Long Run in Sao Paulo

Hi everyone-finally a new posting!
We are about 4 weeks away from getting out of this concrete jungle. Cynthia and the kids are here and I am SO HAPPY to
be back all together as a family. They are getting into the routine here. Unfortunately-there's not so much for them to do here
as this is really a crime and poverty spot and we don't want to take too many chances. Nothing says we're not Brazilian more
than having three natural redheads in a family. The general gut feeling we have here is that things are just not quite as safe as
you'd want it to be to go around everywhere in town with small kids. Just the other day someone from Cirque witnessed a gunfight between two cars in traffic as they were coming back from downtown at noon. We aren't in a bad area but there's really not much to do besides go to the mall or go to site. Or stay at the hotel. It's just not a beautiful town like Buenos Aires-it's really a huge city with an incredible amount of economic disparity between incredibly rich (and lighter-skinned) "beautiful" people and INCREDIBLY poor (and usually darker-skinned) people living on a dollar a day who live in favelas made out of tin, cardboard
and scrap wood. There really is two Brazils and you can see the contrast everywhere. And there's some interesting decisions made by the authorities here that would surprise anyone. For example-on Father's Day here in Sao Paulo-they let criminal fathers out of prison because they have assessed that this is more SAFE than keeping them in. Apparently a lot of these criminals have connections to more criminals on the outside and hell can ensue. Everyone here is really ready to go on to Rio
after being here since late July. There's a social scene for some and some incredible music and culture but it's such a smoggy and crowded city with such bad smells and traffic that people are really ready for something else.
We are trying to work ourselves out of a pickle. When I got my family visas-they had to have proof that they were traveling-and they could not be traveling for more than a 3-month stay. It was told to me that when they got here they could extend their visa (and they are) and also change their ticket. Well-guess what. The airline we used to get down here was Continental.
I tried to change their tickets so that they could stay til the end of the tour and we could all go home together (Zach is a handful on a 20-hour flight). They told me that because I'm changing the ticket from a 3-month ticket to a 4-month ticket
I have to be put into a different ticket class and that the change would cost me $980 a ticket PLUS $150 for just changing the date. That comes to nearly $2300 (!?!) to stay an extra 8 DAYS! This sucks and the Cirque travel and lodging guy is trying
to pull a solution. Cynthia has been through hell more than once this year trying to keep our wild bear cub of a kid Zach from
tearing up the plane on a 18-hour jaunt South and North. Stay tuned.
Although the tone of this latest post is not too positive-we have had a great time just getting into the routine we have.
Breakfast in the hotel is fabulous and free-and there's a beautiful japanese garden right outside the hotel that the kids can play in and be with their friends from the circus. The pools are great here and the spa is wonderful-so is the gym. Just being in a routine all together for awhile is really nice. We have gone around a little bit and will some more. But we'd really love to
get to Rio as we are right on the beach and that will be great.

Two interesting glimpses into SALTIMBANCO

We've been selling out here every show and there's been a lot of press. It usually doesn't involve me-although there was TV cameras and a crew filming for some Brazilian show that got some footage of Bella offering the woman interviewer a doll while
Zach, Cynthia and I were in the background (and I was in makeup and costume). I'm posting some URLs from a site
called YouTube that involve this show. One is a TV interview of our show with our media woman Pasqual. Another is something that was taken back in Argentina showing an act that isn't in the show but was in a special cabaret performance of non-SALTIMANCO stuff in Buenos Aires. NOTE: after posting this I see that there doesn't appear to be URLs but instead blue boxes
of question marks. Press on THOSE and you will get to the YouTube videos.

Party for Geremie

There was a birthday party for our music director's son Geremie. I took a few shots of the scene.
In the second shot you can see Geremie underneath his mom Linda (who was an acrobat on this show) as
they look at cutting the cake. Zach is processing all the hubbub.The first is a shot including Bella,
her friends Alena and Cleo. And the last is more of Zach getting ornery.

At Caito's house

This is a shot of me sitting with Miguel while Caito is in the back fixing some Brazilian barbeque. I'm sorry not to have more
shots of Caito as he is really an amazing Brazilian musician, composer and percussionist. And a great host. We are doing a duo
gig Oct. 2nd at a small theatre here in Sao Paulo. I was really, really tired and sick this day so we took it easy. Caito, his wife Regina and son Miguel were incredibly gracious hosts; I had to sleep there a bit while my kids were all over the place while our hosts were so supportive and happy to have us. I really wish I had more time to work out more stuff with Caito. He's performed
with just about everyone in the Brazilian jazz and pop scene: Milton Nascimento, Toninho Horta, Egberto Gismonti, Hermeto Pasqual, Rita Lee, Turtle Island String Quartet, John Scofield. He's also a great writer-I'm playing something he wrote for me on his new album. It's so difficult when I'm playing 10 shows a week and getting really, really exhausted to do something along the lines of what I was doing creatively before I joined this show. But we will do our best when we can.

Zach in the bidet

Zach is fascinated by water and toilet-like appliances. The first thing he did in his new home (Room 310, Grand Hyatt, Sao Paulo) was to run to the bathroom and look for something to turn on. The easiest and most accessible was the bidet (god, I hope that's the right spelling). I hope you all know what a bidet is so I won't explain it. Anyway-Zach hauls ass into the bathroom, sees the bidet and all the faucets attached to it. He turns on all the knob handles and water shoots up into his face
and onto the ceiling. These shots are from a later period where he's reached a certain satisfaction with the thing. We also turned off the water supply as well.

Zach likes the bidet