Olé You Guys: Flamenco Influences of Chicanx Identity in New Mexico By Erica Acevedo-Ontiveros A Dissertation Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy Approved April 2019 by the Graduate Supervisory Committee: Tamara Underiner, Chair Rachel Bowditch Michelle Heffner Hayes Tiffany López ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY May 2019 ABSTRACT My dissertation topic engages in the trajectory of Roma/Gitano culture and flamenco and its implications for Chicanx culture in New Mexico. New Mexicans have the reputation amongst US Chicanx as referring to themselves as Hispanic and aligning culturally with a Spanish sensibility. Historically in the larger US Chicanx community this type of popularity for flamenco would be described as typical of New Mexico’s wavering Chicanidad that yearns to be connected to a Spanish colonial past more than to its indigenous Mexican roots. However, I believe the reality is a bit different. What makes New Mexican Chicanx different from the larger US Chicanx community is that they utilize flamenco and its Gitano roots as a cultural example of their Chicanidad. There is scant research on how Chicanidad as a historical movement has been influenced by the flamenco culture that exists in New Mexico. This dissertation will begin a conversation that places flamenco and the precarious identity of Chicanx, Gitanos and Nuevomejicanos in dialogue through the body, the art form, and the cultural stylings of flamenco rooted in the Flamenco Festival Internacional de Albuquerque (FFI). i DEDICATORIO I dedicate this dissertation to everyone who didn’t make it, for everyone who got stuck in sticky spots. For my familia who never crossed, for those that have already expired from this world because the world was not made for them to survive it, let alone to flourish. Most of all, I dedicate this dissertation to 4-year-old Erica Gabriela Ocegueda who struggled being her authentic self for about 40 years. She could not imagine that she could accomplish something so big, so complex, so herself. Para los flamencos que siguen inspirando…sea de Burque o de España o de donde salgan…que todos estamos con Camarón…Nuestra sangre grita! ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This dissertation is one step in a lifelong process. I would like to acknowledge people who have made me a better thinker: Mi mamá Angelina Ontiveros González, Matthew Acevedo, Mary Stephens, Asantewa Sunni-Ali, Brian Eugenio Herrera, Erika Hughes, Leonard Madrid, Jade Power Sotomayor, Heather Rastovac, Laurelann Porter, Rosamaría Kostic Cisneros, MaryAnne Newhall, and Mary Cianflone. The following people helped make Burque a soft landing: Patricio A. Zamora, Rita Zamora, Crystal Xochitl Zamora, David Zamora, Kalpulli Ehecatl, Jorge García, Esperanza, Davíd, Terrie and Esteban Luján, Terry Gómez, Miguel Alvear and his novia. Sometimes it is not the amount that people say but it is in the timing. Hearing encouragement no matter how minute in an appropriate time has been priceless [many times I do not think people realize the tremendous amount of influence we all have over each other] these are the ones that stick out like Grace Jones at a cocktail party: Patricia Ybarra, Tiffany López, Heather Rastovac, Marci McMahon, Paolo Vignolo, Paloma Enmei Martínez-Cruz, Martha Gonzales, Alan Gómez, Luis Álvarez, Linda Tuhiwai Smith, Coco Fusco, Sharon Bridgeforth, Adriana Gallego, and Claudio Dicochea. It takes a village of babysitters and I could not have written a single word without all of these people working together: Mi mamá Angelina Ontiveros González, Matthew Acevedo, Angelina Ramírez y su esposa Elisa Radcliffe, Haley Honeman, Doña Yolanda and her four generous hijas, Elli Danowski. Finding space to think and write is not easy, especially with a two-year old at my heels. I would like to acknowledge these public spaces and businesses for being my PhD desk: iii Lola Coffee, Burton Barr Public Library, and Esso Coffee…my satellite house that was a respite from the outside world, a place where the pastries and tamales are from La Purísima Panadería making them all that much more delicious. I would like to thank my dissertation committee: Tamara Underiner, Rachel Bowditch, Michelle Heffner Hayes, and Tiffany López for sticking by me and offering their time, energy, and wisdom on this long journey. I would like to thank the organizations that saw value and awarded funds for studying, researching, and writing about Chicanx and flamenco: ASU Graduate College, Graduate Professional Student Association, ASU Institute for Humanities Research, Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts, School of Film, Dance and Theatre, and the Completion Fellowship. Flamenco has given me so many palpable gifts, including a supportive family of loving people that have helped me be a better human being, mainly my sisters from another mister. Montserrat Andreys and Diana Victoria García (née López). I want to thank the flamencos that took the time to talk to me about this project and to share their wisdom, their light, and their generosity of spirit, olé todos! None of this journey would have been possible without a destination. Without someone taking a very big risk and entrusting the theatre performances of a prestigious flamenco festival to a novice stage manager who lacked in professional acumen but made up for it in a willingness to persevere in complicated circumstances. Eva Enciñias, has provided a flamenco destination for many people and the Flamenco Festival Internacional de Albuquerque has been a beacon for flamenco aficionados and novice stumblers for over 31 years. Olé que olé! iv TABLE OF CONTENTS Page GLOSSARY……………………………………………………………………………..x INVITACION…………………………………………………………………………xiii Y la juerga empieza: Que es lo que hay, what is there?.......................................xiii La Patada as an organizing structure for this project……………………………xix CHAPTER 1 ENTRADA, CHICANX IDENTITY, THE RELATIONSHIP WITH NUEVOMEJICANO IDENTITY AND ITS RELATIONSHIP TO BAILE………………………………………………………...……………….1 Raíces Rancias…………………………………………...………………..3 Barum Barum Pom Pom: Mi Entrada…………………….………….……6 Barum Barum Pom Pom: Lo que encontré……………..………….…….11 Cambiando el palo: From Azteca to flamenco………………….……….14 Parum Parum Pom: intro to análisis…………………….…...………..….19 Chicanx Clima en Nuevo México……………………………..…………20 O sí, Nuevomejicano………………………….…………...……………..24 2 REMATE TO THE LETRA: GITANO IDENTITY AND THEIR RELATIONSHIP TO DANCE, SPECIFICALLY FLAMENCO……………….27 Embodied Inequality………………………………………………….….28 v CHAPTER Page How does migration read on the body (a brief overview of flamenco history)?.....................................................................................................32 Un poquito más de historia…………………………………………...….35 No vale nada la vida…la vida no vale nada………………………...……40 Festival Flamenco Internacional in Albuquerque, Nuevo México…...….43 Flamenco Diaspora Pega en Burque……………………………………..50 How I came to stage manage the festival……………………….………..53 Flamenco Cultural Practices and a Pro-Gitano Curriculum…………..…54 3 LETRA: CULTURAS COME TOGETHER DURING THE FESTIVAL FLAMENCO INTERNACIONAL DE ALBUQUERQUE……………………...59 El Famoso Festival………………………………………………………60 Triana, Triana: The NIF Interviews……………………………………...65 Entre Dos Mundos………………………………………………………67 Que Bonita está Triana: Unas Preguntitas………………………………69 Las Respuestas………………………………………………………….82 Bhabha’s Power of Tradition……………………………………………84 vi CHAPTER Page 4 LLAMADA TO THE CORNER: CHICANX/GITANO MOMENTS WHERE THESE CULTURES COMPLEMENT, FLOW, AND STICK…………………87 Olé you guys……………………………………………………………90 Flamenco Fusion…………………………………………………………91 Chicanx Flamenco Performances………………………………………..93 Flamencas y Aguilas Blancas……...…………………………………….97 Surrogation and Roach…………………………………………………100 5 SALIDA: WHAT DID I FIND AND HOW DOES IT CHANGE LO QUE HAY…IN OTHER WORDS QUE ES LO QUE HAY AHORA………………103 We are Chicano because we do flamenco…………………………..…..105 Fin de fiesta: patadas that subvert………………………………………117 WORKS CITED…………………………………………...………………………...…121 BIBLIOGRAPHY………………………………………………………………………123 APPENDIX A NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF FLAMENCO (NIF) INTERVIEWS.…127 B ERICA ACEVEDO-ONTIVEROS INTERVIEW BY ERICA ACEVEDO-ONTIVEROS……………………………………………..196 vii CHAPTER Page C FIELD NOTES WITH THE GITANO/SPANISH FLAMENCO PERFORMERS………………………………………………………..204 D ALL OF THE RESPONSES FROM THE NIF INTERVIEWEES ORGANIZED BY QUESTIONS………………………………………208 E FESTIVAL FLAMENCO INTERNACIONAL 31 PROGRAM……....221 viii GLOSSARY To help facilitate the conversation I am including a glossary of terms. Most of these terms are common flamenco terms that will be used intermittently throughout the document. Alegrías: Typically used as in “dancing por alegrías.” Literally means happy, but really means a dance with 12 beat time signature. Atrevida: Daring, bold, sassy. Baile: How flamencos refer to people who dance flamenco, bailaores. Bulerías: The most famous of the 12 beat time signatures, also known as one of the signature party palos. Burque: How some people refer to the city of Albuquerque. I have yet to hear a non-local who has never lived there refer to Albuquerque as Burque. Cante: The backbone of flamenco. Literally means singing. Someone who sings flamenco is a cantaor. Compás: How all flamenco is measured rhythmically. Cuadro: The group of flamencos you need in order to perform flamenco. It varies according to space and need. Danzante: Aztec dancer. ix Duende: Inexplicable other worldly connection between flamenco performers and an ethereal plane. Entrada: