Jaelin O’Halloran
GWSS 241
3 June 2020
Blog Post 4
In Martha González’s article, “Zapateado Afro-Chicana Fandango Style: Self-Reflective Moments in Zapateado,” González writes about a dance style that she calls Zapateado Afro-Chicana/o Fandanguero, “percussive dancing on a wooden platform.” Her article offers her perspective on Zapateado and the impact it has had on her, especially on her compositions. In another article of hers, co-authored with Russel Rodriguez, “Imaginaries,” they discuss quetzal, “an ensemble of highly talented musicians, joined for the goal of creating good music that tells the social, cultural, political, and musical stories of Chicanas and Chicanos of East Los Angeles and their kindred spirits, locally and around the globe.” González writes, “the group Quetzal emerged out of a particularly contentious time in Los Angeles, generated by events such as the 1992 Los Angeles uprising (the reply to acquitted LAPD officers who had beaten Rodney King), the 1994 Proposition 187 campaign (to deny medical and public services to undocumented immigrants and public education to undocumented children), and the repercussive reach of the Zapatista insurrection in Mexico.” As a result, music and public art emerged as, “platforms from which to voice marginalized people’s desires, opinions, and resistance to the conditions in which they found themselves.” As we can see from these two readings, music and dance have the ability to make profound impacts on people and thus act as a catalyst for social change. The article, “Imaginaries” also caused me to reflect on the murders of Breonna Taylor, Ahmed Arbery and George Floyd. These events, in the context of this course, cause me to pause and wonder what cultural events may transpire that will allow for the sentiments of the Black Lives Matter movement to be elevated. When we look back at these horrific events, what music/dance/performances will have emerged from the crisis we are living through right now?
DJ Selections:
· Choosey & Exile - "Black Beans" (Full Album Stream | 2019) – contemporary Afro-Chicano music
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