A series of workshops and rehearsals this week will culminate with a musical chronicle of the contributions Hispanics have made to Tucson through music and dance since the 1800s.
The production took root in 1994, when Julie Gallego, who works days as Tucson Convention Center events coordinator and nights at her dance studio on the city's South Side, saw something similar in El Paso.
"I decided that we needed to document Tucson's rich history," she said.
She put on the first show that year at the TCC Music Hall, and has expanded it since. For help researching Tucson's musical history she turned to her father, Rafael Gonzalez, 78, a retired Air Force staff sergeant.
"My dad was a wealth of knowledge. He helped me so much. We went to the homes of musicians, who are now in their mid-80s, and interviewed them and collected historical photographs they so graciously shared with us," Gallego said.
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This year, Gallego, 44, expanded the Viva Arizona Hispanic Performing Arts Conference & Concert and moved it to the University of Arizona.
"This is the first time we are giving workshops, and the UA School of Music has agreed to co-host the conference," she said. The other hosts are El Centro Cultural de Las Americas and the UA Mariachi Arizona Ensemble.
The show's cast includes 160 musicians and dancers, and many of those dancers were perfecting their moves last week at Gallego's studio.
Choreographer Alexis Ortega, 23, led the seasoned dancers through shoulder rolls, hip shakes and chest pops. Then they shifted into the Big Band Era and danced a swing.
"I never knew the entertainment history of Hispanics and Mexicans here in Tucson," said Ortega, a UA nursing student. "This show incorporates my passion — dance — into a history lesson, and it educates our youth about where our ancestors came from and what they contributed in music and song to this nation. It has given me more versatility as a dancer."
Rosemary Chavez, 29, a former Viva dancer who was helping instruct performers, said the audience can relate to the show. "It is a history timeline that touches our nanas, tatas, aunts, uncles and youth."
Gallego begins that timeline with the styles of mariachi and baile folklórico in the 1800s. Influences changed with the arrival of the railroad in 1880, bringing with it a stronger European influence.
Musical tunes in the show include country hoedowns and cancans from the 1920s. In the 1930s, Lalo Guerrero was writing boleros, and radio brought rumbas and popular music by Xavier Cugat. The 1940s and '50s brought swing, jitterbug, conga, mambo and the cha-cha.
The 1970s brought Tex-Mex sounds. In the 1980s, Carlos Santana and José Feliciano had a strong impact on Latino music, and the show touches on how they influenced local musicians.
Dancers will showcase each decade up to the present. Musical tributes will be made this year to Gipsy Kings, a group from the south of France known for its passionate love songs and intense dance numbers.
A tribute also will be given to Pitbull, a 23-year-old Cuban-American rapper who combines dance hall, reggaeton, crunk, reggae and hip-hop with Spanish and English lyrics.
l What: Hispanic Performing Arts Conference Workshops — professionals teaching include celebrity choreographer Jesse Lee Santos and artists Lorenzo Mendez, Olga Flores, Trio Los Hermanos Perez, Mariachi Plata of Las Vegas and Los Gallegos.
l When: Wednesday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., $65 per class. Classes for novices to advanced include flamenco, salsa, folklórico, hip-hop, mariachi, Tejano, classical flamenco guitar and boleros.
l Where: University of Arizona School of Music and School of Dance, corner of East Speedway and North Park Avenue.
l Information: www.vivaazworkshops.com or call 544-9543 or 360-4232.
l When: Saturday at 7 p.m.
l Where: UA Centennial Hall at East University Boulevard and North Park Avenue
l Tickets: $15 to $25 in advance and $17 to $27 at the door (discounts available for seniors and children)
l Information: UA Centennial Hall Box Office, 621-3341
l What: Food and music in honor of mariachi singer Elisa Gastellum, 18, who died in a traffic accident in February.
l When: Sunday from 3 to 8 p.m.
l Where: El Casino Ballroom, 437 E. 26th St.
l Tickets: $10 per person at the door, or at Yoly's Music Shop — 5650 S. 12th Ave. or 2980 S. Sixth Ave.
l Information: www.esoelisa.com
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