Feeds:
Posts
Comments

Posts Tagged ‘luchadores’

After fourteen years in Oaxaca, along with several of my neighbors, I finally attended my first Lucha Libre spectacle. And a true spectacle it was — a three hour extravaganza of colorful costumes, menacing masks, aerial acrobatics, ostentatious overacting, and an abundance of hilarity.

The ring — at Casa de los Deportes.
The Emergency Medical Technician.
The masks and more.
The Rasputín merch.
The fans and their cell phones.
The kids in the ring between matches.

The evening’s entertainment consisted of five matches of three rounds each. Each team of two won a round with the third round deciding the winner. I’m not sure why the winners won and I’m not entirely certain the whole thing, including round three, wasn’t scripted. And, did I mention, the referees play favorites and occasionally get in on the action?

The moves — número 1.
The moves — número 2.
The moves — número 3.
The woman — Cataleya.
The hometown hero, Rasputín — El Exótico.
The kiss — Rasputín and Místico — as the crowd chanted, “besos, besos.”

I haven’t laughed so much in ages — and we all agreed we would definitely return. A cultural experience of a different kind!

Read Full Post »

Early Saturday evening, the Plaza de la Danza played host to the Festival Día de Reyes, an event to delight and distribute a kilometer of donated toys to disadvantaged children.  The Kings had kids and their parents seeing double.

P1040333

Lines began forming two hours in advance to be up-front and close to the stage, all the better to be chosen to participate in the games and entertainment that was also part of the festivities.

P1040341To the delight of the crowd, three luchadores took the stage to recruit contestants for a mystery contest.

P1040363

The music came up and Oaxaca’s kids began going, “Gangnam Style” — albeit, some more enthusiastically than others — and all got prizes.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f_9x1wabx-4?rel=0

Psy may have sung and danced his last “Gangnam Style” on New Year’s Rockin’ Eve, however, it remains alive and well in Oaxaca!

According to this morning’s Noticias, 6,500 toys (donated by citizens, city government entities, foundations, and businesses) were given to each child present and all received a piece of rosca de Reyes.

P1040350

As they say, a good time was had by all!

Read Full Post »