Exceeding Expectations: The 3rd Annual Rosarito Beach International Mariachi & Folklórico Festival
By Gil Sperry
"If hyperbole were the order of the day, the headline above would have read "Beyond Our Wildest Dreams." This year's recently concluded five-day
encuentro started with a crescendo that never diminished.
For many of those who have been intimately connected with this worthy event, the sight of nearly 300 local students pouring into the lobby of the
Rosarito Beach Hotel to register on Wednesday morning, October 3rd, was particularly gratifying. They were there, thanks to the altruism of both the
Mexican nationals and expatriates who had signed on to become Padrinos de los Talleres (Patrons of the Workshops), to be tutored in the fine points of
the instrumental and vocal music & dance of their country by some of the finest teachers of these skills in the world. This was the centerpiece of
the Festival because the sponsoring entity, the Club de Ninos y Ninas Seccion Rosarito (The Boys and Girls Club of Rosarito) knows that the public
schools of Mexico only provide ballet folklórico programs, not instruments and musical instructors.
Thursday night, October 4th, all of the scholarship recipients & the teaching staff... as well as the Padrinos... were guests for two showings of
'Mariachi Gringo,' the Best Film Award winner at this year's Guadalajara (MX) International Film Festival. The Miami (FL) News had hailed it as "... a
multi-cultural masterpiece" and the Orange County (CA) Weekly described it as "...a sonically and visually stunning tour-de-force." All of those who
saw the movie in the hotel's Salon Mexicano main showroom, definitely agreed!
Friday evening, October 5th, after the conclusion of the Workshops, the students (under the auspices of their teachers) plus their families and
friends moved outdoors to be seated around the 30' x 40'stage erected in the midst of the iconic venue's ocean front gardens. This was immediately
followed by a ceremony featuring the flags (and flag bearers) of both countries, the respective national anthems beautifully performed by Juan Pablo
Pacheco & Maryam Malak, a ribbon cutting featuring all of the dignitaries in attendance, and then what everyone had been waiting
for...performances from all of those who had worked so hard for three days to polish their musical, vocal, and instrumental skills. It was a
never-to-be-forgotten occasion, captured on high definition film and sound by master cinematographers Michelle Hinojo Oceguera and Samuel Paredes
Valdespino for inclusion in a documentary film under development.
Saturday and Sunday, October 6th and 7th, found two days of non-stop entertainment being provided for those in attendance. The Competencias, where
each country's hand-picked mariachi groups & folklórico troupes competed for over $10,000 in prize money, filled the morning and afternoon hours.
From noon to 1:00 PM each day, The People's Choice Sing-Off, featuring vocal performers, was the focus of the crowd's attention. Both days festivities
book-ended the Saturday evening's Concierto Extravaganza which featured the Grammy Award-winning Mariachi Divas, as well as other great performances
by Mariachi Tesoro de Tucson, Genesis Codina, Selah Flores, Caroline Crawford, Mariachi Estrellas de Chula Vista, Juan Pablo Pacheco, Olga Flores and
Friends, Mariachi Aguila de Tijuana and Ballet Folklórico Tapatio.
The Awards/Closing Ceremonies concluded at 4:00 PM on Sunday and it was time to say adios to all of those who had helped this year's Festival exceed
expectations.
Saturday night's concert, held in an area where 1500 seats had been set up for the audience, drew a SRO (standing room only) audience. Since
ALL...100% of the net proceeds...go to benefit the building and operation funds for our local Boys and Girls Club, I guess it would be alright to say
that the event succeeded beyond our wildest dreams.
Now, nearly a year removed from our next Festival's opening (Please Save the Dates: October 2nd through October 6th, 2013), we're already working hard
at winning the most difficult game of all: "Can You Top This?""
“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow mindedness.”
—Mark Twain
\"La vida es dura, el corazon es puro, y cantamos hasta la madrugada.” (Life is hard, the heart is pure and we sing until dawn.)
—Kirsty MacColl, Mambo de la Luna
\"Alea iacta est.\"
—Julius Caesar
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