Cinco de Mayo It’s More Than Margaritas, It’s Rich in History

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By Mary Ann Bourbeau
RED BANK – The Fifth of May commemorates the Mexican army’s unlikely victory over French forces at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862. And while it wasn’t a major strategic win for the Mexicans, it was a morale booster for both the army and the country’s citizens. Though the event is celebrated in Mexico, the Fifth of May – or Cinco de Mayo – has become a much bigger celebration in the United States.
This year, the Count Basie Theatre is hosting the New York-based Calpulli Mexican Dance Company on May 5 to mark the occasion.
“Calpulli means clan or family in the Aztec language of Nahuatl,” said Juan Castano, who serves as managing director. “We consider ourselves a family of dancers, musicians and teachers.”
Castano founded the dance company in 2003 along with Alberto Lopez, who is artistic director. The mission of the Queens, New York-based company is to produce dance-based programming incorporated with live music that promotes the rich diversity of Mexican culture, heritage and traditions. Calpulli stages about 100 performances each year.
“We’re lucky that our company has grown,” he said. “We have a reputation for putting on quality shows, and we’re very proud of that.”
Castano and Lopez met while dancing in a different company, and they decided to start their own cultural outreach program.
“We wanted to establish a professional dance company with our own vision, something high quality where we could teach, perform and do community outreach,” Castano said.
Calpulli provides arts and education programs to schools in the tri-state area. The Basie show will be the organization’s first performance in New Jersey.
“The reason we came to the Count Basie Theatre is because we recognize that there is a growing Mexican community in the area,” Castano said.
Calpulli uses a core group of professional dancers that specialize in styles that range from ballet to African dance.
“They come from many diverse backgrounds,” he said.
The musicians are just as diverse, playing mariachi, Aztec, Caribbean and other types of songs.
“Not only are the dancers and their costumes authentic and beautiful, so is the music,” Castano said.
In the weeks leading up to the May 5 performance, Calpulli has been teaching dance classes for students at the Basie as part of the company’s outreach program to the Mexican community. It started out with six kids, but word spread and soon 25 kids were signed up for the classes. After 10 classes, the students’ final performance will be in the show at the Count Basie.
“Families want to involve their children in the arts,” Castano said. “These kids just love to dance, and now they can partake in a shared cultural experience with their parents.”
One of the dances that the kids learned is a traditional dance from Puebla, chosen because that is where the famous battle that inspired the holiday took place. The students also learned to dance to mariachi music, the type of music most associated with Mexican dance. Mariachi music comes from the state of Jalisco, which is next to Nayarit, which also has a rich history and is known for its music. That’s where perhaps the most exciting dance of the evening will originate. While the women show off their colorful costumes and fancy footwork, a line of men takes the stage, each one brandishing a machete.
“It’s like the men are coming home from their agricultural work, bringing the machetes from work to the dance,” Castano said. “It’s an acrobatic performance. They use them as percussive instruments, tossing them to one another, throwing them between their legs and behind their backs. There’s a lot of rhythmic footwork along with the costumes and music. It’s really exhausting.”
Castano, who has been a dancer for 20 years, said he has gained as much from the Calpulli Mexican Dance Company as he has given to others.
“I’m a first-generation Mexican-American, and this is a way to celebrate my family history in my own way,” he said. “It’s important to me that the Mexican-American community sees the passion and rich, inspiring people, places and history of Mexico. This is my way of illustrating my community the best way I know how. It’s very fulfilling to be able to share this.”
Tickets are $15 and $30. For more information, visit www.countbasietheatre.org or www.calpullidance.org.
Arts and entertainment writer Mary Ann Bourbeau can be reached at mbourbeau@tworivertimes.com or Twitter @MaryAnnBourbeau.