Last night we caught a group of young friends smiling and laughing and practicing traditional dance in a public plaza on the way to the Zocalo. Captured by this public display, we wondered aloud, as we typically do when faced with something as strange and beautiful as this performance, “Why don’t we have this is Sacramento? Why aren’t people dancing in the streets?” As we continued walking, we could list the numerous reasons why we don’t have this. We could even recall specific headlines. But really why not?
This got me thinking about the two men frequently found embroidering various streetscapes: a view down Alcala, Santo Domingo, the way the light hits the gold building on the corner. It is great to stumble across en plein aire pieces, to be a bystander to innovation and creation.
On the Zocalo last night the air was simultaneously filled with: a marimba band, mariachis, a man singing romantic songs, a single saxophone player, and the low warble of the crowds enjoying these sounds.
Where is our Zocalo in Sacramento? Our pedestrian street? Our culture?
