PERFECT CITY SQUARE

MANAUS: SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 18
I sat in the theatre square this evening and watched dancers perform a program of folkloric ballet on an outdoor stage. The dancers had more charm than expertise. The Amazonian music, vocal and instrumental, was a delight. How can a people who produce such beautiful music delight in such loathsome pop?
As to the dancing - I am reminded of how difficult is the art of choreography. The human body is limited in its movements. Only the greatest choreographers avoid a repetition of motion or gesture that becomes mundane. The greatest performance of all? For me, the Cuban Ballet's version of Swan Lake. Sensual sadness is a winner and only the Cubans make me weep - this from an addict who has seen Swan Lake performed in Kiev and Saint Petersberg and Moscow and London.
As to the square in Manaus, ballet is only one attraction on Sunday evening. Toddlers speed on electric trikes, actors perform between the twin stairs, a double carriage bus modeled as a Toy Town train beeps on a circuit, the beer is cold and the café on the corner serves smoked fish tarts.
Take ten degrees off the temperature and Manaus would be a good place to live.