I only slept for a few hours after what happened with Antonio at the Mango Nightclub that night. Latisha attempted to keep my spirits high with her usual brand of encouragement. But I did not take to her encouraging words and she went to sleep not long after we got home. I called Antonio after waking up and tried to find out who had forced him to have Harrell and Brittany perform at the Mango. Antonio answered the phone and said he could not tell me who had forced him to make that decision. The Mango meant everything to him and he could not lose it. But I wondered, who would force him to do that? The other Level One Nightclub owners? Raphael Reynolds? It did not make any sense and we were out of a job.
I cooked breakfast and got ready to practice our routine for the Festival of Josette. We were also teaching Guanamamma dancing at the Fuente Center later in the day. Fuente Center was the biggest park in our district, East Walter’s Grove. Latisha and I started teaching there when Diondray was in the city four years before. It was the first time we had an open practice for the people of our district to show why Guanamamma dancing still mattered. We had been teaching at Fuente Center once a week since our first session and I was glad to see people wanting to learn how to dance to the city’s native music.
It was the twenty-fifth day in the six month of Une and we were thirty days away from the city’s biggest festival. Latisha and I were going to perform at the Festival of Josette for the third year in a row. We were able to perform on the last day of the festival for the Guanamamma Extravaganza at the Josette Arena in the Roxie and Penelope District. Our performance showcased the history of Guanamamma music and dancing for the city. My father started that performance ten years before when he was still alive. He noticed back then that people of the city started losing the connection to the history of Guanamamma music and dancing. He did not want the people of the city to lose that connection to our history. I had promised him in his last days with us that I would always keep that connection to our music alive for everyone. Performing in the Guanamamma Extravaganza had become the highlight for me each year.
I was stretching before practice and the phone rang.
“Antonio called me last night after talking to you and kept apologizing for what he had to do,” Delia Villanueva said firmly.
Delia was the city’s richest woman because of the ownership and sale of Manrique Liquors. She helped build the city’s largest liquor company, alongside her late husband, Manrique Villanueva. She sold the company to Azur Liquors a year after his death and had then become the city’s biggest socialite. I had known her since childhood. Delia was a close friend of my father and used her influence to get him to perform at The Festival of Josette. I had become the beneficiary of that same influence as well.
“Why would he break the agreement?” I asked. “I remember when he shook my hand after talking to Gustavoe about Latisha and I dancing at the Mango.”
“Gustavoe told me about it the next day. He was not well and knew he did not have many more days left with us. I heard how proud he was of you over the phone. I reminded Antonio of that conversation and what it means to perform at the Mango. You don’t go back on your word like that.”
“Who would make him go back on his word?”
“Darcie is behind this.” Delia said sharply.
“How could she make Antonio decide to allow another dannza couple to perform on the same night as us? And why would our performance cause us to get fired? She doesn’t have that kind of power in the Roxie and Penelope District.”
“You should know how persuasive she can be. I heard that she is dating Raphael Reynolds.”
“She is,” I interjected. “I did not think she would date one man exclusively. But they both hate Guanamamma music and dancing, so it should not surprise me they’re together.”
“Correct, Ciscoe. Also, you know she blames you for allowing Diondray Azur to leave Walter’s Grove. She was in love with him.”
I shook my head. “How could she be in love with someone almost half her age? We’re almost the same age and Diondray is a man in his twenties. She knew he was not going to stay in Walter’s Grove because of that prophecy from the Book of Kammbi.”
“You should know that age doesn’t matter when it comes to love in this city,” Delia retorted. “I’m sixty-three and the women in my social group are all dating several men at a time who are half their age. That’s nothing new and Darcie loves fast and hard. She did with you all those years ago. I’m glad that relationship ended. I never felt she was right for you. And you know how much she hates the Book of Kammbi and what those beliefs represent. She is determined to get revenge on you for allowing him to leave Walter’s Grove.”
“She does love fast and hard. Hates the same way too. I hope she will not try to get us removed from performing at the Festival of Josette.”
“Darcie may have a relationship with Raphael Reynolds and try to influence him to remove you and Latisha from dancing at The Festival of Josette. But I will not let that happen.“
“Thank you, Delia. Your support has meant a lot to me over the years.”
“Always, Ciscoe. I made a promise to your father and I will never break it. Supporting you for all of these years has been the best decision of my life.”
I held the phone in my right hand after Delia hung up. Supporting me had been the best decision of her life. What did she mean by that? And what did I need to find out? I put aside her comments and got ready for practice.
Latisha and I did not have a good practice. My mind was distracted by what happened the night before with Antonio and the last part of my conversation with Delia on the phone earlier. We ended the practice quicker than usual before we got angrier at each other.
I was trying to understand why supporting me was the best decision of her life. If that was the case, then why not tell me? Was there some secret I needed to know about our relationship?
“Whatever it is she wants you to know, it will come out at the right time,” Latisha said as we dressed for the teaching session at the Fuente Center.
“It seems odd that she would make a comment like that after we got fired from the Mango. Why now?”
“Things from the past always come unexpectedly,” my wife replied. “I do agree with you about the timing. Maybe she is finally ready for you to know.”
Latisha and I arrived at Fuente Center a few minutes later. Donya Elena had a dance floor built on the east side of the main building. It rained hard for our first teaching session four years ago. But we got a covering built over the dance floor a year later and then we could practice anytime, despite the weather.
“Dancing Guanamamma is all about communication and connection to you and your partner,” I stated, as we began the teaching session. There were nine couples in attendance. Latisha walked by each couple to make sure they had the correct posture. “That’s why I always begin each teaching session without music first. Learning the dance without music creates that initial connection to yourself and your partner.”
“Mr. Maldonado, I learned in my Piccanta dancing lesson a couple of days ago that you should always dance to the music. The music will create that connection with your partner. Your body needs to be attuned to the music at all times,” Frank Parris said.
Frank Parris and his partner, Valencia, were on the first row to the right of me. He was a tall, pencil-thin man with long-flowing brown hair and an artist’s sensibility about him. Valencia was nearly as tall, but all curves to offset his angles. They looked like an odd couple for Guanamamma dancing, but I have learned over the years that dancing can bring the unlikeliest people together.
“Piccanta dancing gets it wrong,” I countered, as I felt my wife’s eyes from the other side of the dance floor. “They want dancers to get lost in the music. Guanamamma dancing is not about getting lost in the music. The music is there to support the dance between you and your partner. Because if you lose yourself in the music, then you will lose that connection to your dance partner.”
I glanced at Latisha after my reply and saw a small smile on her face. I had just warded off a discussion in the car after the teaching session.
Just as we were getting started to dance without music, I saw another couple coming onto the dance floor.
“My deepest apologies for being late, Mr. Maldonado,” a short, plump man said, with his partner standing next to him. The partner was the same height and body type as the man who just spoke. “This is our first time in this district and we got lost a bit before we found the Fuente Center.”
“I told him how to get here from the directions Ms. Herrera gave us. But of course, he did not want to listen,” the partner added.
Laughter erupted from the other couples as that scenario was quite common between partners in following directions to find a place.
“I did not know we were going to have another couple with us for the teaching session,” I replied. “Being on time is important in Guanamamma dancing. Because tardiness is contagious.”
“We are sorry, Mr. Maldonado. I will make sure Parvah and I are on time going forward,” the woman said.
“Make sure you are…”
“Bismilla Gancha is my name and he is Parvah Bandha. We are from the Viddhana people that live in the South Walter’s Grove District. We found out from Ms. Herrera that you and your wife taught Guanamamma dancing. Parvah and I want to learn this type of dancing because it is close to our own traditional Viddhana dancing.”
“We will talk after the teaching session,” I interrupted. “Get in position and follow along.”
“They don’t belong here,” Frank Parris interjected. “Those people live amongst themselves and never participate in anything with the other districts of the city. They don’t allow anyone else from the city to come to their portion of the district they live in.”
I glanced at the other couples and sensed they agreed with his comment. “First of all, Latisha and I will decide who can learn from our teaching sessions. Guanamamma dancing is for everyone in the city. We will not tolerate any student making other students unwelcome in our class. If anyone has a problem with that, you can leave. We will not teach anyone who has those kinds of feelings within their hearts.”
I looked across the dance floor to see if anyone would leave. The other couples stood in their places. However, Frank Parris grabbed Valencia’s arm to leave. She was not moving.
“You can go, Frank,” Latisha added. “I will make sure Valencia has a ride home.”
Frank Parris walked off angrily. Latisha took his place as Valencia’s partner. I saw Bismilla and Parvah smile at me.
“It’s time to dance,” I said. “Pay attention, everyone!”
I instructed the couples through the entire three points of Guanamamma dancing without music. I wanted to make sure the men had their guide hands in the correct place and the women felt comfortable being led by their partners. We went through the entire dance several times before I played the music. The dance was not just about the music, as my father would say all the time. The dance became the connection between you and your partner.
“Thank you for making us feel welcome,” Bismilla said, after the teaching session ended. It lasted a little over an hour. I could tell the rest of the couples were exhausted after my teaching. “Guanamamma dancing is so much like our traditional dance. Parvah and I were in tune to those steps quickly.”
Parvah nodded as she spoke. “Yes, Mr. Maldonado. Guanamamma dancing felt liked we have danced like this all of our lives.”
“Both of you look no older than twenty-five. How long have you been dancing your traditional dance?”
“You are correct, Mr. Maldonado,” Parvah answered. “I’m twenty-three and Bismilla is twenty-four. We have been dancing traditional Viddhana since we were five years old. Our people believe that is the age when we can start learning how to dance.”
“What made you both decide to come to this teaching session? It has been known the Viddhana people stay amongst themselves in the city.”
Bismilla frowned. “This is correct, Mr. Maldonado. But people of our age want to be a part of the city. The Viddhana people have been here for several generations now and it’s time to connect with the rest of the city. We cannot just stay amongst ourselves in order to keep our heritage alive.”
Parvah nodded again. “Many of our people believe if we leave our neighborhood, we will lose our heritage and become assimilated into the city. Our parents and grandparents don’t want what happened to the Nerdann tribe to happen to the Viddhana people. How can we lose our heritage when it is so much a part of who we are? Our people have something to add to this city and we are ready to be part of it.”
Bismilla and Parvah made interesting points. The young Viddhana people did not want to do things the same way as those who came before them. But I did understand their parents’ and grandparents’ concern. Maintaining tradition and heritage was the responsibility of the elders of that culture. It was easy to lose it when the youth want to be part of what’s happening in the present. The Nerdann tribe was a good example of how a people can lose their culture to assimilation. This city would not have been created without Walter Fuente’s connection to that tribe.
If there were other young Viddhana people like Bismilla and Parvah that wanted to venture out to the rest of the city, then holding onto their traditions and heritage would become more challenging for sure.
***
“Look at this next-to-last sentence on this statue. This will be a city built from a spirit of music, dance, and love. I agree with Mr. Fuente’s sentiment, but when you steal music from the native people of this city is that really love?” Raphael Reynolds said, in front of a crowd at the Wall of Walter’s Declaration.
“Walter Fuente is a thief!” someone from the crowd yelled.
Raphael was a short, dark-skinned man with long braided hair and a commanding presence. The other people in the crowd agreed with that false statement and started to repeat it. I could not believe what I was hearing. How could they believe that the founder of our city was someone who stole music? Did they not understand how he included the Nerdann tribe’s music into his musical style? Did they not understand how he honored their music and dance by paying homage to it in songs like My Inspiration and This Music Gave Me Life?
“Raphael Reynolds is spreading propaganda once again to everyone here,” I blurted out, as I walked up to the front of the crowd at the Wall of Walter’s Declaration. The crowd stopped shouting that false statement and turned towards me.
“I see that one of Walter Fuente’s true diehards has joined us. Well, Ciscoe, can you explain how the truth I share with the people is propaganda from your perspective?” Raphael countered, as he held the timbau drum.
Wall of Walter’s Declaration was a large slab of stone that stood several feet high and had a life-sized painting of Walter Fuente smiling with his arms around two women, Roxie Pierponte and Penelope Mentz. It was Walter and his two wives. They represented his new life here in this part of the region, South of the Great Forest. The landmark stood at the intersection of Ave Roxie and Ave Penelope in the Roxie and Penelope District. It was one of the main attractions of the district outside of the nightclubs and always had a crowd around it. I had dropped off Latisha to work at her brother Saahib’s restaurant for the day and saw the crowd gathered around the landmark. I had to stop and find out why the crowd was there.
"Walter Fuente was inspired by Nerdann tribe’s music. He wanted a new sound for the Kammarice music that came from Terrance. The tribe members accepted him when he arrived into this region and allowed the timbau drum as well as the pandretta to create Guanamamma music. Do you know that, Raphael?”
The crowd grumbled after my response.
Raphael laughed and responded. “Do you hear that ladies and gentlemen? I never thought the great dancer, Ciscoe Maldonado, who was born and raised in the East Walter’s Grove District would buy into the lie that Walter Fuente’s inspiration of Nerdann tribe’s sound gave him license to create this stolen music called Guanamamma. Sounds like you went to school in the West Walter’s Grove District and learn that falsehood very well. I have two members of the tribe to refute your claim.”
There were two Nerdann tribe members with Raphael. They stood on each side of the musician with their timbau drums between their legs. Raphael always had tribe members play music with him. He wanted to show the people of the city that Piccanta music had not discarded the tribe members like Walter Fuente supposedly did during his time. Both tribe members had disapproving looks on their faces and one to the left of Raphael said, “Walter Fuente did not create a new music when he arrived here. He took our music and made it his own. The Nerdann tribe must set the record straight. “
The crowd returned to yelling that Walter Fuente was a thief.
I shook my head. “It’s sad that Raphael is misleading everyone including members of the Nerdann tribe. Guanamamma music and dancing gave this city its own music and it has lasted a long time. Inauthentic music like Piccanta can never replace it!”
Raphael frowned and waved his hands to quiet the crowd. “Inauthentic music like Piccanta? I will show you what’s inauthentic music to this city.” He placed the timbau drum between his legs and began slapping it rapidly. The tribe members followed him. It created a fast, scattershot sound and I saw some in the crowd begin moving to it.
People of this city have always moved to the sound of the timbau
The Timbau tells the real story of our city
Not a second-rate music by someone that came from the east
The Timbau gets everybody to move
The Timbau gets everybody to groove
Because the tribe created that sound
And gave birth to the real music of this city
And it didn’t need a guitar, piano, or altophone horn
Not like that music from the east
That made people dance
Like a rod was stuck in their backs
Now everybody say Piccanta!
The crowd said Piccanta after Raphael had sung that verse. The tribe members played timbau drum hard and fast. People were dancing Piccanta style and Raphael had everyone in the palm of his hand. There was no way I was going to convince anyone of correct history or how Walter Fuente created Guanamamma music amongst these people.
Now everybody say Piccanta!
Piccanta!
Piccanta!
Raphael Reynolds was a terrific timbau drum player and the backing of the tribe members enhanced their sound. Most of the crowd was dancing and getting lost in the music. I did not see any precision or coordinated steps. Just bodies joined together and dancing like dogs in heat. I had seen enough. If the people who came to this district to enjoy a night on the town could be swayed this easily, then Guanamamma music and dancing had an uphill climb in order to recapture the minds and behinds of this city.