I was brought on board Metropolitan Touring, as many people in the company know, to take care of the Jacchigua Folkloric Ballet. It was a very new product at the time, it took place in the Teatro Sucre, and was staged by dance and art director Rafael Camino. I was in charge of selling the show to agencies and such. One late afternoon, it was right about closing time, two Japanese men knocked on my window. I could have told them that I was closing shop, but because of Mr. Eduardo Proaño’s philosophy that one should always be available for a guest’s demands, I let them in. They didn’t speak any Spanish, but I gathered they wanted to find something to do that evening. We had a hard time understanding each other, no doubt, but I finally sold them the idea of the Ballet. And they bought tickets… For 20 people! It was great news, the show was almost sold out because of it, and I returned home feeling that I had done a good job. Until a sudden worry came up… will the Japanese be ok alone? I suddenly felt responsible for them, and that maybe I should go to the show just in case the Japanese don’t get lost, or have no difficulties. The funny thing is that I actually would sell the show, but had never seen it live. So I headed out to Teatro Sucre a little early. Behind the scenes it was magical. The makeup artists, the actors costumes, the preparation, the aura that filled the theatre. I felt like a real spectator… for the show had already begun. Things were going smoothly, until the lights suddenly went out. Some electrical cabling, perhaps a fuse, blew out and only one person could solve the problem. The theatre electrician. Time passed and there was a problem. People were about to start arriving and the show had to go on. So, to make time, the group found some candles, some rough paper and sand, and with it we decided to wrap the sand with the paper and stick a candle in between. We lit the candles and let the attendants in, giving each one a personal candle to light their way to their seat. It seemed to work seamlessly well. My Japanese group also arrived and they were very, very happy to see me. I ushered them to their seats. Then came Mr. Eduardo Proaño himself. And we also gave him a candle. By 19:30 on the dot, my boss, Mr. Proaño noticed something was missing. People were impatiently waiting in their seats, but Mr. Proaño stood up. Which meant I had to meet him in the lobby. “What’s going on, Silvia?” he told me,. I had to tell the truth, and just as he was about to give me the “why didn’t you tell me” speech, the electrician walked out, telling us the light had returned… Everything was still off, however, and people were still holding their candles… we silently walked back inside, and suddenly, the main spotlights lit Rafael Camino’s face and the show went on. The experience helped me become closer to the cast and crew of the programme, and since that day forward, I would almost never miss a Jacchigua show.