Jakartans get a taste of Mexican soul and spirit

Jakartans get a taste of Mexican soul and spirit

By Mehru Jaffer

JAKARTA (JP): Mexicans have always celebrated their
independence anniversary with much enthusiasm. But this
September, they decided to share their joy with the whole world.
A feisty fiesta held in Jakarta recently had most people tapping
away to Mexican tunes for days and helping themselves to meals
topped with little else but garbonzo salad, and guisos a la
Mexicana.

Two evenings of swirling and stomping on stage at the on-going
Gedung Kesenian International Festival did not seem to be enough,
so a third performance was organized at the last minute to
accommodate large crowds also wanting a taste of all the energy,
song and dance styles, some of which date back to 15th century
Mayan and Aztec Indian tribal cultures.

More than 30 musicians and dancers from the Dance Company of
the State of Aguascalientes gave glimpses into the diverse soul
and spirit of Mexico at performances held throughout the city,
including shopping malls and hotels during a 10-day visit. The
colors of the costumes seemed like they were inspired by a
rainbow and the vibrant music by drums rolled out by the gods.
The show also touched upon dance and music held at sacred
ceremonies, and the frolicking that goes on at folk parties.

Particularly beautiful was the solo Deer Dance of the Yaqui
Indians evoking the boundless beauties of nature and man's role
in its slow destruction. The traditional rope twirler was very
much there, spinning his lasso-like lariat and skipping in and
out of the circles he made with his rope to the beat of
thunderous applause from the audience.

Beauty queens added that bit of glamour to all the song and
dance as they modeled different costumes worn in different parts
of the country.

Mariana Rios Franco, Miss Mexico 2000, thought the
extravaganza was much more than just a performance. What the 22
year old really enjoyed was sharing with people here a little
from her own culture in the hope that Mexico would stand out as a
place rich and diverse, and its people seeped in traditions just
like Indonesians.

Aleyandra Lopez Rabago, 21, and reigning queen of San Marcos
Fair, Aguascalientes, does not look upon herself as a dumb
blonde. Studying to be an accountant, Aleyandra feels that beauty
pageants allow young women like herself to act as a cultural
ambassador which is a very responsible job in helping people of
different cultures and countries to appreciate each other better.
Due to her status as a beauty queen, she has also been able to
collect funds to help 12 children in her country with heart
problems.

Also part of the same troupe is Monica Raquel Gutierrez
Casillas, 24, a former beauty queen who is specializing in
working with children with learning difficulties. She is proud to
represent Mexican women during this tour of Indonesia. She loves
being part of the performances when they are held at the shopping
malls as she gets a better feel for the people who live here.
When she is lucky, she even gets to glimpse local artistes
practicing their own colorful art in the corridors of the mall.

In the end, most felt that 10 days were just too short for a
visit to faraway Indonesia. Mesmerized by the mariachi music of
the Mexicans, most people in Jakarta wished for more. The
standing ovation to each performance was a testimony to how much
the mariachis are appreciated here.

Dressed in silver-studded charro outfits with wide brimmed
hats and playing a variety of instruments like the violin,
guitar, trumpets and of course the five-string guitar, the
mariachi sang mostly about machismo, love, betrayal, death,
politics, revolutionary heroes and even animals, like the
evergreen La Cucaracha, reminding some in the audience of their
own dangdut music. It is true that the mariachi is of the masses,
however, he is said to be much more than just music. He is
described as a total revolution that is also spiritual in nature.

As music, mariachi has thrived only because the people have
always supported it. It was the criollos of the 19th century who
fought to wipe out every last trace of the Spanish presence in
Mexico and millions of mariachis were seen wearing traditional
workmen's clothes of white pants and a straw hat, wandering at
that time from town to town singing songs of revolutionary heroes
and enemies and carrying news from one place to another.

Jalisco is the state from where the best mariachis are said to
be born and whose music represents the people of Mexico at every
independence day celebration, even today. Due to its immense
popularity, the music and dances from Jalisco are among the most
recognizable of all Mexican dances and have come to stay in the
collective mind of the world as the traditional dance of the
country.

They excite the onlooker with their fast pace and with
costumes that come in the most brilliant of colors. Many of the
dances are playful duets between girls and boys and focus on
traditional Mexican courtship.

What these dances did in the past was to repeatedly bring
people and communities together within the country. And this
time, it is hoped that the mariachis have also helped the people
of Indonesia to appreciate Mexicans anew.