Liz E. Field Notes: Ballet Folklorico Aztlan Rehearsal
Thursday October 5, 2006.
Right off the bat I am nervous. I’m going into an unknown community by myself in a neighborhood I’ve never been too before. Will they look at me weird? I know I will be the only white person. Does that matter? I drive around the neighborhood to waste time because I am 30 minutes early. It is good to be early but not THAT early….
I try to show up to St. ___ early. I was early… by 30 minutes. Soooo I drove around the neighborhood. It is a small neighborhood, isolated and surrounded by Ave. Q ( ) and train tracks. The church is very much the center of the community. Across from the church is an Elementary School *LOOK UP*. The question comes to mind: “Are the dancers from this neighborhood? Or are they from all around Lubbock”.
10 minutes until class starts…. I guess I should go in. Should I have dressed up more?
No
At 5:20 I finally get the nerve to walk in.
Where is the office?!
I find the small office and walk in. It is a tiny room. There is a bulletin board on the left with a pew (sp?) for seating. In the left corner is a doorway to another part of the church. The back wall of office has a book shelf, and a display case counter. The right wall was covered in doors leading to the sanctuary. To the immediate right of the entry doors were other doors leading to the basement. *I was nervous and not as attentive to details of the room…. I probably need to go back and make sure this set up is right.* Two families are already seated and waiting for class. I ask if they are here for the Ballet Folklorico. One friendly mother answers yes.
The families I observe the before class starts are made up of mothers and daughters, and in one case, a grandmother. The younger mother whom had answered my question gives up her seat to another family that comes in. A grandmother in the corner tells her little granddaughter “Show me how your feet move. Show me how you dance” as the little girl spins around. Throughout the first 30 minutes, from my entry until the end of the ‘Toddler’ group, you could tell which families had been bringing their kids here for a while, and who was new by the conversations (or lack there of) going on. When Zenaida comes in we all walk down to the basement. It is a large room with mirrors along one wall and pews around the rest. There is an adjoining room that kids run in and out of.
The Toddler class (5 to 7 year olds?) starts out with stretches and exercises to warm the girls up. Older girls stand on the back row, new girls in the front. Most have on skirts over their clothes to practice in. Most have white healed shoes.
“Cha Cha Cha” ?
Both lines process in. Right arm in the air with handkerchief- move hips side to side. Then right foot out, left foot out, arms rolling in front of body repeat for section- Turn in circle. Put arms out to spread out then both arms to the right and slide to the side 8 counts. Put arms out left and slide 8 counts. Then shimmy forward and back for a section- Then repeat from right foot out left foot out section. End song with both arms in the air- CHECK THIS OUT ON VIDEO TAPE! The girls are so cute… There is 4 or 5 year old in the front that has nooo idea what’s going on!
**New dance (Find names of dances from Zenaida)…
Hold skirts out and turn. Kick right foot out step in place “1,2,3,”… ‘Kick, 1, 2, 3” … Arms holding dress swing forward when kicking. Step right then left back and forth with arms following. Girls turn. Lines face each other then switch places while shuffling feet. Lines switch places again. Hold skirts out and turn- Dance in circle by self swinging skirt. Repeat- Girls say “Si Senior!” at the end of dance.
**New Dance-
Take off shoes. Form two lines. Right hand in the air holding maraca- left holding skirt out to the side. Jump (land on left foot) Kick right foot. “Jump, Kick- Jump, Kick” . Shake on the beat as they walk on and off stage doing the bouncing foot step. Then continue the jump kick step…. Whole dance consists of switching from the “Bouncing/ switching feet” step to the “Jump, Kick” step.
The classes practice with music from a tape player. Some of the parents watch on as their kids practice. Other families talk amongst themselves and others help older and younger siblings with homework.
I had asked if it was ‘OK’ to videotape the dancers. To make sure, Zenaida asked the parents at the beginning of both the Toddler and the Beginner’s session. This was good because the parents knew why I was there (not like I didn’t stick out anyway being the only ’20 something’ in the room). I wasn’t alienated but I was very much an observer. It was kind of bad that I was pointed out in the group because the dancers looked at me and became shy... for about 5 seconds… then they forgot I was there. At one point an older boy who was leading a stretch group commented “You have to be good. You are on camera!”
The second class begins. These are slightly older girls (8 to 10?). This is the Beginners class. Again, most of the girls have practice skirts on. Each is a different color. They too have the white healed shoes. Boys are wearing black boots. All but one has her hair pulled back. They lines up in front of the mirror to do stretches. The girls do arm, ankle, and neck circles. They then form two circles- One of returning members and one of new. I am next to the circle of returning girls. A boy (maybe in junior high) leads this group. The girls take the sides of their skirt in hand, hold it out, and spin one by one across the middle of the circle to the other side. Is this just another warm up? They then do arm circles, followed by a wrist exercise.
**Practice Dance. Dancers make lines with 3 people each. –Very slowly- RULES: Shoulders back, hands on hips, bend your knees, keep feet aligned with shoulders, back straight, smile, no bouncing! Begin steping- step left right left right- 1,2,3, emphasis on the 1 and 3. Which ever food lands on the 2, lands heel only? Don’t lean forward!
Not sure what dance happened after this… my video DIED while I was reviewing it for dance steps….
I leave as everyone is making their way to mass or to their cars. The priest gives me a ‘who are you’ smile and says ‘Hi’ as I walk out. A lady in a car waves, says “Goodbye and Thank you”. Was she talking to me? I have no idea. I smiled anyway.
Words to look up from Beginner group- Halisco (dress?)- Be la Crus (state?)- elpalomo/ la palma (dance?)
There are usually other classes following the beginners’ classes- The Adult group. Tonight it was canceled because of a special Thursday night mass
. Does that mean that most of these dancers and their families are from this church and neighborhood? Questions to ask from observation:
What are the dances?
What do the steps signify?
What are the corresponding outfits and what do they mean?
Are the dances age/ gender specific?
They mentioned competition?
Are these dancers from this community?
Who makes the dresses?
