Tag: Cazateatro Bilingual Theater Group

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MEMernet: Brooks and Run, Dia de los Muertos, and Indian Spice

Posted to Facebook by Tom Bailey

Memphis on the internet.

Brooks and Run

“The front of Memphis Brooks Museum of Art looked like a hit-and-run crime scene today,” Tom Bailey wrote on Facebook. “Someone driving a van plowed through the front lawn and plaza, striking the 62-year-old installation of three statues, Spring Summer Fall, which for decades have graced the front of the museum.”

Día de los Muertos

Posted to Facebook by Overton Square

Well before the hit-and-run incident, a Día de los Muertos parade left from Overton Square to the Brooks for a fun, holiday event with loads of Las Catrinas, authentic food, and amazing music and performances.

Indian Spice

Posted to Reddit by u/Manephian

“Nothing spices up Downtown like an Indian wedding,” wrote u/Manephian this past weekend. Sounds about right to us.

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Opera Memphis and Cazateatro Bilingual Theatre Group Host a Christmas Fiesta

Opera Memphis carolers (Photo: Courtesy Opera Memphis)

If anyone has a good holiday playlist, it’s going to be Opera Memphis. They know how to do Christmas carols, trust me. When asked for her favorite carol, Kerriann Otaño, Opera Memphis’ marketing and public relations manager, answers, “I would say ‘I’ll Be Home for Christmas’ has really taken on a special meaning in the past couple of years.” Meanwhile, Bethania Baray, director of education and civic programs, claims “Mi Burrito Sabanero” as her favorite holiday tune, a Latin American song about traveling on a donkey to Bethlehem to see baby Jesus. Both songs have a common thread — that of searching for a place of belonging.

Following that theme, Opera Memphis and Cazateatro Bilingual Theater Group are hosting a Christmas Fiesta at the Dixon Gallery & Gardens. The event holds a dual purpose: to educate and to welcome. “The goal is for the Spanish-speaking community to see their community represented and feel at home,” Baray says. “It’ll be a full celebration of all Latin American Christmas traditions.”

Opera Memphis will sing carols in both English and Spanish, and in a special performance, Carlos Romero will sing traditional Mexican carols while other performers will sing Venezuelan, Brazilian, and Puerto Rican tunes. “There’s going to be a lot of Latin music,” Baray says. “And a lot of Latin food. Cazateatro has been in charge of all of the vendors. There’s going to be a plethora of things. Lots of artisans, crafts.

“We also have a scavenger hunt around the garden for kids to be a part of,” Baray continues. Plus, she adds, Cazateatro has arranged for the Three Magi Kings to join in the festivities and to hand out a surprise present to each child in attendance.

The two groups have also put together a panel discussion for guests to learn more about the traditions in Latin America and the Caribbean. Otaño says, “It’s just a fun opportunity for these two organizations that are so community-minded to get involved and reach new audiences and share in such an exciting time of year.” In Otaño and Baray’s point of view, every tradition is worth sharing in, from piñatas and poinsettias to parrandas and posadas.

Christmas Fiesta, Dixon Gallery & Gardens, 4339 Park, Saturday, December 18, 11 a.m.-3 p.m., free.

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Cazateatro and Brooks Museum Host Drive-Thru Dia de los Muertos Parade

The Brooks partners with Cazateatro to celebrate Day of the Dead. (Photo: Angel Ortez/Courtesy Brooks Museum)

“Stay in your cars. No bikes. No motorcycles,” Monica Sanchez, co-founder of Cazateatro Bilingual Theatre Group, warns with a gentle wagging of her finger. That is really the only rule of the Dia de los Muertos Reverse Parade — other than not referring to the holiday as Mexico’s Halloween. “Don’t even get me started on that,” Sanchez says.

This year’s parade is set in reverse. Kathy Dumlao, director of education and interpretation at the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art, explains, “Because of Covid, we wanted it to be like Shelby Farms’ Starry Nights, where you see the sites from inside your car as you drive along.” There, you can watch performances by Cazateatro Catrinas, folklore groups, mariachi bands, and more, and stationary floats will be interspersed throughout the route in Overton Park. Decorated in bright colors and papel picado (perforated paper), the floats will hold marigolds for the dead to smell, candles for the dead to find their way, and other more personal items to encourage the dead to visit. “Sometimes, we mock the dead,” Sanchez says. “But in a loving way.”

Another symbol of the holiday: skulls and skeletons. “We all end up skeletons one way or another. There’s nothing scary about Dia de los Muertos,” Sanchez says. “That’s why when you’re a kid you eat sugar skulls to remind you that death is sweet.”

An audio tour will be available on SoundCloud to accompany your ride (or to listen at home), and guests can pick up craft kits for later. “Now, don’t stop and hold up the parade,” Sanchez reminds. “But feel free to circle around and come back if you’d like.”

Dia de los Muertos Reverse Parade, Overton Park, 1930 Poplar, Saturday, October 23rd, 10 a.m.-3 p.m., free.

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Day of the Dead Celebration at Crosstown Saturday

Dancer adorning traditional calaveras, or sugar skull, makeup (Photo: Wendy Adams)

“Dia de los Muertos is a celebration of life,” says Dorimar Ferrer, executive director of Cazateatro Bilingual Theatre Group. “It’s not Mexico’s Halloween.”

Though Dia de los Muertos takes place on November 1st and 2nd in Mexico, Crosstown Concourse, in partnership with Cazateatro, is celebrating a little bit earlier with their own Day of the Dead celebration — with an emphasis on celebration.

“Dia de los Muertos has nothing to do with sadness or anything scary,” Ferrer says. “Knowing that, for two days, we have the opportunity to share and celebrate with our loved ones fills us with joy. Keeping them alive in our hearts and minds is part of this beautiful tradition that is passed from generation to generation.”

Cazateatro Catrinas, Ballet Meztli, and other dancers in traditional garments and Day of the Dead makeup will populate the first floor and invite you to join along to the music by Tropical Fusion Latin Band, DJ Alexis White, and more. Kids can have their face painted and create a few crafts as well — all for free. Themed specials will also be available to purchase at a few of Crosstown’s restaurants. “Pop-a-roo’s Popcorn is staying open late for the event. They’ve got Mexican street corn in a cup,” says Bianca Phillips, communications manager at Crosstown Arts.

But what will stand out the most for event-goers, Phillips says, are the intricately decorated altars lined up along the second floor for viewing, made by different community organizations in honor of loved ones who have passed on.

“For a person who doesn’t know about this tradition,” Ferrer says, “our recommendation is to ask. Never assume that you are right or wrong in making an altar. With Cazateatro, we’re always open to talk to anyone who wants to know more about El dia de los Muertos and how they can build an altar with respect.”

Day of the Dead at Crosstown Concourse, Saturday, October 16th, 5-8 p.m., free.

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In Memory: Día de los Muertos Parade & Festival this Saturday

CREDIT: Kevin Reed

Cazateatro Bilingual Theater Group and the Brooks Museum will host a celebration for the community’s deceased loved ones during their Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) parade and festival this Saturday, November 2nd.

Día de los Muertos celebrations, originating from Mexico, have extended to the U.S. And people like Monica Sanchez, assistant director and co-founder of Cazateatro, want people to know that, no matter one’s heritage, anyone is welcome to celebrate and honor their dearly departed on this day.

Kevin Reed

Día de los Muertos parade

“The more you know about your neighbors, the stronger your community will be,” says Sanchez.

The parade, which kicks off at the Tower Courtyard at Overton Square, will feature a number of floats by local organizations like Comunidades Unidas en Una Voz (or United Communities in One Voice), Memphis Police Department, Latino Memphis, and more.

“One of the floats is going to look like a cemetery, where people can leave ofrendas [or offerings] for their loved ones,” she says.

The Memphis Police Department will honor fallen officers, and Comunidades Unidas will pay their respects to migrants who died this year. Attendees are also encouraged to bring photos of their loved ones.

The parade fleet will head toward Brooks for a fiesta, where attendees can get sugar skull face paintings, do crafts, shop with art vendors, enjoy live music and dance performances, and learn more about the holiday from helpful guides dressed as Las Catrinas.

“If you don’t understand what is going on, our Catrinas — ladies with humongous and beautiful dresses with their faces painted as sugar skulls — will be giving cards with information about the meaning of Día de los Muertos and the meaning of a La Catrina,” says Sanchez.

Día de los Muertos Parade and Festival, Overton Square and Memphis Brooks Museum of Art, Saturday, November 2nd, 11:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m., free.