Victoria De La Mora's Ethnographic Reflection
Growing up as a Latina that wasn't exactly so connected with my background was rather tough for me. I would constantly get the dirty looks when I told people that I didn't speak Spanish, or the constant judgement being passed when I didn't know certain stories that came from my Pueblo, or city that my family came from in Mexico. I never felt like there was a place for me when it came to my heritage. More than anything, I felt like an outcast in a room filled with my own people; especially going to a Hispanic dominated High School. The only thing that truly made me feel connected to my Spanish culture was Bachata. The music is so raw and real that I was able to connect with it mentally, emotionally and spiritually. I may not speak the language, but I didn't need to. Bachata is the type of music that speaks to your heart. Whether it's the beautifully constructed rhythm, of the passion of the voices, you can actually feel everything that they are speaking about. This is mostly because they don't just speak with words. They speak though body movement, beats, and emphasis to create a stronger message. All of this is the reason that my partner and I decided to go with Bachata music. Going into this project, I didn't know what to expect. I knew how the music made me feel, but I had no prior knowledge on where it came from or how it progressed though out the years, I really had no prior knowledge at all actually. However, though lots of research and reading, I was able to recognize that Bachata's birth place wasn't even really Mexico. It was the Dominican Republic. This came as a disappointment to me somewhat because my entire life I believed that it was a dance that came from the same origin that I came from. It was a little heart breaking, but then, as I continued my research, I discovered that the dance was inspired by Hispanic cultures around the world such as Mexica, Spain, Puerto Rico, etc. This made me appreciate the music even more because of the fact that Bachata was created to demonstrate the beauty that exists all throughout Hispanic culture, and that in itself tells me a lot about why the music is so passionate. Creating a website on something so engaging was definitely a unique experience and I am so glad that I got the opportunity to do so. I would say that picking a topic that you don't know much about, but you're interested in, is for sure the best route to go because it makes the work load less tedious and more fun! I would very much recommend to continue this project throughout the years to come! Thank you for reading!
Jocelyn Galarza's Ethnographic Reflection
Throughout this project I learned so much more when it came to bachata. It brought me more into my Latin culture. It allowed me to see where this music all started and how it created this most amazing dance that brings people closer to one another. I learned where it was from, what cultures clinged onto it and made their own twist on it to the groups that started it all and the fans that made it possible. I always had an interest into this music genre it's actually one of my favorite types in the whole Latin scene. This project allowed me to get more into depth with it, it allowed me to appreciate the music way more. Not only that but creating the website with my partner allowed me to look at things differently. I never would have thought of turning a genre into a website. There is so much information that can be turned into something fun for all people. It's very interesting to know where music genres came from because it's a big part of our life. Overall this project was fun and interesting and I would recommend it to all. Finally, picking a genre that you're not usually familiar with may be cool to, you get to learn about other things and the subculture of different groups of people.