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Paso-A-Paso Welcome back! In this edition of PASO-A-PASO we will inform you of upcoming events and Alegría de San José performances. We welcome your comments and suggestions and hope that you enjoy this second edition of our newsletter, PASO-A-PASO. Alegría begins dance classes On June 22, AdeSJ began its folklorico classes at the American Musical Theatre Dance Studios (formerly San Jose Civic Light Opera). Alegria's objectives in offering classes are to provide an educational and nurturing environment for those who wish to study Mexican Folk Dance, to provide quality instruction at affordable rates and to train dancers for potential recruitment into the dance company. The classes are geared for beginning adults and teens and will continue to be offered on Thursdays from 7-8pm. For more information, please call MariaLuisa at (510)770-0535. SJ Mariachi Festival July 6-9 Alegría members will be participating in the Festival Workshops and Concerts. Concert tickets are available through BASS. Upcoming Performances
Alegría Celebrates One Year AdeSJ observes the completion of it's first year with a tardeada and student recital on Saturday, August 12 at the Diaz residence. In addition to eating & patting ourselves on the back we will be honoring the many individuals who have helped us get this far. Invitations for this event will be mailed out in July. If you would like to help, please contact Barbara at (408) 379-9019. Thank you. "Esquina Cultural" 16 de Septiembre Mexico's Independence Day celebration is held at the stroke of midnight on September 15. At that time the events leading up to the "Grito de Independencia" are celebrated. By the end of the 18th century, Spain was financially and spiritually exhausted from the 100 Years War that was waged to battle the rise of Protestantism in Europe. Spain had destroyed entire civilizations in the New World and drained their wealth in the attempt to finance this venture. The criollos (Spaniards born in Mexico) were fed up with being left out of the picture and many started to dream of a future free of the domination of Spain. When the king of Spain was overthrown in 1810 and a constitutional republic instituted, the opportunity arose to take advantage of the power vacuum to seize control of Mexico. Don Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla, a criollo priest in the town of Dolores, Hidalgo was part of a plot to declare an uprising that was to take place late in 1810. Unfortunately, the plot was discovered prematurely and Don Miguel was forced to seize the moment. At midnight, September 15, he rang the bells of the chapel and gathered the townspeople and issued the "Grito de Independencia", declaring the independence of Mexico from Spain. Twenty-one years later, the war was concluded and Mexico became a sovereign nation. --Rudy Garcia "Spotlight On . . ." Barbara Perez-Diaz In this edition we are very proud to feature Barbara Perez-Diaz. She is a wife and mother of two and a Medical Admitting Clerk for the Co. of Santa Clara. She is a professional violinist, Coordinator for San José's Mariachi Youth Program and a dancer and Musical Coordinator for Alegría de San José. Although she began her artistic career as a charter member of Los Lupeños from 1969-75, her childhood recollections reveal an early respect and appreciation for traditional Mexican culture instilled and nurtured by her parents, Gregorio and Louise Perez. Her musical training began in 1971 through the Mariachi Class offered at SJ City College through the Comm. Services Program. She has been a member of Mariachi Nuevo San José since 1985 and recently returned to dance as a charter member of Alegría de San José. In 1992, inspired by Los Changuitos Feos of Tucson, AZ, she founded San José's Mariachi Youth Program at Hoover Middle School. The weekly, after-school program is co-sponsored by the Mexican Heritage Corporation and trains young musicians in violin, trumpet, vihuela and guitarrón. This summer, she will once again be coordinating the Mariachi and Folklorico Workshops for San José's Int'l Mariachi Conference, July 6-9. We are very honored to have her as a member of AdeSJ. Congratulations! . . . to José Borrego and Roxana Reyes on the occasion of their wedding. The happy couple will be residing in Sacramento where they will both be working and studying. (We'll miss you both and look forward to your relocation to the Bay Area.) . . . to member DeniseRose Torres, whose home-made "thumbprint" cookies and hand-sequined "Christmas Tree" sweatshirt won 2nd and 3rd place, respectively, in their categories at the Alameda County Fair. . . . to members Barbara Perez-Diaz and Veronica Ruiz who will be traveling to Jalapa, Veracruz, Mexico for ANGF's national folklorico dance conference. . . . to Juan Diaz and family on the occasion of his high-school graduation. Siquiti-bum-a-la-bim-bom-ba! . . . to the entire company for a tremendous job at the San Francisco Ethnic Dance Festival on June 18. Special thanks to Ceci and Lalo Garcia, Pato Diaz, Mariachi Azteca, Sra. Hortensia Colmenarez, Paula Tracy-Smuin, Rudy Figueroa, Sra. Dolores Ruiz, Sr. Ausencio Torres, and guest artists Patricia Salvador-Torres, Hector Plasencia, Zenaida Mendoza and Carla Diaz for their contributions. XOXOXO--¡Mil gracias! ¡Feliz Cumpleaños!
News Flash! Alegria friends GF Mexico-Tenochtitlán and GF Nayar de San José will be presenting two concerts on Saturday, August 5th at the Cubberly Theatre located at 4000 Middlefield Road in Palo Alto. For ticket information, contact América at (510) 490-4272. Stay tuned . . . . . . don't forget to look for Alegria members in the grape-stomping scene in the upcoming release of "A Walk in the Clouds with Anthony Quinn and Keanu Reeves . . . in our next edition, "Esquina Cultural" visits Dia de Los Muertos and "Spotlight On" shines on dancer/instructor Denise Rose Torres. ¡Hasta Octubre! Alegría
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