Apprenticeship Program Updates

Apprenticeship Program Updates

By Jeannelle Ramirez, Ph.D. Program Director

On July 29, we held our annual Virtual Apprenticeship Showcase! Five groups joined us and shared their art, music, dance, and reflections on their experiences in the program.

Rocio Ramirez Landoll (mentor) and Zazil Pacheco (apprentice) shared their xoloitzcuintli sculpture. They discussed the process of creating the wireframe, sourcing and preparing pieces of cardboard and painstakingly layering them to create the texture of the hyperrealistic dog sculpture. They will share the sculpture in person at the annual Dia de Los Muertos Traveling Ofrenda this year from October 29-November 3 at 418 Elm Ave in East Waco.

Beatriz Lopez (mentor) and Paola Ward (apprentice) shared a video dancing and singing bullerengue – an Afro-diasporic musical tradition from the Colombian coast. As they discussed in their Q&A, the tradition has played an important role in creating community amongst other Colombian and Latin American immigrants in the Austin area. Beatriz and Paola plan to continue activating community performances through their group, Bulla en Austin. Follow them at @bullaenaustin for more information.

Genevive Obregon (mentor) and Matthew Guerra (apprentice) shared a video showcasing the flamenco dances that Matthew learned during the apprenticeship program, specializing in a percussive zapateado style. They have an upcoming event on August 14 in San Antonio called “Sol y Sombra.” Follow @goflamenca for more details.

Joey McKenzie and Michael Tarpley shared a duo performance on guitar and fiddle. Michael has spent the last five months perfecting his Texas fiddle style under the instruction of Joey McKenzie. As Michael explains, in fiddle contexts, performers usually share a breakdown, a waltz, and a tune of choice, usually a polka or rag. In their video they shared three fiddle tunes: “Martha Campbell,” “Rose of Avonmore,” and “I Don’t Love Nobody.”

Juan Longoria Jr. and Ulises Ulloa shared a brief performance of conjunto accordion tunes that Ulises worked on over the apprenticeship program. Ulises has been learning to incorporate scales and drills into traditional tunes such as huapangos and

Additionally, two apprenticeship pairs prepared their own public showcases.

George Rosario Demers (mentor) and Karolina Arocho (apprentice) presented a discussion and performance of Puerto Rican bomba. The bombazo took place at Batch in Austin on Saturday July 25, kicking off with a moderated talk and Q&A session with the audience.

Alex Meixner (mentor) and Levi Burroughs (apprentice) have been working on polka accordion tunes such as “Clarinet Polka,” “Beer Barrel Polka” and “Valse Violette.” They will present a live performance at  Spaus Haus in New Braunfels on August 9, at 3PM.