Disco Disco

´´You Don’t Mess With the Zohan´´ is one of the most popular movies down here.

Most of the Israeli humor gets lost in translation. But I think I know why they like it so much.

Disco breaks.

For some reason, the Ecuadorians love dance breaks.

In everything they do, it’s all about dance breaks.

A couple of weeks ago, I went to the bar with some friends. We were there for an hour, and the music was at a reasonable level. Then the bartender gets on the PA and urges everyone to dance.

Fifteen minutes later, the music is reduced to its original level, the people return to their seats, and the conversation resumes.

Fifteen minutes later, the dance party is called to action for another fifteen-minute interval. And this patter repeated itself all night long until closing time.

But it’s not just in the bar experience.

Bingo night is also mixed up in the whole dance break paradigm.

Between ever game of bingo, there is a ten-minute dance break.

And if people aren’t actually dancing, they are talking about the next fiesta they are going to or asking you whether or not you dance.

At one point, my high-school students, out of nowhere, started demanding that I dance in front of the class. I politely decline.

I would almost say that life down here is one giant dance party, and they take breaks from dancing to do essential activities that allow them to continue dancing later on (eat, drink, work, bath, etc).