the room. There stood a man dressed in a light orange jumpsuit with silver and orange jewelry on his neck and wrists. The man held a drum that was strapped over his left shoulder.
“Viddhana!” the man bellowed.
Four new Lavanny female dancers each dressed in a silver sari appeared behind the drummer. They stood in a square formation with plenty of space between them. I noticed the sari had orange jewelry around the waist and at the bottom. Their silver headdresses had an orange stone in the center. These women looked elegant.
The drummer began the performance with a slow drum roll. The dancers raised their arms above their heads and dropped them suddenly to the beat. They moved three steps to the right and then three steps to the left in perfect coordination. Next, the dancers moved counterclockwise as the drumming got faster. Meanwhile, their arms waved like a bird’s wings.
Boom!
Latisha looked at me as a loud sound like a bomb went off. I searched around to see where it was coming from. Ravi’s family was transfixed on the drummer and dancers. They knew the bomb was a part of the performance.
I turned back in my seat and saw four male dancers had appeared next to the female dancers. The male dancers wore silver jumpsuits with orange necklaces. They created pairs and danced together while the drummer returned to a slower drum roll. The spotlight appeared again to the right of everyone. There was a tall woman dressed like the female dancers that came into view. She held an altophone horn and began to play softly.
The paired dancers faced each other and moved in a back-and-forth step similar to how Latisha and I danced. However, the dancers did not touch or hold each other. The male dancers led the movement and the female dancers followed. Latisha gaped at me as they moved from a back-and-forth step into a sidestep position. This performance had incorporated more elements of Guanamamma dancing. I could not believe what I was seeing.
“Viddhana!” the drummer bellowed again.
The horn player continued as the drummer stopped playing. The paired dancers formed a line and waved their arms in sync to the horn sound. They exited the dance floor to the right in a single file. The spotlight gleamed on each dancer as they bowed to us.
We are all connected. If there’s anything I have learned from traveling in both regions of this land, Ciscoe, we are all connected. And the sooner we can realize it, the better off we will be as people.
Diondray’s words from his last letter came to mind. We were all connected.
“That was fantastic, Ravi!” Latisha said as we returned to the dinner table for drinks and dessert.
Ravi smiled. “I noticed your reaction throughout this second part of the dance. It is called the acceptance of the invitation.”
“That was Guanamamma dancing,” I interjected. “I would have never thought the Viddhana people would include elements of Guanamamma dancing into their performance.”
“We always used those elements in our dancing. We as Viddhana people have always loved Guanamamma music and dancing, even though we came to this land nearly one hundred years ago. In all of the establishments here in the neighborhood, we play that type of music along with our Viddhana music,” Anil added.
“Our family would like you to perform at our establishment, Gancha’s, once every seven days. If you have a band, we can accommodate them too. I believe your dancing is still needed in this city. And our neighborhood will support you,” Ravi said.
I smiled and shook hands with Ravi. Saloni said another prayer after our handshake and it felt like a blessing.
Chapter 6
Before we danced at Gancha’s, Delia got us work at a house party in West Walter’s Grove. Bertha Bottomfelder of Bottomfelder Liquors requested that Latisha and I dance at her home for one of her regular weekly parties. I was dreading this opportunity. It made me remember those house parties my father danced at during my childhood and I never felt that I belonged amongst those people. There was a lot of javann drinking, partner swapping, and talking down about the other districts of the city. I used to overhear some of the wealthiest people of the city tell my father that he should move from East Walter’s Grove District and not associate with the common folk. He was an exceptional dancer and greatness belonged with the best people of the city.
“We have to keep dancing, my love,” Latisha said, as I entered the gate to Bertha’s home. “Remember we danced at these house parties before we got to dance at the nightclubs in the Roxie and Penelope District.”
“I know, my love. But these people don’t care about anyone in the rest of the city and they look down on us,” I replied, as I parked the automobile.
“I know the stories you’ve told me about when your father danced at these parties. He made a lot of money and that money got the house he left us. Many of these people really appreciated your father’s dancing and it has created an opportunity for us to do the same.”
I sighed and reached for my wife’s hand. “You have always been more the practical one, my love. Let’s give them our best.” I kissed her hand and we got out of the automobile.
Bertha Bottomfelder’s home was in a classic Bremen style with the top part decorated in a diamond shaped pattern surrounding two windows. She had diamond-shaped ornaments hanging from the outside window ledges and I had to admit that it looked stylish. It seemed that Bertha loved her diamonds.
“Ciscoe and Latisha Maldonado!” Bertha said, as we entered the home. She had a big smile on her face and hugged both of us. “Thank you for coming to my home. Delia told me what happened with those second rate nightclubs in the Roxie and Penelope District. That’s too bad. You don’t need to be with those people anyway. They don’t know how to appreciate the music and dancing that created the city. We sure do here in the district and your father, Gustavoe, understood that.”
I glanced at Latisha and saw her lips form It’s okay. I nodded as we followed Bertha further into the home. Bertha Bottomfelder was a full-figured woman and dressed in a black maxi dress that seemed to be a couple sizes smaller than her normal size. She had diamond-shaped silver necklaces and bracelets dangling from her neck and wrists. Bertha moved through the house gracefully and every partygoer raised their glass of Bertha’s javann liquor as we passed them.
“You will be dancing here,” Bertha stated, as we reached the back of the house and stood on the patio. “I’m glad it’s a clear night for both of you. I have a talented singer that will be the music for your performance.”
“Delia did not tell us we would be dancing with a singer,” I added curtly.
“Don’t worry, Ciscoe. The singer I have chosen for tonight knows this music very well,” Bertha replied, and squeezed my right shoulder.
I was dreading this already. I never danced with a singer I had not practiced with beforehand. I had to learn how a singer phrased the lyrics of the song they sung. I had to learn their voice and made sure our steps were in sync. We were going blind into the performance. Not good.
“I will return shortly with the singer,” Bertha said, and squeezed my shoulder again. “If the people love your dancing tonight, I would like to have you both as the regular performance for my parties. I will pay you double what you were getting at those nightclubs.”
“Thank you for your offer. Ciscoe and I will consider it.”
I was glad that Latisha spoke at that moment. Everything in me wanted to reject Bertha’s offer, even though the money would be twice what we got from Antonio and Percy.
“Focus, my love,” Latisha said, after Bertha left the patio. “I need you thinking about the dance. We will dance to the song and make our money. We can do that, my love.”
“Ciscoe and Latisha, I’m so glad it is you who will be dancing to our music tonight.”
I was getting ready to reply to Latisha’s encouragement when Zakiyah spoke to us. She had a look of relief on her face. I was surprised to see her.
“Bertha did not tell us until we arrived that a couple would be dancing to our first song,” the singer continued, as the band began setting up on the patio. “We never had anyone dance to our music and to get Mr. and Mrs. Maldonado for our first time is better than I expected when we accepted this job.”
“We are glad that it is you,” I replied. “My wife and I saw your performance at Club Hancock and we were thinking how we could dance to that song.”
“Dancing to My Love is Loaded,” Zakiyah said. “Wow, that’s one of the saddest songs I have ever written. I did not think anyone would ever want to dance to it.”
“That song reminds us of Natalia Havana’s These Tears Are Not For You,” Latisha added.
“My favorite Natalia song,” Zakiyah interjected. “My Love is Loaded was influenced by that song. Natalia is our greatest Guanamamma singer, even more so than Walter Fuente. Her music touches you deep and I hope to do that with my music.”
Bertha returned with the partygoers and directed them to sit at the tables that were placed on the lawn across from the patio.
“You have already met Zakiyah,” Bertha said as she joined us. Zakiyah excused herself and went over to the band. “This is going to be a great party. Bertha Bottomfelder does it again!”
