The color and pageantry of traditional dance will be center stage at Tucson Meet Yourself.
This originally ran Oct. 2, 2015.
Well, folks, itβs Tucson Meet Yourself time again. This yearβs festival takes place on October 9-11, in downtown El Presidio Park and Jacome Plaza.
The festival will be much as it always has been, featuring traditional foods, music, dance, and visual arts from many of the communities that call Southern Arizona βhome.β This year, as is always the case, weβll be trying some new ideas. One of these is the granting of βArtistic Fellowshipsβ to local groups who want additional resources to put on a special program.
Two such groups will be performing Friday:
The Bill Gantz Western Band will be on the City Hall Stage from 4-7 p.m., presenting classic Western songs and the stories behind them. You may have heard βNightriderβs Lament,β but you may not know that it was written by a cowboy near Vail, Arizona. The band will be feature songs and language of the Mexican vaqueros, stories of the heroism of Black cowboys, and a host of other songs. Our western song heritage comes from all over, and theyβll touch on much of this historyβ¦ and sing you some great songs!
Flamenco del Pueblo Viejo will perform at 8 p.m. on the Global Rhythms Stage. This local group will be augmented by nationally and internationally known performers to present an hour-long, extremely varied flamenco fiesta.
Other featured performers on Friday will be our own Bouncing Czechs at noon on the Global Rhythms Stage, and the very popular waila band, Gertie and the T. O. Boyz at the Church Street Stage at 9. Both bands feature very different kinds of polka. And of course the usual TMY variety will be maintained with folklorico dancing, bluegrass, Balkan singing, Brazilian capoeira, Tejano music and more. And donβt forget the food from all over the world, scattered around both parks.
A festival feature that Iβve never written about is the βCommunity Mattersβ section, located this year in and around Jacome Plaza. This is where representatives of various community service and other organizations can rent some space to spread their message.
This year, I want to highlight a special project which is closely aligned with our purpose β a film-in-progress called βMariachi Miracle.β Produced by Dan Buckley, it traces the history of Tucsonβs own School Mariachi movement β a movement which has spread all over the country. The parts Iβve seen have fascinating interviews from musicians and professional educators and, of course, spectacular music and dance performances. The booth will be on Church Street, just south of the main crossing. Dan will be there to show parts of the film and talk about his project. Check it out β this is right in line with what TMY is all about!
