Mini-Nicaragua in a .... dance performance

I was super excited to find out that the one night I would be in Managua (Saturday), there was a performance of their Ballet Folklorico Nicaragüense at the National Theatre. I was also very pleasantly surprised to see that the theatre was packed, people wore formal clothing, and the seats were super comfortable with enough leg room (extremely important for me with my height and something I didn't expect given that I tower over almost everyone here, including men). The performance included approximately 20 different dance sequences from the different regions in Nicaragua, all in bright, colorful costumes. At the end of the performance I also thought how well it exemplified Nicaragua and Nica traits:

- Patriotism: We all had to stand up and listen to the national anthem before the performance began (this is probably also at least partially due to the fact that the Sandinistas are currently in power, and I couldn't help but think back to Communist times in Bulgaria). A number of songs and a poetry recital glorified Nicaragua, and everyone in the audience clapped and cheered.

- Religious Faith: A performance that exemplifies Nicaraguan culture would not be complete without some religious references. The last "number" in the sequence was in honor of the Virgin and included the lowering of her image onto the stage from above. People in the audience sang along.

- Having a good time: I guess this is part of any culture's folklore, but I was still very impressed with how full of life, color, and energy the dances were. And although I am sure many in the audience had seen these types of dances multiple times, they still "ooo-ed" and "aah-ed" each time the dancers appeared in new costumes. It made me realize how proud they are of their cultural heritage and how different that seems to be from the way a lot of Bulgarians feel about theirs.

The highlight for me was a dance in which the women swirled and glided across the stage with big flat weave baskets on their heads (without holding onto or supporting said baskets). I thought, "Surely, those aren't real. They are probably made to look like baskets but are somehow fastened to their heads so they don't fall off." Well, as if in answer to my skepticism, at the end of the dance they proceeded to take the baskets off their heads and hold them in such a way as to show us the inside. They were real.