Los Cenzontles Mexican Arts Center

Latin Beat Magazine, Feb, 2003 by Jesse Varela

The traffic noise of San Pablo Avenue subsides in the Dias Plaza shopping center where Los Cenzontles Mexican Arts Center is located.

The spacious re-converted Mexican motif storefront is impressive with hardwood floors, a large stage, recording studio and instructional booths. Providing music and dance instruction to residents of San Pablo and outlying areas since 1989, the 501 (c) 3 non-profit is now a nationally acclaimed after-school program that deters Latino youth from negative behavior with music, art and culture.

Recipients this year of a "Coming Up Taller Award" from the Presidential Committee on Arts and Humanities, Los Cenzontles Center was recognized as one of the top ten youth programs in the country in Washington D.C. this year. From grass roots beginnings at Maple Hall in San Pablo, to recording with Los Lobos on their 1994 Grammy-nominated children's album Papa Lalo's Dream, founder Eugene Rodríguez--along with staff, parents and community members--now have a permanent space for the school, the only one of its type in the country.

"We now have this center. It's not a dream anymore," says Rodríguez, executive director of LCMAC. "Our program has grown and gets more profound as the years go by. One of our goals is not to get bigger but to keep making the educational experience deeper by involving young people as administrators, producers, choreographers and teachers."

On September 14, 2002 at the Alice Arts Center in Oakland, Los Cenzontles presented "Son Con Son," ah exploration into the son traditions of Veracruz and Cuba. Featured from México were groups Mono Blanco and Son De Madera.

Led by Gilberto Gutierrez, Mono Blanco is credited with igniting a son jarocho revival that spilled over to Spanish-language rock. Much like 1960s British blues revivalists seeking out elder blues masters, bands such as Café Tacuba, Molotov and Manu Chao searched out Mono Blanco for roots and involved them in recordings and performances.

"My whole inspiration came from Gilberto and his work in Veracruz," continues Rodríguez. "When he started his group in 1979, the fandango was almost dead. Young people thought it wasn't cool. So he set up workshops throughout the countryside dealing with instrument building, dancing and playing, and a renaissance occurred. Soon you had groups Los Cojolites, Son de Madera, El Chuchumbe and others. He created a path that I thought we could replicate here."

Through grants, Gutierrez has been an artist-in-residence with Los Cenzontles. One of his students was Luciana Rodríguez, the current program coordinator who began eight years ago with Los Cenzontles at age 12. The maintenance and development of the organization is now her career. Considered one of the best zapateado heel dancers in the U.S., she became a teacher two years ago and is a pillar of the group's performances. She is transitioning to an administrator and realizing the challenges to keep the LCMAC going.

"It's more of a responsibility now," says Luciana, "but it helps us to be more disciplined and professional at what we do. Not only in terms of working in the office but also in performance. We have a lot of people who have joined Los Cenzontles because they've seen the group perform. It's brought pride to this Community."