World Theater welcomes Latin dance/music troupe

By Mark Muckenfuss

When Juan L. Sánchez saw a performance of “Ghostly Labor” by the music and dance group La Mezcla in San Jose, he was impressed.

“It was emotionally gripping and technically flawless,” said Sánchez, executive director and founder of Palenke Arts, a Seaside-based nonprofit that provides art classes and performance space for music, dance and fine arts groups. “I immediately thought I would have to bring this to our community, and I immediately thought of the university.”

“Rhythms of Resistance,” La Mezcla’s latest production, is scheduled from 7-8:30 p.m. Saturday, March 21 at Cal State Monterey Bay’s World Theater. The event is free and open to the public.

The show incorporates tap dance, Son Jarocho (music and dance from Veracruz,

Mexico) and Afro-Caribbean rhythms to celebrate the lives of farm workers, especially women farm workers. 

It’s one example of a community group utilizing one of CSUMB’s premier public facilities. Sánchez said he wishes he could do it more often and that it’s a great way for the campus to interact with the community. 

“To be able to present at the World Theater, where we are mission- and vision-aligned with CSUMB, is really important,” he said. “I would be ecstatic if I had the opportunity to do more co-producing in the future. The arts are needed today.”

Sánchez is a former CSUMB professor. He worked with the Service Learning Institute for 21 years before leaving to run Palenke Arts. He has continued to be involved with the institute, he said, noting that he currently has six students in the service learning program volunteering at the agency.

“We are a small arts organization that has presented events at a repurposed locker room,” he said, noting it’s a far cry from the World Theater. “It’s been difficult to present in a dignified way.

It’s really difficult to present a Grammy-winning artist and have the industrial heater suddenly go on.”

CSUMB music Professor Violet Cavicchi Muñoz worked with Sánchez to help bring La Mezcla to the campus. She said she would like to be able to do more such shows. 

“Using the World Theater in this way positions our campus as a hub for cultural life in our area,” Cavicchi Muñoz said. “It’s a place where meaningful cultural exchange is happening.”

As part of that cultural exchange, a lecture by Vanessa Sáññnchez on the historical narratives and social justice foundations of La Mezcla’s performance will take place at 2 p.m. Friday, March 20, in Room 100 of the Music Hall, Building 30. Admission is free but attendees are asked to RSVP. 

Those messages involve issues of migration, agricultural labor and resilience.

“It’s addressing questions about belonging and equity and history and global awareness, Cavicchi Muñoz said. “It’s important for us as a campus and society to be considering these things at this time.

“Seeing one’s own music, history and culture reflected on the campus helps the students,” she added. “It’s also a vital thing for the campus identity.”

Having the World Theater makes those connections easier, she said. 

“It’s really situated optimally for this kind of event,” she said. “The fact that we’re able to offer free events like this, it's a unique experience that can lower barriers to access.”

Sánchez has produced two concerts at the World Theater in the past three years, and he’s hoping to partner with the university again in the near future. For now, he just wants people to come see the show. 

“I’m incredibly thankful [CSUMB] is able to invest in this,” he said. “We’re hoping a lot of folks from the university, and even the community, will come out.”