5/4 Draft Questions - Chloe Rabinowitz

1. In Gonzalez’s “Mixing in the Kitchen”, she describes the role of fandango in mainstream American culture, “Chicano Rock musician Ritchie Valens popularized this iconic version in the nineteen fifties “...”But ‘La Bamba’ is only one of the many sones played in fandango ritual” (Gonzalez 72). Is there significance in the fact that the most well-known son in son jarocho is “La Bamba”, a song created by a man in the 1950s?
2. Also in Gonzalez’s “Mixing in the Kitchen”, she explains the response from Mexican women when she first described her project to them, “Mexicanas are very much interested in activities or projects that benefit the mujer but not if they feel it is at the expense of family and spousal responsibility” (Gonzalez 75). Has the patriarchal constructs present in Mexicano/a culture been restrictive in terms of looking down on movements that encourage female empowerment?
3. In “Caminos y Canciones en Los Ángeles, California”, the breadth of fandango is highlighted in the quote, “From San Diego to the Bay Area every major city in California is now linked in one way or another to a community or performance group of fandangueros in Mexico” (Gonzalez 5). Why is it important for fandango to have roots in today’s American society?
4. In the video about the Seattle Fandango Project, one of the women describes fandango as, “Building community in the act of learning” (2:50). How does collective learning and expanding of one’s knowledge contribute to creating connections and building community?