East Valley Voices OUT LOUD slide show - ENJOY

 

EAST VALLEY VOICES SLIDESHOW

East Valley Voices OUT LOUD - a photographic sampler...

QUICK PHOTO TOUR OF

EAST VALLEY VOICES OUT LOUD

MAY 9TH

RANCHO TENOCHITLAN, COACHELLA, CA

PRODUCED BY 

CRISALIDA COMMUNITY ARTS 

IN PARTNERSHIP WITH

Culturas Music and Art
The East Valley Rep

 All photos by Christian Mendez, except AMFM portrait (photog unknown as of today)

This album is only a tiny sampling from the vast feast of performances, music, djs, visual artists, actors, rappers, cooks, and community art-consumers who made the event unforgettable.  More images and video coming soon!

The Crisalida Van made its debut at Rancho Tenochitlan on May 9th -- lots of guided tours, info sessions, and Q&A's about the project and how the vehicle can be used in the community!

Danzantes del Sol mezmerized the crowd with their authentic Aztec dances, music and gorgeous costumes  Bravo!

Talk about color!

Crisalida workshop leader/poet Maria Galaviz spoke about her work in Mecca, and read her own heartfelt poetry.

One of the aspiring poets from the Crisalida-sponsored workshops, Senora Garza, read an original piece.

Local singer-songwriter Giselle Woo wowed the crowd with her original songs.

Poet Francisco Rodriguez presented a "praise poem" commissioned by Crisalida to celebrate the life's work of Leonardo Espinoza, a Mecca resident who we interviewed.  Next step, bring Francisco to Leonardos' home so he can hear the poem for himself.

AMFM, the Coachella Valley's home team of hip-hop.  Left to right (myself) AZ, Verz, Rolo, Skyhigh, Giant.  AMFM tore it up and lifted the crowd onto their feet!

The beautiful, funky cafe at the Rancho where great conversation and dollar tacos were consumed.

Spoken word artists Arturo Castellanos performed three original poems with with and humor.

The East Valley Voices OUT LOUD event was a huge success with about 100 people swinging by.  Big thank you to Yaya Ortiz, Ruben Gonzalez, Culturas Music and Art, Carlos Garcia, SDC Sound and Eddie Ruiz, Miles and Monroe Productions, all the performers and support personnel, and volunteers --  It was a huge job, and we DID IT!

Listening, Playing, Cutting, Grooving, Planning...

 The week that was!

Story Corps group

We had two terrific training sessions for local artists and activists who want to be part of the Crisalida outreach team.  The group jumped right in to the theater games and storytelling exercises I gave them and then we looked at the Story Corps do-it-yourself kit and discussed ways that we could bring this out to the Coachella Valley.  At a follow up meeting I gave each person the assignment to do an interview with someone whose story they’d like to hear.  This is another step in developing a story corps of the East Valley.

Plotting the workshop...

The agenda...

Theater game duets...words, voice, gesture...

Among the participants was Maria (pictured below with her son Marco), a local poet who has deep involvement with the Purepecha community in Mecca.  I am delighted that Maria will be doing a series of poetry/creative writing workshops with this vital and unique community for Crisalida in the coming weeks.  Excellente!

 Bill and Alma getting into it!

The training crew...

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SAVE THE DATE - MAY 16^TH

WHAT: East Valley Voices OUT LOUD: A Night of Poetry, Song, Spoken Word and Music

WHO: Local songwriters, poets, hip hop artists, spoken word artists, bands and dj’s, Produced by Crisalida and Culturas Music and Art in partnership with College of the Desert, East Valley Rep, and other East Valley groups.

WHEN: MAY 16^TH 7 – 11PM

WHERE: Culturas Rancho Tenochitlan 50471 Polk St. Coachella, CA 92236

Refreshment will be provided, bring food for the table.

Interested in participating?  PM David Gonzalez at the Crisalida Facebook page HERE

*********************************************************************************************

Meet Gina Chapa the Crisalida Project Manager

Behind every great project is a great project manager, and I am beyond happy that Gina Chapa has signed on.  Gina is from the East Valley town of Thermal and has been a staunch advocate for the people and land for most of her adult life.  I first met Gina at the launch of Crisalida at College of the Desert-Indio when she was the Constituent Services Director for Congressman Ruiz.  She impressed me immediately as a “rubber-to-the-road” social activist with great energy and a honed skillset.  I never dreamed Crisalida would find the perfect manager, but we did.  Gina will be managing, coordinating, co-visioning, and communicating to the Crisalida network of community partners, artists, and others.  We have Gina 20 hours a week for the duration of the project!  Please reach out to Gina at gina@crisalida-arts.org

Culturas Music and Art Records Local Bands for Fundraiser

What are Hip Hop, RnB, Reggae, and Funk doing in desert?  Raising money, raising awareness, that’s what.  I was happy to be a fly-on-the-wall for a day of live recording organized by Jon Becerra and friends.  They will be producing an online album to promote local bands, and to raise funds for next year’s Synergy Festival.

Enjoy these snapshots…

 

Members of the Hip Hop collective AMFM

Jon Becerra and colleague...

Awesome sound and recording by Eddie (last name coming!)

Brainstorming future projects...Gina Chapa in center.

Electric Lucy

NEON says it all...bright, light, and welcoming!

 

Leonardo Espinosa Tells His Story, Part 1

It is a privilege to listen to an elder speak.  The simple transmission of wisdom from lived experience is a profound gift to those who hear it, to those who can learn from it.  Crisalida has adopted the motto from Story Corps, (the brilliant national storytelling project founded by David Isay) Listening is an Act of Love/Escuchar es Amar.   That axiom was never truer as Gina and I sat (along with Joe Mota and Nicole Sanchez from the Coachella Valley Housing Coalition), in Leonardo Espinoza’s home in the Casas Uno housing project in Coachella.  With his adorable grandkids peeking around the corner every few minutes Leonardo shared the opening chapters of his story with us…why he came to America from Mexico in 1957, his struggle to adjust, his heartbreak and loneliness, the friends and opportunities that gave him hope, and the courage and strength that allowed him to build a life, a family, a new home.  After a few minutes it was clear that Leonardo’s story could not be rushed, and could not fit within the 75 minutes we had scheduled.  At the end of the session he agreed that we could come back for more interviews, and as a parting gift he sang us this song.  Enjoy Leonardo, you’ll be hearing more from his life as an immigrant, a field worker, an United Farm Workers organizer, and new American.

Leonardo, his granddaughter, yours truly.

CVHC Casas community outreach for Coachella Valley Housing Coalition

I will let the pictures do the talking here…just saying…

The East Valley Rep is Born

It was a thrilling…no, historic, night at the Coachella Valley Art Center in Indio – Desert Dreams, a new play by Laura Araujo Salinas, received its first reading to inaugurate the birth of the East Valley Rep, a theater company devoted to sharing the voices of the eastern Coachella Valley.   A full house welcomed Artistic Director, Carlos Garcia to the stage where he introduced the East Valley Rep, spoke about the EVR’s mission, offered concrete ways to get involved, and then introduced the play.  The all-volunteer group of reader/actors did a terrific job bringing Ms. Araujo-Salinas’ words to life.  Given that many of them drove 2+ hours to get to Indio for the reading, and that this was a “cold” read done without the benefit of rehearsal, they gave dimension and drama to the characters and situations.   After a short break with refreshments provided by Bill Shinsky (founder/director of CVAC, and Crisalida) I moderated a spirited, and quite useful 45 minute feedback session between the playwright, actors, and the public during which many helpful nuggets were offered to Ms. Araujo-Salinas.  Crisalida will be partnering with the EVR over the next year as they continue to grow, show, and blow people’s minds with the power of live theater.

Artistic Director of EVR, Carlos Garcia

Carlos Garcia, Laura Araujo-Salinas, dg.

prepping the readers...

Laura right before we started...

Carlos giving an intro...

All smiles at the end of a great evening.

 

Meet Yreina Ortiz

Remember cutting out paper dolls? remember the joy of scissors and construction paper? Remember the reveal of unfolding cut paper?  I do…it was magic holding those round-edged little scissors, tracing lines, making objects…

Well the art of paper-cutting is alive and well in Indio.  Meet Yreina Ortiz a master practitioner of the art of papel-picado, a traditional Mexican art form practiced for centuries now updated with high-tech precision tools but retaining all the soulful beauty of the craft.  I spent a breathtaking hour learning about Yreina’s art, watching her design, cut, paste…and at the end she gave me a string of mariposas, butterflies, the symbol of Crisalida.  I have asked Yreina to make mariposas out of wood for the van (tissue paper, while wonderfully light and translucent is fragile after all), and to be a workshop leader for Crisalida.  She showed me a book she made using paper cuts and photographs that tell the stories her told her as a child – amazingly beautiful stuff.  Visit Yreina’s website HERE.  Again, enjoy!

Now THAT is what I'm talking about!

 Meet Francisco Rodriguez

Meet Franciso Rodriguez Rodriguez, poet/writer and newly minted community arts worker.  CVHC outreach director Joe Mota introduced Francisco to me and we hit it off right away.  I had asked him to bring some of his writing to our meeting at a local café and quickly heard in his poetry a probing mind and a distinct love of language.  Francisco will be writing a Poem of Praise based on Leonardo Espinosa’s life story.

The Van – Moving on Down the Road

Crisalida Van update

engine – check!

tires – check!

smog test – check!

registration  and plates – check!

The van is getting wrapped with a funky cool look as I write this.

...one more tiny step on the way to greatness.

Crisalida at Cultura's SYNERGY FESTIVAL in Coachella

Cultura’s “The Synergy Festival” in the city of Coachella
Crisalida’s first steps

Blog entry by Lenin Silva

The Crisalida team around noon at the Synergy Festival in the city of Coachella
(Jeff Norman/The McCallum Theatre)

By, Lenin Silva

Crisalida’s first event was this past weekend the 17th of November, 2014 in the city of Coachella, Ca. The Crisalida team took part in “The Synergy Festival” at Dateland Park near Coachella’s city hall. The Synergy Festival was arranged by an organization called “Culturas.”

Culturas board member, Oralia Ortiz, and her granddaughter greeting folks at the Crisalida tent
(Lenin Silva/Crisalida)

Folks from Culturas were kind enough to provide the Crisalida team a space, tents, chairs, and food for the duration of the festival. The Crisalida team was provided the capacity to execute their first Story Corps inspired project at the outing. Weeks leading up to the event, the manager, spiritual leader, and face of Crisalida, David Gonzalez related “we don’t know what to expect at The Synergy Festival,” but that this event would be a great opportunity for Crisalida to get it’s feet in the water and get an idea of what obstacles and possibilities may lie ahead for the organization.

Over 80 Story Corps questions displayed in Spanish for folks to use as conversation starters as they sat down to interview each other in the Crisalida tent
(Jeff Norman/ The McCallum Theatre)

The Crisalida motto for the day, “listening is an act of love,” displayed on banners in English and Spanish at the main Crisalida tent during Synergy Festival in the city of Coachella
(Jeff Norman/The McCallum Theatre)

Initially the Crisalida team seemed somewhat disillusioned. From 10:00AM until 1:00PM a few local natives curiously came up to the Crisalida tent intrigued and inquisitive about the project, but not necessarily interested in participating in sitting down and talking about themselves. Folks were setting up tents and food stands at Dateland Park as early as 8:00AM, but the festival itself started around 10:00AM. Not until a little after 1:00PM did the Crisalida team get their first willing participants, a valley mother and her son. After breaking in the recording equipment and capturing their first story, more people began rolling in and signing up. It was not unexpected, since the team did not exactly know what to expect, but by sundown the folks from Crisalida were all somewhat elated to discover that about nine to ten folks had decided to sit down with them and relate little gems about their lives in the form of stories, to Crisalida and to each other.

The Crisalida team prepping two potential storytellers for an interview at the interview tent.
(Lenin Silva/Crisalida)

A brief description of the process on how Crisalida documented stories at the event may be described as follows: folks interested in participating in our storytelling project would be briefed ahead of time on how the interviews would take place. Then Crisalida team members would follow by getting their contact information before walking them to a separate tent we had setup at the fringes of the park where the festival took place. There, the team would be able to record the audio with less noise pollution from other activities going on at the time. At the recording tent there was over 80 starter questions on display and available to the participants, the team would suggest to participants that they select at least three or five questions to ask to each other. Once ready, everyone except the two participants, and an audiovisuals technician, would stay at the tent to record the participants as they shared each other's experiences through an active dialogue. 

One of the first participants in the storytelling project, Joe Villarreal, and Sara Conantes, as they concluded their interviews with each other at the Crisalida tent
(Lenin Silva/Crisalida)

At Synergy, there was a great turnout and participation! Some really incredible, moving, and inspirational stories were collected. The Crisalida team documented folks predominantly from Coachella, but not limited to Indio, Thermal, Mecca, and other communities pertinent to the Coachella Valley. This in hopes to capture a picture of what life is like in the valley, and take the pulse of the community by sharing each other's experiences, discovering something new about ourselves, our environment, by giving back the gift of storytelling to those folks who participated.

Mother and daughter, Patricia Silva (left), and Melissa Damian (right), with Crisalida team leader David Gonzalez (far right) helping them out in choosing what questions the pair would ask each other before their storytelling interview
(Lenin Silva/Crisalida)

From the day’s turnout and participation, it's not farfetched to conclude that Crisalida has the capacity to walk through many doors; the possibilities for this project are brimming with opportunity. At the event the team managed to secure contacts and build a rapport with artists, community leaders, healers, and educators such as: Veronica Cordova, who helps empower people with disabilities via the Community Access Center; The Center for Domestic Violence; writer and producer, Trino Martinez; local graphic artist, Josue Miramontes; hair stylist and fashion enthusiast Belen Cortez; the dance group “Mujeres en Resistencia;” Hip-hop performer RowLow, and other young folks from the local hip-hop community; and a handful of other individuals who expressed a desire to work with the Crisalida program in the future.

The performers, Mujeres en Resistencia, concluding their set at The Synergy Festival in Coachella, Ca
(Lenin Silva/Crisalida)

Special thanks to the folks at Culturas for putting this event together! A shoutout to Culturas board member, Yaya Ortiz, for helping us put this event together. Thanks to the venerable brother from Aztlan, community leader, and Culturas board member, Pepe Rivera, who shared some of his experiences and wisdom with the Crisalida team. Also, praises to the city of Coachella for allowing activities like this to happen in their hometown. To all the youth, the chavalitos and chavalitas who came came out to take part in this event, to all the performers, lowrider and classic car enthusiasts (Los Viejitos), artists, educators, motivators, and all the other folks who went unnoticed here, from Crisalida to you, thank you for coming to this event.