Invited by CULTURA, students enjoy “Historias de un grillo”
“Historias de un grillo”, a musical program dedicated to Mexican families of yesterday and today, was enjoyed this Tuesday by around 1,500 students and basic education teachers who had free access to the two performances performed this Tuesday at the Ángela Peralta Theater.
With this production, the Instituto Municipal de Cultura, Turismo y Arte de Mazatlán promotes the valuable musical legacy of singer-songwriter Francisco Gabilondo Soler from Veracruz and rescues the teachings and values that he bequeathed through his music and that have not ceased to be useful in the life of several generations.
Days before arriving at the concert framed by the beauty of the Ángela Peralta Theater, teachers did their homework because Grillito Cantor and some characters created by the singer-songwriter from Orizaba, Veracruz, became objects of study.
Upon arriving at Ángela Peralta, the curiosity and excitement to meet the famous “Cricket Singer” and his characters through music was evident. Some children upon entering the theater room walked from side to side with their eyes wide, as they were guided to their places.
For most of the children, Historias de un Grillo meant their first contact with the performing arts and their first visit to the highest cultural venue in Mazatlán.
Around 1,500 students and teachers from pre-school, primary and secondary schools attended, including students with different abilities.
The functions presented within the framework of Spring Season 2023 were at ten in the morning and at twelve noon; Aboard buses and charioteers, children and adolescents traveled from different parts of the city, Villa Unión and Concordia.
From their seats they enjoyed the show with live music by the Camerata Mazatlán under the baton of guest director Jacob Tapia.
In addition to being moved by the music, children were fascinated by walls covered with multicolored balloons, and followed with amazement the projection of videos and images alluding to the songs – enchanted forests, giant cobwebs, flying witches; the sea, the coast, buildings of Chinese architecture; fountains, globes that simulated drops of water, a cricket and a large spider that slid from one side of the stage to the other, smiling.
As the music played, the small spectators listened to the stories of the songs performed by the soloists: Eduardo Tapia, Mariela Angulo, Rebeca de Rueda, Sarah Holcombe and the voices of the Children’s Choir of the Mazatlan Instituto de Cultura.
While the instruments and the human voice revived the classics of Cri Cri, the students of the Municipal School of Classical Ballet directed by maestra Zoila Fernández interpreted the choreographies giving life to the most emblematic characters of Francisco Gabilondo Soler.
Cri Cri played by Camila Loaiza Mendoza was the central figure of the show narrated with spark by Ramón Gómez Polo.
The program went through some songs positioned among the best of the Cri Cri repertoire: “La patita”, “La marcha de las letras”, “La merienda”, “Los tres cochinitos”, “El chorrito”, “La muñeca fea”, “Di porqué”, “La negrita Cucurumbé”, “Canción de las brujas”, “Niñas malas”, “El ratón vaquero” and “Caminito de la escuela”, among other pieces that highlight the value of music as an educational tool to develop imagination, reflection and feeling.
The show conquered the audience as young and old joined the musical entertainment with applause and moving their bodies to the beat of the music.
In the end, the brilliant performance of the cast was rewarded with loud applause and Bravos! from the public as a sign of appreciation.
