If you know me, you have probably heard me repeat, “May I be Latina in this lifetime and the next.” In reality, I don’t know how many lifetimes we get, and this column isn’t going to dig deeply into what is to come. All I do know is that I am forever grateful to be Latina — especially now that it’s spring. A sunny Chicago always feels like peak Latina season.
Spring pushes me to return to my reggaeton playlists. Last year around this time, you could find me listening to Shakira, Peso Pluma and Omar Courtz in preparation for the music festival Sueños.
This spring, I am forced to save money to study abroad in the fall, so I am skipping my favorite music festival. I am trying to be financially responsible for a change — really embracing the mentality of “what would an adult do in this situation.”
Even though I don’t have a Sueños weekend to look forward to this May, I find myself listening to more music in Spanish. It’s not spring without my favorite Spanish hits.
In part, I have to give credit to the Dale Duro dance show this weekend, as it brought back many memories.
This was my first year attending a Dale Duro performance, and I am still in awe. I’ve attended a variety of dance groups’ showcases on campus, but this was hands down my favorite. Every show I’ve watched has been filled with talented dancers. However, the overall environment and my personal connection to the Dale Duro show has me raving about it.
From the show’s opening remarks, I knew I chose correctly when deciding to spend my Saturday night in the Technological Institute’s Ryan Auditorium. One of the emcees began the show by acknowledging how important it is to celebrate Latine culture in our current times.
And perhaps it is just me, but sometimes being at Northwestern, I get so wrapped up in deadlines, internship applications and worrying about the future that I forget to ground myself in my history and culture.
All my childhood memories are uniquely coded in my Latinidad. There is no current version of myself without my Latina roots, which is exactly what the show focused on. The Dale Duro Spring Show: Hasta La Raíz was a celebration of cultural roots.
I never expected to hear “La Peinada” by Chuy Lizarraga y Su Banda Tierra Sinaloense on NU’s campus, so I was in shock when I recognized the song playing Saturday night.
In my head, this is a tío (uncle) song. The song was released in 2009 and has a very traditional Mexican style. I could not stop smiling as I watched the dancers, including some classmates, showcase Mexican culture on stage. Some stomped their botas (boots) while dancing the fast-tempo traditional choreography, concluding the dance with the Mexican flag being displayed.
Seeing everyone on stage perform dance after dance, I couldn’t help but get flashbacks to waking up on weekends to my mom blasting bachata or cumbia songs as she started to clean the house and hearing Daddy Yankee as I watched my brothers play in their Sunday soccer leagues at our local park and my uncles cueing banda songs during our family carne asadas (barbeques).
As a Latina, I can switch between listening to SZA and Rauw Alejandro on my walks to class. Being Latina also means holding onto many memories filled with my family and dancing.
Latine culture isn’t always celebrated, especially in recent times, so I loved seeing a student organization on campus dancing in a community and exemplifying Latine joy.
All this to say, if you are feeling “Rent Free” and inspired by this column, add some reggaeton or other Spanish music to your playlist. Spanish songs never fail to make me happy. If you are looking for some new Latino artists, I suggest you tune into Reik, Danny Ocean or traditional Mexican artists like Julión Álvarez.
Arlette Correa is a Medill sophomore and author of “Rent Free.” She can be contacted at [email protected]. If you would like to respond publicly to this op-ed, send a Letter to the Editor to [email protected]. The views expressed in this piece do not necessarily reflect the views of all staff members of The Daily Northwestern.
