Mecca FRC (Family Resource Center) Fair

National Night Out Featuring AMFM

By Moises Huerta

Tuesday, October 6 was the 2015 date for National Night Out, a yearly event that brings the people in the community and the Fire and Police Departments together for an evening of information, food, and fun. This year was a little extra special because Crisalida was there providing the bad ass sound of AMFM. Following are photos from various participants. A shout out to Target for sponsoring the event & to Rosalva Campos for hooking us up.

A special thank you to the McCallum Theatre for believing we in the East Valley have something to offer the Art World. And thank you to all who continue to support our efforts to illuminate what was always there all along, East Valley Community Talent. That's what Crisalida is all about, bringing out our shine.

This is one member of AMFM, Rolo.

And this is Mario "The Giant" Garcia also of AMFM.

       This is a top notch facility. Please drop by and check it out.                                    Your teens will love it!

The Emergency Community Response Team (plus Irene Rodriguez) provided lots of info.

The Target Mascot Dog pulled me in for a group photo.

These are Indio's Finest. They are there when we need them. Respect.  

Video of EVR - 10 MINUTE PLAY FESTIVAL

EAST VALLEY REPERTORY THEATER

10 MINUTE PLAY FESTIVAL

...just a quick view of the event...more coming!

East Valley Rep - 10 Minute Play Festival

There was a full house at Coachella Valley Art Center to watch the second and final performance of "Tacos, Teardrops and Tequila", East Valley Rep's 10-Minute Play Festival. According to the audience during the Q&A session after the performance, the plays were entertaining, humorous and sometimes touching. Some audience members were teary-eyed during a couple of the plays. Stand-outs were "It's Not Right" (about abortion), "Happy Anniversary"(dealing with Alzheimer's) and "Meet Your Meat" (about veganism). All pieces were definitely thought-provoking. It's a wonderful start for a new theatre company.

By Carlos Garcia - Artistic Director EAST VALLEY REP

Yo Soy Teatro by Roy Garza

 By Roy Garza

“Yo soy Joaquín,

perdido en un mundo de confusión:

I am Joaquín, lost in a world of confusion,”

Someone once said the first way to find your sense of direction is to acknowledge you are lost, take in the information around you, and use it to make sense of your position. Makes sense, no? For a week in Mecca, about 20 participants questioned their position in their respective communities. Issues of Ageism, Poverty, Documentation, Ecological Health, and Gender Binaries. Storytelling, sharing through poetry, art, and theater became our way of piecing together our story as a community together. Each year F.I.R.M.E.’s (Film Inquiry Research and Media Education) approach has been different in delivery through video, printmaking, journalism, and even photography. It has however remained the same in contextualizing, questioning and giving voice to the stories all around no matter the medium.                         

Students performing their craft

Performing while also delivering a strong message

Here I am taking a nice pic with a student

This past summer our program shifted mediums once again and encompassed performance, writing and photography. The critical analysis provided in these sessions had participants dig deep, starting, as we all do, with Identity and through a progression of poetry and games built out our perspectives to our inter-connectivity and interrelations. While most people will gladly watch a performance, it is difficult to imagine oneself as the performer. Although Augusto Boal introduces us all as performers in daily life through Theater of the Oppressed theories it can be intimidating to perform for an audience. To allow ourselves to be comfortable, a series of games helped to begin questioning ourselves, our lives, and our families. These games were at the core of the week-long camp. Posing as statues, shouting and whispering poetry.  Everyone who started on day one stuck through and performed amazingly after only one week. The final presentations were brilliant representations in four performance styles the groups were randomly assigned. Silent Theater, Poetry, Song and Teatro Campesino-style presentations. 

Maria Galaviz a true multi-tasker, great cook, baker, poetry teacher, etc

Presenting Crisalida with an award for all their participation

As a final presentation all of the groups performed throughout Mecca in Guerilla Style street theater as they came up to unsuspecting audiences. “ Callense Cabrones nos traen arte!” Shouted a day laborer outside as he quieted the crowd of men awaiting work outside of the supermarket in Mecca. (“Shut up, they are bringing us art!”), Despite the 118 degree weather the performances all went well. To wrap up our storytelling camp all our participants, sponsors and families broke bread and celebrated our communities' interconnections and the individual stories in between.   

The Award Presenters (myself) Roy & Benito

Yo Soy Teatro award recipients

Poetry & Short Story Workshop

By Moises Huerta

 Thoughts & Poems by Maria Galaviz and Her Students

One day I was invited to a workshop that was being given by poet & writer David Gonzalez.
On that occasion he asked if someone knew of a person who could teach workshops on poetry and short stories and I answered that I could.
In that moment I did not understand the great challenge that I was about to embark on; you see my experience only consisted of teaching poetry to children.

Building a dream.
 
The building of our dream started when I invited a group of women to write poetry and short stories.
And they all asked, "What is that? I can't do that! I don't like poetry! I can't learn anything! I am too old!"
I smiled and I told them that life begins at 50.

I asked them if they loved someone or something;
if they liked to see the sun rise!
if they liked the rain!
if they loved nature, their children, their grandchildren, their mate.
And they all answered "yes".
And I told them, "Put all those feelings on paper and that is poetry."

The turning over of all our feelings from our heart and mind on to paper nourishes our heart and our soul and frees us of our demons.

These are some thoughts of our female & male poets after 16 classes and having the most marvelous view of our salted lake (Salton Sea) which was and will be an endless fountain of inspiration for any artist.

                                 Purepecha Native Art/Crafts


Maria~Rios: 
You are like the air that I breathe 
The air is felt but it can't be seen 
Just like your heart, it can't be seen 
but I feel that great love in me.

Irma~Soto: 
The dreams of my children are also mine 
The joys they give me are my dreams 
The love that is theirs is my life 
Wherever they go I will be there.

Maria~Pozas: 
I have a bright star name Jaquelin 
that is the light in my eyes. 
My beautiful child you are all mine.
 
Maria~Galaviz: 
I want the sea to continue its song 
I want the sky to rain like before 
I want birds singing in the sky 
I want the stars to shine in the night
 
Maria~Ortega: 
The youth in your skin is coming to an end 
but not that of your soul 
that will always be young and beautiful 
and you will always have a lovely soul.

Arturo~Castellanos: 
In the fields you learn much 
Not only to work the grape  
but rather life itself. 
One passes time alone 
Talking to the grape and 
you learn much about yourself.

These thoughts are examples of beautiful poems that we wrote with all our hearts despite the fact that the majority of the students would arrive to class on many occasions directly from working 8 or 10 hours in the field under the hot desert sun.

They would arrive with a sack of inspiration! with an immense joy! and an enviable vibe that would fill the room and it was contagious.
And we shared a plate of food but mainly we shared a great friendship and together we built family ties that will last a lifetime. For all that and more I thank you.
Likewise the whole group gives thanks:

North Shore Poetry Graduating Students

     
To Crisalida for giving us the opportunity for our art to be born, to flourish and mature in the same way a butterfly does. 

To McCallum Theatre for bestowing the grant that allowed us to cover all of our needs which made it possible for us to produce art in the East Coachella Valley.

To David Gonzalez, poet and writer, for guiding us in our search and flourishing of dormant art in the East Coachella Valley.

But the desert awoke with its beauty                                               with its beautiful light of its radiant sun                                           with its mountains that have the color                                           same as that of its inhabitants                                                         warm and smiling, hardworking and productive 
but above all in one beautiful word 
that contains everything, 
human.
 
Author: Maria Galaviz

Martha's Village Hosts Crisalida Mariachis

By Moises Huerta 

Thank you Elena Rosenthal from Martha's Village for welcoming Crisalida's crew and the Mariachis on Tuesday August 11. And thank you to the crew: Oscar Guevara, our talented artist/driver of the art van, Jorge Perezchica, our videographer/photographer, and myself, Moises Huerta, Crisalida's manager. Also a high five to my brother, Max, who came along and helped out with loading up the van afterward. 

It was a wonderful feeling listening to the mariachi music and watching people enjoying it. In particular one of the clients, Daniel Brown, really loved it and expressed his gratitude to the musicians. 

 

Mr. Daniel Brown, a local man told me he lives with a Hispanic family and works on their ranch. He loves mariachi music.

These guys killed it as usual, so good. And the young lady's voice shined on some of the love songs.

   

While we were there our videographer Jorge took a moment to appreciate the beautifully decorated chapel.

Coachella Valley Poets Perform Juan Felipe Herrera's Work (Pt 2)

By Moises Huerta 

Not trying to confuse anyone but something happened to the initial blog and it needed to be redone. I redid it in two parts. Here is the second part. Enjoy!

These are some performers that I couldn't get on the first blog.

 

This young lady's contribution was personal & was one that Juan Felipe Herrera seemed to admire.

 Jesse Martyr seemed to connect with Herrera not only with   poetry but also in his taste in jazz music.
                                                     

                          

                   

Coachella Valley Poets Perform Juan Felipe Herrera's Work

 
By Moises Huerta

We had a wonderful celebration for Juan Felipe Herrera on Friday June 19th at 7pm at Coachella Valley Arts Center in Indio, Ca. Yes, there are a few blogs about that night but they are all a little different so please feel free to enjoy them all.

As part of the celebration many poets were invited to share their poetry on the condition that they take time to honor Mr. Herrera by first performing one of his works. Many jumped at the chance and here are some of the entrants and their performances.

 Francisco Rodriguez, a former student of Juan Felipe Herrera, was the first to open the event with some friendly banter. The poem was even better.

 Mario "Giant" Garcia took Herrera's words & reworked them to a hip hop beat. It was great! 
Other performer have been added on a separate blog.

New Poetry Class Starts in Indio

By Moises Huerta

Una clase nueva de poesía se inicio el jueves 16 de julio. Maestra Maria Galaviz ha traído su clase de poesía a Indio para todas personas interesadas. En las clases de poesía encontrara la oportunida de expresarse en escrito, en platicas con otras personas, y en escuchar la creatividad de las demas personas. Esperamos ver a todas personas interesadas en participar. Si hay alguna persona que este interesada en empezar aun hay tiempo.https://www.facebook.com/CrisalidaArts Disfrute las fotos de las primeras clases. 
 

Maria leyendo poesías de sus estudiantes

Irene disfrutando una de las historias de María

Estudiantes escuchando atentamente

Una alumna leyendo su poesía

Una alumna escribiendo sus notas

Ella esta interesada y fascinada

Si, a veces nos hace reir Maria!

Poetry Workshop Graduation in North Shore

By Moises Huerta

Felicidades a todos los alumnos de la clase de poesía en North Shore. Este viernes 24 de Julio celebramos la graduación de los estudiantes de poesía. Fue una celebración bonita que incluyó niños, jóvenes, y personas de todas edades. 

 

La celebracion incluyo una sena, lectura de poesias de los alumnos, y la entrega de certificados y reconocimientos especiales. Acabamos el evento con un pastel delicioso. 

 

Muchisimas gracias a todos, especialmente a Maria Galaviz por ser la maestra y por preparar la sena y el pastel delicioso. Gracias tambien a Jesus Galaviz por cantar y entretenernos despues de la sena.