‘México en el Corazón’ makes a connection with its dance, music
The San Joaquín Valley, by no means, is a Mexican cultural desert.
After all, residents have Arte Américas Casa de la Cultura putting the spotlight on artists and organizing traditions like Día de los Muertos.
The Danzantes Unidos Festival, the country’s largest gathering of Mexican folkloric dancers, has made Fresno its home for 17 years, including the festival’s last 10.
For more than two decades, Radio Bilingüe brought us the ¡Viva El Mariachi! Festival until 2011, and now Fresno State is trying to revive the festival.
Why mention the obvious?
Sure, we also have a former national poet laureate in Fowler native Juan Felipe Herrera. Plus there are few university groups as good as Fresno State’s Los Danzantes de Aztlán. And, don’t forget Roosevelt High School alum Marissa Orduño has played the guitarón for Grammy Award-winning Mariachi Divas, then founded Mariachi Mujer 2000 which performed at the opening ceremonies of the 2008 Summer Olympics in China.
Fair question.
Answer: Because it’s a way to measure the success of the ‘México en el Corazón’ tour of mariachi and banda music and folkóric dance.
I had to pick up my jaws from the floor upon hearing Mariachi Femenil Estrella de México perform Friday night to cap Fandango Night at Arte Américas.
Saturday evening at the Paul Paul Theatre at the Fresno fairgrounds, I again had to bring my jaws back to their place after watching Ballet Folclórico Guadalajara deliver dances from Aguascalientes, Zacatecas and Jalisco.
The 12-member all-female mariachi provided the music at the Fresno fairgrounds Saturday night, with help from Banda Colores.
If you missed the tour stops in Fresno and Madera, you missed plenty.
The tour’s goal is to share the best of Mexican music, dance and folklore songs by providing free performances throughout the United States and México.
Volunteers worked for three months to raise funds and sponsors for the three stops in the Valley (Saturday at Arte Américas, Sunday at the fairgrounds, Monday at the Madera Courthouse (then on to Salinas for another show), and Monday at an almond processing plant near Madera.
The tour continues to Downey before heading to Washington, Utah, Colorado and New México.
What makes ‘México en el Corazón’ a success?
The dance group is all about precision and authenticity. From its choreography to ‘La Culebra’ and ‘Son de La Negra’ to the colorful costumes.
However, it is not the choreography and costumes that make Ballet Folcklórico Guadalajara stand out.
It is each individual dancer.
I mentioned to a friend that when I shoot folkloric performances, my camera goes immediately to that dancer who is smiling, shouting and enjoying the dance. I can count on my hands the number of dancers that come to mind during three decades of shooting folkloric performances.
It appeared, this time, that every dancer met that criteria.
In turn, every dancer made that connection with the audience, whether it was a former bracero sitting on the front row of the Paul Paul Theatre, a U.S. veteran watching from the steps of the Madera County Courthouse, or an almond packing plant worker viewing the show at the workplace.
The beauty of Mexican mariachi and folkloric dance is that they instantly connect expatriates and their offsprings to a country that still tugs at their hearts.
Dancer César Vaca, in an interview with Vida en el Valle reporter María G. Ortiz-Briones, explained the highlight of his visit.
“That joy you feel when you see that we bring back a little piece of your land that they left at some point fills me a lot as a dancer,” said Vaca.
Fellow dancer Diana Jiménez Zamudio also remarked about the tour’s mission.
“Even though we don’t know each other, we feel close; and, we feel that love.”
‘México en el Corazón,’ until next time.
