Carnaval 2023: Esperanza Show Program

THE ASSOCIATION

Carnaval 2 Esper

AMERICAN STUDENTS

Esper Esper

WELCOME TO Carnaval

We thank you for coming to Carnaval 2023: Esperanza. This is our 24th annual production of the Latine cultural showcase at WashU. Carnaval is an entirely student-run production hosted by the Association of Latin American Students. Our goal is to celebrate the diversity of Latine culture on stage together through dance, music, and acting. This year, we have over 75 student performers as well as a planning committee and our wonderful tech crew. All of our student cast and crew have put their hearts and souls into this show and we could not be prouder of them. We are so grateful to the friends and family that have supported the show and those behind it throughout this time. We bring Carnaval 2023 to you as we look for esperanza and hope within our lives. Through all of our daily problems and struggles, we hope to reinforce the notion that hope still exists in our world. Please enjoy the show!

Herman Gonzalez & Sabrina Lozada Carnaval 2023 Co-Directors

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About Us

Carnaval is the annual Latine cultural showcase at WashU. Through a variety of performances, our student cast and crew work to celebrate Latine culture on stage. Sponsored by the Association of Latin American Students, Carnaval represents a broad diaspora of Latine communities and, while we wish we could show you everything our culture has to offer, we hope that this selection does justice to the beauty and diversity that we come from. Whether you are here to celebrate your culture with us or to learn something new, we hope that you enjoy Carnaval 2023: Esperanza.

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Carnaval Committee

Herman Gonzalez

Carnaval Co-Director

Mariana Quiroz

Philanthropy Chair

Emily Feldstein

Co-Choreo Liaison

Ivy Delgadillo

Play Co-Director

Carlos Ramirez

Public Relations Co-Chair

Sabrina Lozada

Carnaval Co-Director

Yoana Zamora Miranda

Assistant Director

Genesis McCree

Co-Choreo Liaison

Michelle Perez Guevara

Play Co-Director

Rosalinda Nuñez-Enriquez

Public Relations Co-Chair

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Show Order

Act I, Scene 1

FOLKLORICO

Act I, Scene 2

RUMBA/SALSA

Act I, Scene 3

SENIOR DANCE

Act I, Scene 4

FLAG FIESTA

PHILANTHROPY

Intermission

Act II, Scene 1

REGGAETON

Act II, Scene 2

MARIACHI

Act II, Scene 3

CASA PAGAENT

Act II, Scene 4

SINGING

Act II, Scene 5

BOMBA

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Playwrights

Ivy Delgadillo

Michelle Perez Guevara

Directing Team

Ivy Delgadillo

Michelle Perez Guevara

Sarah Del Carmen Camacho

Editor

Sarah Del Carmen Camacho

Script Contributor

Artemisia Romero y Carver

Play

This year, the play writers and directors were given the monumental task of having to teach audiences about violence against women in the “skit” format that we all know. Managing the tension between the reality of that pain and the desire for Carnaval to be an uplifting show posed a challenge to us all. The play talks about the issue around femicide in Latin America within an imaginary city and country, Esperanza, Parodia, which was created to generalize the Latine experience.

The story follows Liliana, born in Esperanza, and Rodrigo, who grew up with Liliana but moved to the United States at a young age with his mother Ashley and brother Ricardo as their lives come together again. Liliana is our representative for women who are fighting every day in the name of protecting women in Latin America. As student playwrights and directors, research and outside guidance to learn more about the heartbreaking phenomenon of femicide was crucial to the play. We hope that this work will be the start of a conversation on our campus about the state of gender violence, both in our communities and across the world.

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Content Warnings

ACT I:

Scene1: None

Scene2:

Talk about violence, police brutality, sexual assault, murder, and femicide in Latin America.

Scene3:

Talk about violence, police brutality, sexual assault, murder, and femicide in Latin America.

Scene4:

Talk about violence, police brutality, sexual assault, murder, and femicide in Latin America.

ACT II:

Scene1: None

Scene2:

Talk about violence, police brutality, sexual assault, murder, and femicide in Latin America.

Actors

SarahDelCarmenCamacho asLiliana

Yael Rojo as Rodrigo

Yair Rojo asRicardo

Anahi Alcoser Bravo as Lucia

Michelle Perez Guevara as Michelle Carlos Ramirez as Sebastian

Scene3:

Talk about violence, police brutality, sexual assault, murder, and femicide in Latin America and talks about political corruption in the US.

Scene4: None

Scene5:

Talk about Femicidio and a person’s time with being arrested for protesting

Alejandro Santana as Juan

Vivien Huang as Alicia

Yuliana Hernandez as Ashley

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Folklorico

Choreographers Dancers

Q Negrete

Ashley Velazquez

Ceci Gutierrez Torreseptien

Clarissa Gaona Romero

Emily Feldstein

Genesis McCree

Jahselyn Medina

Jennifer Lopez

Kayla Guzman

Baile folklorico, directly translating to folkloric dance, describes a variety of traditional Mexican performance dances. Established around the 1950s in Mexico, folklorico was developed by taking regional Indigenous dances, incorporating contemporary European dance techniques, and then presenting them on a stage. Characterized by the strong percussive dance steps, el faldeo (choreographed skirtwork), and lively brass-heavy music, this year’s folklorico is proud to represent the region of Sinaloa! El Sauce y La Palma symbolizes romance between two lovers, traditionally using leads to represent “el sauce”, and follows to represent “la palma”. El Toro Mambo originates from the story of a mystical bull who would dance the mambo in a red skirt. Artists were inspired to imitate the bull of this story, thus creating one of the most popular Sinaloa dances.

“ElSauceylaPalma”

“ElToroMambo”

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Rumba

Originating in Cuba, this dance embodies Salsa with Guaguanco style. Guaguanco was created by Afrocubans and is rumba, which majorly influenced the creation of Salsa. Our performance songs focus on the Ups & Downs of life, which is like an ocean with waves; sometimes the water is calm, other times it is strong with powerful forces. This dance celebrates Cuban culture and includes singers La Lupe, Cheo Navarro, La Reina De La Salsa: Celia Cruz, and Willy Chirino. These artists have impacted the creation (“popularity”) and transformation/development of salsa. We are proud to present the dance of Salsa con Guaguanco.

Choreographers

Eric Acevedo

Lauren Jorrin

Dancers

Lizbeth Guijarro Magana

Roxana Leal-Hernandez

Sofia Robayo-Camargo

Yoana Zamora Miranda

Zaira Najera

“Rumbera”-WillyChirino

“LaVidaEsUnCarnaval”-Celia

Cruz

“ComoUnGorrión”-LaLupe& TitoPuente

“VientoEnPopa”-CheoNavarro

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Choreographers

Isa D’Ottone

Dancers

Anahi Alcoser Bravo

Claudia Bermudez

Herman Gonzalez

Jorie Fleming

Michelle Perez Guevara

Sarah Del Carmen Camacho

Sofia Angulo Lopera

Sofia Robayo Camargo

Ryan Harrigan

Senior Dance

Class dance is an opportunity for seniors to give their farewell to Carnaval and first-years to make their debut. This year’s class dance is inspired by the popular latin fitness craze, Zumba! Many of the songs have popular well-known dances you may know from family parties or TikTok. We hope you feel encouraged by the music to dance along with us!

“Guachineo”-ChocolateMC

“KulikitakaTi”-MerengueLatin Band

“Shakira”BzrpMusicSessions, Vol.53”-BizarreandShakira

“Tubarãoteamo”-DJLKde Escóia,MCRyanSP,mcJenny, McRF

“Balada”-GusttavoLima

“Aserejé”-LasKetchup

“Safaera”-BadBunny,Jowell& Randy,ÑengoFlow

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Flag Fiesta

Fiesta was born out of a desire to demonstrate the diversity and unity of countries in Latin America and the Caribbean. National pride is an enduring facet of life in both regions as relics from independence movements in the 19th and 20th centuries. Performers will showcase their pride by displaying their nations’ flags, wearing traditional clothing, and celebrating to music from their country. All songs were chosen either because they were composed and/or performed by famous singers from their home country or because of their cultural significance to the home country. While not all of our performers have heritage from the country that they are repping, we strive to represent the grand majority of the countries that comprise Carnaval.

Choreographers

Herman Gonzalez

Yoana Zamora Miranda

Performers

Alejandro Santana

Ali Devji

Angelica Santiago Ortiz

Bryanna Mendez

Carlos Ramirez

Claudia Bermudez

Emily Feldstein

Emmy D'Aprile

Genesis McCree

Gianna Glenn

Isa D'Ottone

Ivy Delgadillo

Jade Pita

Joharis Figeuroa

Jorie Fleming

Kayla Guzman

Lauren Jorrin

Lizbeth Guijarro-Magaña

Loren Lacruz

Marcelle Santa Rovira

Mariana Quiroz

Michelle Perez

Natalia Leon-Diaz

Padma Doobay

Paris Robinson

Pedro Morales

Rafiyah Pollard

Ranique Robinson

Rodery Gonzalez

Sabrina Lozada

Sarah Del Carmen Camacho

Sarah Narcisse

Serena Hawkins

Sofia Angulo Lopera

Sofia Robayo Camargo

Valerie Viteri

Yuliana Hernandez

Zaira Najera Rodriguez

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Philanthropy

KeywayCenterforDiversionand Reentry provides comprehensive wraparound services for women and trans individuals reentering the St. Louis community from jail or prison.

By providing transitional housing, basic necessities, case management, vocational services, behavioral health services, and life skills classes, Keyway continues to reduce recidivism and strengthen the community.

This year, Carnaval is proud to partner with Keyway. In order to financially support this organization in their mission, we will be donating all proceeds from fundraising sales during intermission and ad sales in the program, as well as a portion of proceeds ticket sales.

For more information, please visit https://www.cwitstl.org/store/c1/Home

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Reggaeton

Reggaetón can be described as an upbeat, sensual genre that is bound to make you get up and get down. Reggaetón sits at the intersection of influences from Latin rhythms, Jamaican reggae, and hip hop. In this melodic fusion, the dembow beat is paired with more traditional Latin percussion instruments, and usually rapped over in Spanish. The genre originated in the 1980s when Jamaican workers traveled to Panama to build the Panama Canal, and reggae was adapted to the Latin American language and culture. This new music made its way to Puerto Rico in the 1990s and grew in popularity. Initially, reggaetón was stigmatized to imply lawlessness and hypersexuality, and was even suppressed by the Puerto Rican police. However, the style made its way to mainstream music in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Today, reggaetón is one of the world’s most popular music genres, having spread throughout Latin America and far beyond. Notable artists include Bad Bunny, Daddy Yankee, J Balvin, Aventura, and Rosalía.

Choreographers

Emmy D'Aprile

Jade Pita

Dancers

Angelica Santiago-Ortiz

Caroline Haber

Claudia Bermudez

Cydney Bibbs

Faith Weber

Jebron Perkins

Judy Li

Loren Lacruz

Rachel Moreno

Sarah Kaul

Surav Amin

Zee Zee Covington

“TitíMePreguntó”-BadBunny

“Corazón”-Maluma

“ConAltura”-Rosalía

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Singers Mariachi

Mariana Quiroz

Sabrina

Lozada

Mariachi is a genre of regional Mexican music that originated in Western-Central Mexico around the 18th century. The ideal instrumentation includes six violins, two trumpets, and three rhythm instruments: the guitar, the vihuela, and the guitarron. Having a solo mariachi singer is not required as mariachi music has many different styles which include boleros, huapangos, sones jaliscienses, corridos, rancheras, jarochos, and valses. Some well-known mariachi artists include: Vicente Fernandez, Juan Gabriel, José Alfredo Jiménez, Lola Beltrán, and Jenni Rivera. Our mariachi performance this year does not include live instrumental accompaniment, but we hope that our singers can give you a glimpse into this diverse entertainment.

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“AmorEterno”-RocioDurcal

Carnaval Pageant

Our segment is titled "Miss/Mr/Mx. Carnaval Pageant," which is essentially a mock Miss Universe pageant. We will be representing 9 countries of the Caribbean with the usage of brief Q&A oriented engagement with the models and their assigned country. There will be music to represent each country's culture as the models walk up for their Q&A. We are rehearsing a section where we have two finalists countries compete in a short 10-second dance-off then have the audience choose a winner. We do not want it to seem as though we're favoring specific countries so for every performance we will choose two different countries to "compete". Are there any thoughts on this approach to a winner? We want to be inclusive to every country while still maintaining the pageant style of crowning a winner. Of course, at the end of the day, there are no specific winners, because every model will receive roses. Ultimately, we're ending the segment with a dance called Palance to demonstrate the unity of all countries!

MCs

Skylour Winakur

Padma Doobay

Performers

Sarah Kaul as Trinidad

Rafiyah Pollard

as Guyana

Sarah Narcisse & Gianna

Glenn as Haiti

Ali Devji

as DominicanRepublic

Andrew Breton as PuertoRico

Rodery Gonzalez as Barbados

Ranique Robinson, Serena

Hawkins & Paris Robinson as Jamaica

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Singers

Sofia Robayo-Camargo Ryan Harringan

Singing

Hey everyone! We are Sofi and Ryan and are so excited to sing for you all! We are singing three songs, each from a different genre. The first song is going to be Bam Bam by Camila Cabello and Ed Sheeran and is Latin pop. The second song is going to be Perro Fiel by Nicky Jam and Shakira and is reggaetón. Our last song is going to be Te Espero by Prince Royce and Maria Becerra and is bachata. We chose this arrangement because it represents songs from various genres to highlight just a little the scope of the Latinx culture as it relates to our music. We hope you all enjoy!

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Bomba

Bomba is the most ancient Puerto Rican music genre, descending directly from our West African ancestors in interaction with indigenous and European influences. It originated more than 400 years ago during the Spanish colonial period. Bomba is deeply emotional, as it represents the lament of sugar plantation slaves, who would congregate together and utilize bomba as a way to unveil their souls and create a space of communion and support between each other in light of the suffering they were forced to endure. Today, Bomba continues to serve as a way to express the collective experiences, hardships, and dreams of all Puerto Ricans who live with the harmful consequences of colonialism and imperialism. There are various performers in Bomba, namely, the dancers and musicians, which include the buleador, the seguidor (or primo), the maraca, and the cuá. One must imagine bomba as a dialogue or conversation between the dancer and the subidor, as they respond to the dancer’s improvised piquetes, which are sharp and elegant movements of their skirt and body. There are multiple Bomba rhythms, but for this performance, we will play Sicá, which originated in Santurce, Puerto Rico.

Choreographers

Hugo Cordova

Natalia Leon-Diaz

Dancers

Bryanna Mendez

Hieran Andeberhn

Joharis Figueroa

Jorie Fleming

Marcelle Santana Rovira

Maya Torres Colom

Natalia Leon-Diaz

Victoria Briggiler

Percussionists

Aadit Ramesh

Aldo Estrada

Hugo Cordova

Leandro De Armas

Pedro Morales

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Acknowledgements

Thank you to our advisors Mari Torres, Fatima Delgado Taboada, Carnaval Committee, the 2022-23 ALAS Executive Board (particularly Bryanna Mendez, Q Negrete, and Carlos Mendoza), our student tech crew, WashU Student Union, Emily Kennebeck, Bess Moynihan, Tab Birt, the rest of the Edison Theatre staff, and all of the volunteer ushers for making this show possible.

Special thanks to our guest performers from the Caribbean American Student Association as well as all of the friends and family who supported us as we brought this show to life.

To our Carnaval Committee, thank you for all of your continued efforts throughout the year. We know that it has not been easy, and we appreciate all that you have given to this show and to us. To our choreographers and team leaders, you are truly the heart and soul of our showcase. Thank you for rising to the occasion this year and pulling off an incredible show. Carnaval could not happen without all of you.

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