The Spanish word "mezcla" can be translated as mixture, combination or assortment. Last weekend, Brown's Latino Performing Arts group, MEZCLA, lived up to its name. From traditional Mexican ballet to modern hip hop, from the complex music of tango to the contemporary beat of Destiny's Child, MEZCLA's fall show danced the entire Latino spectrum in Salomon 101 on Friday.
After a rousing performance by the Bolivian dance group Fraternidad Folklorica Boliviana, MEZCLA took center stage. Ballet Folklorico Mexicano performed two traditional Mexican dances, including a visually astounding segment where six women showed off their intricate, tap dance-like steps while swishing flowing skirts in time to the music. The nearly perfect synchronization of the dancers along with the visual effect produced by the swirling colored skirts made the performance hypnotic.
A story-telling, two-part piece, "Belly Dance," proved to be the crowd favorite, and an interesting experimental mixture of Middle Eastern and Latino cultures. The piece tells the story of the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, who falls in love with a Spanish girl. The Sultan takes his love back to the palace, but the girl is met with resistance from some of the women of the court. This confrontational scene is depicted through both seductive belly dancing and aggressive body movements. The two opposing groups - the supporters and the critics of the girl - take turns showing their authority and power with their impressive dancing. The Spanish girl, played by Deniz Arduman '06, and the leader of the opposing group, played by Marilyn Markman '06, displayed clearly superior belly dancing skills, making them a marvel to watch.
The first contemporary-flavored piece of the show was set to "Los Santos" and featured the Merengue group members performing a funky, edging routine to the heady, fast, hip hop-like beat. This innovative piece was not traditionally Latino, but it expressed the African roots and influences of Latino culture.
In "Gala," MEZCLA dancers performed a piece incorporating several different Latino dance influences set to varying music, many of them party tunes, in celebration of thirty years of Latino presence at Brown. Although not as meticulously choreographed as most routines, "Gala" expressed the pride of Brown's Latino community.
Next, the intricate and fascinating art of tango took center stage. Invited by MEZCLA, Ellen Mayer and Robin Pfahning of Providence Tango performed an Argentine tango, in which every step is improvised. It is imperative that the two dancers understand and connect with each other completely. The concentration on Mayer and Pfahning's faces showed the intensity of the improvisation, and the duo put on an impressive show replete with intricate and intertwining steps.
The highly anticipated "Meren-Reggae-Hop," a mixture of Merengue, hip hop, and Reggaeton, was another crowd-pleaser. One of the unique specialties of MEZCLA, this performance melds varied music and dance moves from Latino and popular culture. The story of this piece centered on a girlfriend (MEZCLA President Yara Lorenzo '05) who pretended to be sick in order to avoid her boyfriend (Owen McDougall '07). The girlfriend went out clubbing with her group and was eventually caught by the boyfriend and his posse. Music from Destiny's Child, Usher, and Fat Joe highlighted the great dancing by both the women and the men. The men were very impressive, particularly McDougall. Their dance moves were smooth and sharp, in perfect time with the music.
This spring will mark MEZCLA's 10th anniversary.
"Putting this show together was such a labor of love," Lorenzo said. To show their appreciation to the audience for their support, MEZCLA members surprised everyone when they ran down the aisles, throwing MEZCLA T-shirts into the crowd.
After the show, Lorenzo spoke of the tremendous amount of work the group put into the realization of its latest project.
"Since the first week of the semester, the performers were meeting. The board members have been meeting since the summer, once a week for three to four hours. People love this organization," she said.
Lorenzo said the biannual performance is important for the Brown campus.
"(The MEZCLA performance) is often the first encounter with diversity of Latino culture for many people on campus," she said. "Every year we present a beautiful, positive representation of Latino culture. There are so many negative stereotypes (of Latino culture) from the media. People think we are monolithic, when we have so many different cultures."
