Tropical Hotel: Part 2, The Dinner Show

After the conference ended, the original plans were to go to the Tiwa
Resort across the Rio Negro, but due to the conference going over time,
we were invited instead out to the hotel pool where there was an elegant
patio with tables set up and, a little further to the side, a stage area
where they were preparing for the evening's entertainment. Our team
leader was looking a bit exhausted since he had been sitting on stage
for nearly three hours unable to understand most of what was being said
around him (he didn't make Ary translate all night, only his speech),
and apparently he'd brought some work with him, which he was reading and
revising discreetly on stage. So when drinks were served, he ordered a
beer and drank it quickly, somewhat relieved, but 40 minutes and two
drinks later, dinner still had not begun. He and his wife said they were
too tired and they decided to leave before dinner was served or the
night's entertainment began, but Jing and I stayed behind with Ary to
see the show.
Around 10pm they announced the buffet was open and we all took turns
going up and piling our plates high with lots of Brazilian treats, such
as pirarucu fish fillets, red beets, manioc root (which is similar to
white asparagus in appearance), in addition to a selection of other
meats and veggies. During dinner the show began, which turned out to be
a Boi Bumba performance, an Amazonian music and dance parade/festival
that has dancers dressed in Carnival-like costumes. The festival is put
on every June (I had just missed it my previous trip), but this was a
special "mini" performance for the guests. There was nothing "mini"
about the performance to our eyes, though; the grandeur of the costumes
and dancing was stunning. When an 8-foot jaguar model was rolled out
with people dancing around it, our jaws dropped, but Ary told us the
ones used in the festival in June were at least three times that size.
The show was absolutely amazing and we watched in awe as some 30-plus
performers--two teams, one red and one blue--danced with a seemingly
endless amount of energy, spinning, waving their arms, jumping up and
down, some swirling sparklers, others spinning torches, everyone kicking
their legs high up in the air and smiling emphatically. At one point
roman candles were shot into the sky, but one fireball caught the
outside wall of the hotel and a small flame ignited. It smoldered for a
while until someone jumped on the back of the 8-foot jaguar, was wheeled
nearby and extinguished the flames, all during which the music and the
dancers did not miss a beat. At midnight the show came to an end, the
two teams announcing a draw for the night (although the red team had won
this past June), and a massive fireworks display was launched--without
incident. The dancers hung around as the crowd rushed up to them to get
pictures together with the performers, as did Jing and I, before then
calling it a night, bidding Ary goodnight and grabbing a taxi back to
our hotel, giddy and talking about the evening.