Changing the world one song at a time

Grammy award-winning Latin band performs at Pierce College

Awoman with short curly hair, cat-eye glasses and a picnic-basket colored dress stood behind the stage curtain while people settled in their seats in the Performing Arts Building. She gazed with focused eyes as she awaited her introduction.

The ominous stare quickly turned into a bubbly smile when she heard “La Marisoul & La Santa Cecilia!” The audience erupted into cheers as singer Marisol “La Marisoul” Hernandez walked across the stage.

Grammy award winners La Marisoul & La Santa Cecilia performed during “Flor y Canto,” the fourth annual Chicano Studies Celebration organized by Professor Angelita Rovero and MEChA de Pierce College on Wednesday, May 17.

The band won a Grammy for Best Latin Rock or Alternative Album in 2014 with “Treinta Días.”

Their setlist included “Ice el Hielo,” “Nunca Más,” “Como Dios Manda” and a cover of The Beatles’ hit “Strawberry Fields Forever.”

After the band finished their first song, Hernandez told the story of how she and accordionist Jose “Pepe” Carlos formed La Santa Cecilia in 2007. They were inspired by seeing Martha Gonzalez of Quetzal–who won a Grammy in the same category in 2013–and Los Lobos perform on Olvera St. in Los Angeles.

“Carlos and I have known each other since we were teenagers,” Hernandez said. “We wanted to write our own music and share our own stories. We wanted to make a band that had what we felt when we saw them.”

Hernandez said her family didn’t want her to pursue a career in music.

“I knew that I wanted to be a working musician,” Hernandez said. “But more than that, I wanted to be an artist, express myself and talk about what I was living. Those are two things that are not easy to reconcile.”

Spring 2023

Hernandez said she wanted to become a singer when she was 14-years-old and discovered Selena.

“I thought ‘Oh my God,’ there’s someone like me,” Hernandez said.

The concert began with a blessing by Mexicas de Aztlan, a dance group dressed in large feathers, headdresses and face paint as they performed a Concheros dance to the beat of a huehuetl (Aztec drums) and conch shell trumpets.

The welcome address was given by Dean of Student Engagement Juan Carlos Astorga who spoke about his heritage and the importance for students to enroll in college. He spoke in Spanish first, in dedication to his mother.

“For my mom, even though she’s been in the U.S. for 52 years, she only speaks Spanish,” Astorga said.

[see FLOR Y CANTO on pg. 8]

Pride month is just around the corner, but it doesn’t need to be June to start celebrating.

The 1st Annual Unique Ball took place at Los Angeles Trade Tech College (LATTC) on Saturday, presenting competitions in dance, fashion and beauty categories.

Produced by Chief Project Officer of REACH LA Greg Wilson, the space was provided by LATTC and made possible by Los Angeles Community College District (LACCD).

The event was meant to support the LGBTQ+ LACCD students that may sometimes feel overlooked or misunderstood.

Participation in the first set of competitions was open to LACCD students only, while the second half was open to seasoned performers.

“We have categories that are specifically designed for students, allowing them to be highlighted, showcased and appreciated for their greatness and for the creatives that they are,” Wilson said.

Commentated by musical artist Enyce Smith, the winners of the competitions were determined by five judges.

Winners of the various categories won trophies and cash prizes ranging from $100 to $500.

The Unique Ball strove to bring the community historic ballroom culture which originated with the Black and

Latino LGBTQ+ community in New York City late in the 20th century.

Ballroom culture gives people the opportunity to compete on a catwalk in contests categories such as beauty, fashion, sexiness, shoes and “realness.”

However, one of the most famous ballroom competitions is “voguing,” a stylized dance of angular body movements that originated in the Harlem Ballroom scene in the 1980s. According to nytimes.com, WIlli Ninja is considered the Grandfather of voguing after he brought the dance style to visibility and perfection in the 1980s .

One of the sponsors of the event was REACH LA, a youth organization for the LGBTQ+ people of color. Among the many programs they have, REACH LA provides vogue dance classes.

LATTC Fashion major Armond Anderson Bell had walked in other categories before, but this was his first time walking as a college student.

“It was really good for me to walk for what I am in school for, which is fashion design,” Bell said. “I’m an entertainer. I’m a drag queen. But now I am in school for fashion and I am taking my creativity to the moon.”

Performer Rosie Ninja was introduced to Ballroom about seven years ago by choreographer and dancer Dolores Ninja. Rosie Ninja walked in the Face category.

[see UNIQUE BALL on pg. 8]