Breakdancing
The last time I was here nearly 10 years ago the majority of street kids made their living selling candies and playing woodwind instruments aboard buses. I found out a few days ago they have a new racket now–breakdancing in intersections for tips. 3 or 4 kids hang out on the little grass islands between lanes and take turns doing a brief dance number that usually involves 2-3 handstands and a little shuffle. After they’re done they walk up and down the lines of taxis, cars and buses and stick their taped-up palms into the windows and doors, usually coming back with nothing for their efforts. The best performances are the ill-timed ones cut short by an impatient traffic light, where the kid hastily flops out of the handstand and cuts a bee-line for the grass island just before the taxis tear out into the intersection.
