In Celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month 2014
Brave New Voices/Nuevas Voces Valientes
What does it mean to be Latino? Hispanic? Chicano?
What does it mean to be Latino? Hispanic? Chicano? Why is it sometimes spelled Latin@? What are the differences in experience based on ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, geography, class and other variables? How does the constructed image of undocumented immigrants “taking jobs away” from American citizens “shape the consciousness of people in the community?”
September 15 through October 15 was first declared Hispanic Heritage Month by Ronald Reagan in 1988. How has the community changed since then? This dialogue is an opportunity for the Latino community and its allies to reflect on Latino identity development within the broader social, political and economical context in order to gain insight into its future.
Hispanic Heritage Month celebrates the anniversary of independence of Latin American Countries. September 15 is the independence anniversary of five Latin American countries—Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua. Mexico declared its independence on September 16, and Chile on September 18.
“Hispanic” is a term defined by the U.S. Census Bureau, which refers to Spanish-speaking people in the United States of any race.
Mariachi goes beyond music; it is the sum of a cultural revolution expressed through a group of musicians, dressed in popular clothing (most recently charro suits) which encompasses the essence of Mexico and its people. It is something cultural, spiritual and traditional that is unique to this country, an experience not to be missed.
Samba is an African-Brazilian dance with several variations in different parts of Brazil. The term originates from semba, an African word for navel. Traditionally, a circle is made with a solo dancer in the center. In the samba’s rhythm there is a syncopated note which is the cue for the soloist to touch, with her navel, the navel of the chosen person to replace her in the circle. It is sometimes referred to as a Samba, Carioca, a Baion or a Batucado. The difference is mostly in the tempo played since the steps in all three dance styles are very similar. The style is to bounce steadily and smoothly in 2/4 meter.
Panama Folkloric Dances are traditional dances passed down from generation to generation. With most dances, each region has its own particular characteristics or exclusive traits which differentiate it from others. However, the tamborito—Panama’s national dance—is found in almost every region of the Republic, but the basic dance changes little from one province to another.
Axe—A contemporary Afro-Brazilian pop style, incorporating samba, rock, soul and other musical influences. A musical style of percussion from the northern part of Brazil.
Capoeira (ka/po/where/ah) is an Afro-Brazilian martial art developed initially by African slaves in Brazil, starting in the colonial period. It is marked by deft, tricky movements often played on the ground or completely inverted. It also has a strong acrobatic component in some versions and is always played with music. Capoeira has recently been popularized in a number of computer games. Two capoeiristas, Eddie Gordo and Christie Monteiro, fight in the popular games Tekken 3, Tekken 4, and Tekken 5. Elena fights Capoeira in the game Street Fighter III. In addition, Meet the Fockers and Ocean’s Twelve, two highly successful movies of 2004, featured Capoeira in several memorable scenes. While the attention Capoeira has received has caused a boom of interest in this martial art, more skeptical capoeiristas have argued that the way it is used in the media is misrepresentative of what Capoeira truly is.
Salsa is danced to music with a recurring eight-beat pattern, i.e. two bars of four beats. Salsa patterns typically use three steps during each four beats, one beat being skipped. However, this skipped beat is often marked by a tap, a kick, a flick, etc. Typically the music involves complicated percussion rhythms and is fast with around 180 beats per minute. Salsa is a spot dance, i.e., unlike Foxtrot or Samba, in Salsa a couple does not travel over the dance floor much, but rather occupies a fixed area on the dance floor. In some cases, people do the Salsa in solo mode.