Rhythms of Resistance - La Mezcla in Concert

CSUMB’s College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences, Performing & Visual Arts Department (Music Program), and Palenke Arts proudly present Rhythms of Resistance a 60 minute live performance that showcases the full range of La Mezcla repertoire with live musicians and dancers. The concert features Tap Dance, Son Jarocho (music and Dance from Veracruz, MX) and Afro Caribbean rhythms, highlighting excerpts of our productions Ghostly Labor and Pachuquísmo, company tap dance repertoire and traditional Son Jarocho sones (songs that include footwork as percussion). Structured as a concert rather than a full length production, the La Mezcla Concert is an adaptable high quality dance and music performance that provides cultural context to the forms, and rhythmic activities that engage with audience members.

The evening will also feature the screenig of "Convivencia" an original film by La Mezcla directed by José Leaños and will conclude with a community fandango in the son jarocho tradition.

“The women of La Mezcla are really culture keepers. Vanessa is bringing these two different dance styles together that share these African diaspora elements, reflecting her Mexican-American identity. It’s beautiful and ingenious.” -Kelly Whalen, KQED Arts

Vanessa Sanchez is a Chicana dancer, choreographer, artivist and educator who focuses on community arts and traditional dance forms. She is a 2019 Dance/USA Artist Fellow and a recipient of the Isadora Duncan Award for Outstanding Production for her internationally touring show Pachuquísmo. Sanchez’s “Ghostly Labor: a Dance Film” was named Best Short Documentary by Dance Camera West. She served as a lecturer at UCSC from 2021-2023 and is a Resident Artist at Brava! For Women in the Arts.

La Mezcla is a womxn-led, polyrhythmic dance and music company rooted in Chicana, Latina and Indigenous traditions and social justice. Founded in 2015 by Vanessa Sanchez, their work brings together Tap dance, Son Jarocho and Afro-Caribbean rhythms to bring the overlooked histories and experiences of communities of color to stages and streets. Past venues have included the Lincoln Center, Green Music Center and Teatro de la Ciudad Esperanza Iris (Mexico City).

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Host or Publisher Palenke Arts