“Navidad: A Mexican-American Christmas,” by Calpulli Mexican Dance Company, is a Nutcracker story that blends Mexican and American holiday traditions into a beautiful holiday show.
“Navidad: A Mexican-American Christmas”
Calpulli Mexican Dance Company “Navidad: A Mexican-American Christmas,” is a Nutcracker story about a child’s dilemma whether to celebrate her Mexican or American Christmas traditions; at the Count Basie Center for the Arts in Red Bank, New Jersey: on Monday, November 20, 2023 at 7pm. $20. thebasie.org 🇲🇽
Synopsis
“Navidad: A Mexican-American Christmas” celebrates the holiday traditions experienced by a young person of Mexican immigrant parents growing up in New York City. Experiencing traditions from Aztec-inspired dance to Christmas carols, the youngster tries to bring their two worlds together. In a dream, they imagine the fusion of Mariachi music with Tchaikovsky, folk dance with ballet, and the wonderment of their two cultures. But a tempting character preaches the separation of these customs, and the youngster must choose.
“Navidad: Una Navidad Mexicano-Americana” celebra las tradiciones navideñas vividas por un joven de padres inmigrantes mexicanos que crece en la ciudad de Nueva York. Experimentando tradiciones que van desde la danza de inspiración azteca hasta los villancicos, el joven intenta unir sus dos mundos. En un sueño, imagina la fusión de la música de los mariachis con Tchaikovsky, de la danza folclórica con el ballet, y el asombro de sus dos culturas. Pero un personaje tentador predica la separación de estas costumbres, y el joven debe elegir.
Navidad, the Latin Christmas
Christmas is family time, and if there is one thing that defines Latins, it’s family. We love the holidays.
Christmas in the Latin world is a little complicated because we have many traditions to celebrate. We have rich Indigenous holiday traditions, Three Kings from our Hispanic heritage, and Christmas from our American heritage.
We are all of that, but the situation is a little confusing for our children. They want to celebrate like their friends in the popular culture. Fortunately, it’s not a binary choice. It’s up to us parents to teach our children that they don’t have to be one or the other. Being multicultural, we get to celebrate all the traditions.
Calpulli Mexican Dance Company productions are Broadway-quality in every dimension – really. And as teaching artists, they help New Yorkers connect with our heritage traditions. Calpulli is one of New York City’s most vibrant dance companies.
¡Feliz Navidad ~ Merry Christmas!