VoxSusana Blog

One of the most interesting things I've done so far in Brazil is hang out with the Barbatuques . This is a famous Brazilian body percussion group. Our Artistic director, Matthew Jessner, set up an exchange with the group which included some "getting to know each other time." On Monday night, we had a pizza party with them at their director Fernando Barbaros' house in an area of Sao Paulo called Vila Madalena. I tried to talk to the people there and worked on my Portuguese a bit while they practiced their English. We had pizza made in a dome shaped brick oven in the back yard. Later we hung out in the house and participated in a jam session. Everyone clapped and sang or grabbed an instrument and played along. The next day we all gathered to learn body percussion. It was really amazing. Here's a video of the group.

Every few weeks, the cast and crew of Saltimbanco gets to enjoy double dark days when they can go and explore the place they are touring in or just relax by the pool. We decided to get out of Sao Paulo for some clean air and fun in the sand. Monday morning, we rented two cars and eight of us went on this journey. We weren't exactly sure which beach we would be staying at but we had Betty with us (one half of the Boleadoras act). She speaks 5 languages including Portuguese so we were in good hands and were not too concerned about getting lost. After having lunch at one of the only restaurants we could find in this remote area, we came upon an area called Camburi. It's a tiny beach town north of Sao Paulo on the coast. We stayed in a pousada which is basically a bed and breakfast. It was like finding a needle in a haystack. When you get off the main highway, you basically turn down one of many dirt roads and it can be really confusing to find a place to stay or eat. But we were

We had a great time Sunday night celebrating some Cirque cast and crew birthdays. Here are some pictures to prove it!

In case you don't recall, Mother's Day (in May) was very exciting here in Sao Paulo. There were bombings and shootings; just the usual family fun. So the authorities decided it would be a good idea if they let the petty criminals out of jail for Father's Day (today) and warned us to be careful out there. Oh, and by the way, they are supposed to turn themselves back in. We were instructed by the consulate to stay around the hotel or at the site for Sunday and Monday and not to take any buses or go to ATM's in case there is violence. For me, I stayed at the hotel for the most part. Sunday seems to have been a relatively quiet day. Of course, there's always tomorrow and it's our day off so we'll have to figure out something. Some people were really worried but we have some new Brazilian-Armenian friends who said we shouldn't worry too much. People don't like the police apparently; especially the criminals. These friends testified to having

So I finally arrived in Sao Paulo yesterday morning and have started my adventure with Cirque du Soleil and the Saltimbanco cast and crew! The flight was long and tiring but I breathed a sigh of relief when I saw the first signs of civilization. What started as beautiful rolling hills and a landscape of houses in suburbia quickly became a concrete jungle from the aerial view. It's not exactly a paradise but being back with my husband makes it worth it. I do have to say it was one the smoothest landings I've ever experienced. Thanks John Kennedy! (pilot for AA flight 995) Shortly after I landed I realized that my bags didn't make it with me. Actually, I had a strange feeling about that the night before my flight. My husband said that the flights were overbooked by 20% and some Cirque families were having difficulties getting bumped from flights. I read some tips for travelers which said if you check-in very early you will be assured a seat on the plane but the down