The Sonidero de la Güera  2019

A sound dance project, its history, solidarity and resilience.

Sonideros are Mexican block parties characterized by massive sound systems that cut off the streets, set on residential working-class areas where a particular sonidero (sound man) DJ´s Latin American musical genres, such as Cumbia, Salsa, Guaracha, Guaguancó, and many others.

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El Sonidero de la Güera is a participatory project consisting of a collective song, a photographic series and a public space intervention that tells the story of a particular street dance community led by a DJ called La Güera, a fierece and loving woman who has dedicated her life to creating a space where fun, dance and diversity can take place while being accessible to everybody. The song is a collaborative creation that, based on the testimonies of people who have been going to the "Baile de La Güera” for over 17 years, tells the story of the community. Located at the Plaza de la Solidaridad at la Alameda in Mexico City´s Historical Center, this popular street dance that takes place every weekend. An ode of rhythmic resilience dedicated to the democratic and inclusive space that La Güera sonidera has created, which has transgressed gender roles, resisted gentrification, and where dance steps weave human threads of solidarity.

 

The song is accompanied by a black and white photographic series of moments and characters from the Baile de la Güera that witness dance competitions, the life of their events and the community. Two activations were carried out; one in the Plaza de la Solidaridad and another inside the Laboratorio de Arte Alameda, where the song opened the dance floor and the public was invited to participate. The photographs were printed, exhibited and finally delivered to the participants at each intervention.

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This project is part of the Tianguis: Otr + s, Tod + s, Nosotr + s program at the Alameda Art Laboratory.

Curated by Gemma Argüello and Dante Ayala.