Music and Rituals

    Growing up in an immigrant family meant that for most of my life, the only family that I have always been surrounded by is my immediate family. By that I mean the only constant people in my life have been my parents and siblings. Because my parents left their families behind in Mexico, I did not have many experiences with large family gatherings. The only time I do remember having large gatherings was from ages 2-5, but the large gatherings were no longer possible when we moved to South Carolina from Rhode Island. That being said, growing up in a predominately Latinx community, we were always invited to the birthday parties and especially the quinceañeras. 

    Like every other party, there are songs that get played at almost every party you go to. For a lot of Americans that song is "Cha-Cha  Slide" by Mr. C The Slide Man. However, Mexicans have our own version of this song, except our song is called "No Rompas Mi Corazon" by Caballo Dorado. This song is guaranteed to be played at every party you go to as it is the kind of song that makes everyone rush to the dance floor as soon as the first note plays. This song is also accompanied by a dance that everyone knows, but the challenge with this dance is that it gets progressively faster until there is nobody left on the dance floor that can keep up. It looks a little bit like this (the dance starts around 0:56): 


The funny thing about this being a staple at Mexican parties is that not a lot of people know that this version of the song is not the original. While this version of the song is the most popular within Mexican-American communities, this version of the song is actually a cover of the original song called "Don't Tell My Heart" by the Marcy Brothers.

    In addition to this song, there are a couple of other songs that are staples at Mexican birthday parties and especially quinceañeras. One of those songs is a song that is always played during the father-daughter dance at quinceañeras as the lyrics of the songs tell the story of a father singing to his daughter who is growing up too quickly. Below I have attached the official music video which depicts the story in more detail than I have explained: 


This moment shared between the father and daughter at a quinceañera is one that never fails to make everyone in attendance cry (or at least tear up). Honestly, it is my favorite part about going to quinceañeras. And because I want you all to experience this moment as well, below I have attached a video of a father and daughter dancing to this song at her quinceañera: 






Comments

  1. AC GarbadeSeptember 25, 2023 at 9:55 AM

    I really enjoyed hearing more of your back story through this blog, that was probably my favorite part. I also loved seeing how these songs relate to what is important to you. I loved your personal knowledge of these songs and how that grew my knowledge as well. I overall really loved your blog! You did a great job!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Ariel BryantSeptember 27, 2023 at 5:17 PM

    Hey Selenia! I loved getting to know more about you and your family! I really like the dance in the first video. It seems like lots of fun and it definitely seems more complicated than the cha cha slide, but looks like it would be very fun to learn! I really love the last video, it is so heartfelt and beautiful!

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  3. Christopher Melody MadnessSeptember 30, 2023 at 5:12 PM

    I thoroughly enjoyed being engaged within the Latin-American and specifically Mexican American culture through music. I also found it very interesting your love for the Quinceanera event as growing up as a Mexican American girl and your love for the culture you surrounded yourself in and what it meant to you.

    ReplyDelete
  4. AugustineSeptember 30, 2023 at 10:15 PM

    Hello Selenia, I thought the quinceanera dance to the music was very emotional as well. The lyrics are really cool and I like how it felt like a grand rock ballad when all the instruments came in. With events like this, I think music plays a vital role in asserting the mood of the event. It brings people together in a unique way.

    ReplyDelete
  5. LJ CurryOctober 2, 2023 at 6:13 PM

    Hi Selenia, I found it real enjoying and interesting learning more about you and your experience with the quinceaneras. I loved how you used the comparison of american's with the song cha-cha slide compared to mexican's with the song No Rompas Mi Corazon to show how both sides that is their go to songs.

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