Martha Gonzalez – Fandango Without Borders
Twitter, Facebook, and other Internet technologies are great tools for building community. But what about one of the earliest communication tools of all: music? Martha Gonzalez speaks about forming connections through participatory music– and how music is relevant even in the era of Web 2.0.
Martha starts her session with full-on fandango performance. Two lovely ladies stomp a rhythm on the tarima, a hollow wooden box, to the music of guitars, percussion, and call-and-response vocals. The women swish their skirts and dance, making the experience visual in addition to audio.
Martha doesn’t just talk about music: she gives it to us. We hear it, and thus become part of the performance. She mentions the notion of “leaving one’s soul on the tarima;” this physical and emotional experience happens when the dancer is both exhausted by the music and overwhelmed by the contributions of the community.
These musicians and dancers are part of the Seattle Fandango Project, a group that uses music to build community. Martha stresses that while this particular style of music may not be everyone’s thing, the aspect of community is universal and exceptionally relevant in our modern society.
This music, Son Jarocho, is a style specific to the Veracruz region of Mexico, emerging from the indigenous, Spanish and African cultures influences on that society. The Mexican government canonized the music in the 1940′s, moving it to the stage while taking out the culture and improvisation at the music’s heart. It was reclaimed in the 1970s, representing a return to community values. In the United States today, Son Jarocho and Fandango is performed in Chicano communities as a way for members to connect with one another.
Individual experiences contribute to the group to elevate the entire experience playing as one. There is not one instructor; everyone participates and teaches. Dancers and musicians listen to one another, and play on each others’ strengths. The group spans generations, races and cultures; all are welcome. Everyone’s experience in the group resonates in the context of their own individual experiences.
This may not be the social technology conversation one expects from TEDx, but The Seattle Fandango project reminds us of the importance of live interaction in an increasingly digital world.
–Helen Pitlick
