Katerin Canales
Professor Anna Scott
June 11, 2009
The Representation of Movements
During our parade, we decided to incorporate movements that would represent the struggles that immigrants all around the world go through to get to the United States. Some of the movements were copied from the Orishas just without a little bit of changes in the meaning. Our goal was for people to think about the process of what an immigrant leaves behind, their struggles, and what they mostly do when they arrive.
Our first movement, which was the circle, represented how the family is united before a member makes the decision of crossing to the United States. It also represents the world in a way that there are people immigrating all around it. Once a member decides to go on the journey of crossing, the circle breaks up meaning that the family has separated. The samba, since we thought it was one of the hardest to do, we decide to use it as a way of letting people know how hard it is to make such a decision of leaving your family behind. The movement that followed was the dipping while holding each other closely. This meant how the family follows through though times. The next movement that followed was the threading for the women and the machete for the men. The men were first in line because it represented how the men tend to leave to work first. The women most likely stayed at home doing chores and that was threading represented. In the pavement we decided to form a line and chant as well as using our fist, “imigrantes unidos por justicia,” which meant, “immigrants united for justice.” It represented how all type of immigrants unites every day to have a better life. They fight for their rights and justice in a non-violent way. Immigrants cross over because they need a better job that pays more to afford their family. Our next movement included the mirror. This movement was gotten from the Orisha Oxum. The mirror in the left hand represented the things and the people they were leaving behind. The right hand represented the future that is waiting for them on the other side of the border. The movement of the hands moving as if we were swimming represents how in some immigrants have to cross the ocean by swimming. Two of our dancers were standing in front to represent the border. They opened and closed their hands representing who will pass and who will need to try again. The rest of the dancers were moving their hands like the Orisha, Omulu movemet. The representation of the movement in our dance was to signify the sunburn the immigrants get from too much time spend on the dessert and the sun. It shows how much they suffer going through the struggle. The dance that we presented at the end, after crossing the border, was a way of showing how the immigrants celebrate after crossing. The raising of the arms signified abundance. After going through so much struggle and pain, they celebrate as they can and many time reunite with their own family.
While doing the parade I learned that many movements can mean different things. It is just the matter of how you incorporate them into your theme. It is also important the way that you show the moves because if you do them sloppy or in another way, they might mean something else. I also realize that the best part in this is to trust your team mates. Everybody should learn their own part and trust the rest to do their part so the parade would come out right. At the beginning of the class when the professor had just announced we were going to have a parade as a final, I freaked out. I thought I was not going to be able to do it. At the end of the parade I felt like nothing, like I was able to do it again. I think that the professor and the class brought confidence in me. I really enjoyed everything that we performed in the class.