[sandyblanquera@gmail.com]

Originally Posted by OrangeBlossomBaby

1. His name is Mark.
2. He is on the autism spectrum as high functioning.
3. He is caretaker for his mom.
4. He doesn't have a cart. He walks from one of the villa areas nearby.
5. His yelling lasts around 20 minutes in total, out of the 4-hour performance.
6. Usually it's a beat count "One Two Three Four!" and then he dances around for awhile before his next one. Sometimes he gets so into the music he shouts again inbetween his counts.
7. He gives amazing hugs and smells of patchouli.
8. He carries a backpack with him, filled mostly with water in a jug from which he hydrates often. This is good, because he sweats a LOT while dancing around the square like that.
9. Whenever I see him out and about during the day, I always stop to say hello and get one of his hugs. He - always thanks me for taking a moment to stop and communicate with him, and has mentioned that many people are afraid of him. This makes him very sad, because he is who he is. Just like people with tourettes' syndrome have ticks and twitches and sometimes blurt out inappropriate words, he has that reaction when he's really into music. He gets lost in the sounds, and it makes him feel alive and energized, and shouting is how he expresses it.
10. He also sometimes goes on "twirling" binges, where he'll actually twirl even while he's walking to the square from his mom's house. This is a self-soothing activity for some people with autism. What's amazing is he never gets dizzy doing it and can maintain a twirl for many minutes without stopping.
11. If you don't like noise, don't go to the square and be sure to pad your home with plenty of soundproofing.

You are my new favorite person! Thanks for standing up for the voiceless and defenseless! Xoxo