Gala Day!
I joined the Edinburgh Samba School to play at the Gorgie/Dalry Gala Day. This is my local community, so I was happy to help out. It was another brilliant, sunny day. Perfect weather for outdoor practioners of the samba experience.
For many of the players, it was their first, ever gig. This show was seen as an opportunity to blood players who've been attending the beginners classes.
Last minute advice on patterns was dispensed and crumpled up pieces of paper were concentrated upon. I remember being very nervous before playing my first gig in Penicuik, and recalling how I played, I was justified in being nervous about it.
We were on about 30 minutes later than we should have been as the Line Dancing had overrun drastically. This would have been excusable if the display had been setting the audience alight, and that in all the frenzied excitement, time had been forgotten completely. Rather than adhere to the showbiz maxim of leaving the audience wanting more, I got the impression that no-one ever wanted to see Line Dancing again, ever, well certainly not within the next 50 years.
Then we were on! It was a good appreciative audience. Although there was a cluster of bampots. At a glance they appeared to be an extended family. It clearly wasn't a very broad gene pool, (more of a "gene puddle" as that wag Mestre Mark commented).
They were intent on disruption and drawing attention to themselves in any way possible. They went through a repertoire of jokey pretendy drumming, deliberately crap dancing, grabbing spare instruments (including hitting shakers with sticks (?)),and hitting Mark and his drum with an inflatable hammer at appropriate intervals. They were also badly sunburnt, and gave the impression that a fairly substantial amount of alcohol had recently been imbibed.
The enjoyment of playing was to some extent curtailed by worrying what they were going to do next. Everyone else in the audience was fine though! I'm not dissing Gorgie/Dalry in general! I really like it. I live there!
At night it was Lucia's 50th birthday party.
Lucia is the most recognisable face of Scottish Samba. Generally seen leading parades in all her Brazilian Carnival finery, pursued by a cluster of spotty, male press photographers snapping away madly.
I can't believe she's 50. She doesn't look anywhere near that age.
Great party. Fantastic food. A rivetting belly dancer. Some frenetic samba. And a load of beer.
I've always thought that Lucia has the loveliest smile in Christendom.
If she was to smile at me, then ask me to go and jump off the top of the Scott Monument, I would do it unquestioningly. On the way down, I might eventually ponder whether I'd made a poor decision, but by then it would be too late.
I anticipate she'll still be cavorting along Princes St at the 2055 Festival Cavalcade...
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