Southwest celebrates Mexican heritage with music and dance
Gerardo Demara, 16-yearold Southwest High School junior, used to go watch his father play with his band when he was little. Since then, he knew he wanted to dedicate his life to music.
As he started getting older he began singing, learning playing guitar, piano, bass and drums. Then when Gerardo was 12 years old, he asked his father for an accordion.
“(I wanted to play) the accordion because it was not a common instrument,” said Gerardo.
He was up for the challenge. So when his dad bought it for him he started teaching himself by watching YouTube videos.
“I started training my ear. At the same time, I got really good at listening at the notes and being able to tell where to play,” said Gerardo.
Now he has been playing accordion for four years and has formed his own band. He is also currently in the process of recording his first album.
“I really like to portray what I feel through music and that people (enjoy) listening to my music,” said Gerardo.
He had a chance to share his music with his peers at Southwest High School on Sept. 16 in honor of Mexican Independence Day.
Nanncy Rivero, a 16-year-old Southwest junior and Mexican-American Club member, said that the purpose of this event was to remember the day in Mexican history when Mexico finally got its independence from Spain.
The Mexican-American Club decorated the Jimmie Cannon Threater for the Performing Arts in white, red and green flags while girls in fluttering folklorico dress greeted the audience with shouts of “Viva!”
“We danced and played games, too,” said Nancy.
Even the teachers performed for the school in a zapateado competition, which is a style of flamenco dance that includes a rhythmic tapping of the heels.
“My favorite part was when the teachers did the zapateado competition,” said Francisco Uribe, 17-year-old Southwest senior.
The winner was physics teacher, David Rosas, who had the crowd on its feet with the famous grito.
But, the highlight of the assembly was Gerardo’s band.
“(I like this band) in particular because they touch base with their Hispanic culture,” said Magnolia Martinez, resource teacher at Southwest.
The band of four specializes in a genre of Mexican music called norteño, a popular of music in both urban and rural areas of northern Mexico originating in the 20th century. Demara said he and his band really enjoyed playing for the school.
“Everyone got up and started dancing when we played the cumbias. Also the crowd was cheering and clapping for us,” Gerardo said.
Once the music started playing, the theater broke out into a wild dance party.
All in all, the assembly was a genuine celebration of freedom, music and a celebration of Southwest’s unique cultural heritage.
“I think people should support music in general especially because (Gerardo) wants to help raise the spirit of the school. I think it’s a great thing,” said Martinez.