Nora Quintanilla
New York, July 17 (EFE). The traditions, colors and joy of Mexico took over a plaza at New York’s prestigious Lincoln Center this Sunday, as a dance group and several orchestras celebrated that country’s culture with a theatrical performance. From the “quinceañera” party.
The center, which hosts the Met Opera, has given up one of its outdoor spaces for an afternoon festival based on the independent play “Fifteen,” which was the first play to be performed live in the city following the cultural blackout of the pandemic in 2020.
Quince tells the story of Chicana confronting the Latin American rite of passage known as the quincinera as she addresses her queer identity, family roots, and religion, in an immersive fashion in which the audience views the work as if they were its guests.
Its creators, Camilo Quirós Vázquez and Elbeta Tsevikos, organized today a wonderful party in this style with a touch of magical realism in which dozens of people gathered to dance, sing, eat and enjoy themselves under colorful garlands, pinatas and handmade figures hanging from trees.
One of the foundation’s pools was filled with floating flowers and hats; The Virgin of Guadalupe was erected over one of the gardens, and tables and chairs were set up for the attendees, who were varied and of all ages, to rest and dine, but among them Spanish was spoken above all.
Los Tecuanes de Quetzalcóatl, a local dance group, opened the event with about two dozen dancers wearing masks, large hats, and outfits with bells that seemed to be hopping close to others described as death, hoe and jaguar.
The group’s founder, Wvillahdo Contreras, who came to New York more than two decades ago from Acatlán de Osorio, in Puebla state, explained to Efe that dancing is part of that region’s religious and cultural traditions and that it is important to preserve them, teaching them that they are not-for-profit.
“Most of the children (the dancers) are born here, the tradition is passed down from generation to generation, and it is very satisfying that people born here care,” added Contreras, known as Ver, who previously collaborated with Queiroz. regulators.
In all, about 70 people were part of this wonderful Mexican party in which four bands performed, including one mariachi, Mariachi Sol Azteca, who caused a stir with her interpretation of “Never Enough” by the Los Angeles Azules, whose words were repeated. The audience is in perfect unison.
“Being able to bring this to an institution like Lincoln Center and invite people to see parts of themselves on a big stage is very important to solidifying our identities within the United States as Latinos. We are part of the country and our culture influences the culture of this country,” Queiroz said.
Quiroz and Tsivicos founded production company One Whale’s Tale a decade ago as a theater company, but due to lack of funding they’ve been dedicated to the audiovisual and advertising industry for years, so the fact that they’ve gone back to their original artistic idea with ‘Quince’ and admitted that being welcomed there fills them with ‘humility’. .
“I don’t think it just happened to us, but because of how committed we are to making art and sharing it in targeted ways with target audiences, trying to create joy and celebration at a time when I’m exposed to hard news and realities every day.” EFE
nqs/fjo/jrh
(photo) (video)
EFE 2022. Redistribution and redistribution of all or part of the contents of the EFE Services, without the prior and express consent of Agencia EFE SA, is expressly prohibited.
“Travel junkie. Coffee lover. Incurable social media evangelist. Zombie maven.”