News
Floricanto is now entering its 33rd year of existence. We believe that through the years we have become so much more than just a folk dance company. We are educators of our youth. We are a community resource. We are a bridge through which other communities have been able to interact with us. We are, in these days of quick turnovers and disappearing dance companies, a constant in the folklorico world. And we are, we hope, a window into the future of folklorico. A world that is as wide and full of opportunity as this country, where there will be community folklorico groups, regional folklorico touring groups, national follklorico turing groups and, yes, international touring groups whose provenance is the United States.
During the coming years we will continue to do what we have always done. Represent our community through our music and dance. Hoever because it is time we have broadened our horizons and we will not only repsent where we came from we will also showcase our current moment in time.
My latest artistic endeavor took me to Veracruz a few years back where the syncopated rhythms of its music are in direct opposition to the very symetrical sounds of traditional Mexican music. In Contrast, the fandango musician and dancer must be as one. It is not about steps or body isolations, it is about rhythms. The dancer must learn to create his/her own percussive sound and become part of the music by establishing dialogues with the musician(s). So we, the dancers and I, had to learn to work in a different way. In came Cesar Castro, an accomplished musician from Veracruz who taught us how to relate to the music in this new way. For me it was a dual pleasure. Not only did I learn to dominate these new rhythms, I also found the vehicle for my personal artistic voice.
The Chicano visual arts movement is now well established and is almost 40 years old. The Chicano theater movement has also been well represented for at least that long.
Over the last 20 years Chicano music has also developed strong proponents. But, to my knowledge, we have not yet evolved an aesthetic called Chicano Dance. And so it is this Chicana's goal to move forward in that direction. My desire to create movement that echoes my past and speaks to the present as it moves towards the future is now.
- De todo corazón
Gema Sandoval
