ReGen Artist Fund: Queer Fandanguito Series by Evelyn Donají Arellano

Galería de la Raza is excited to present the Queer Fandanguito Series led by ReGen Artist Fund grantee Evelyn Donají Arellano with the Son Jarocho group Corazón de Cedro. 

Son Jarocho is a lyrical-musical tradition from México’s Sotavento region with deep African, Indigenous and Arab-Andalusian influences. The Fandango, where Son Jarocho is played, is a communal musical celebration rooted in resistance and collective liberation. Like many oral and folk traditions, it passes down ancestral histories and knowledge while offering a structure for recording our own experiences. 

Outside of México, the Fandango has become a way for migrant communities to find and support one another. In the San Francisco Bay Area, the melodies and rhythms of different diasporic musical traditions have become intertwined, offering a common language for cross-cultural connection. 

The Queer Fandanguito Series invites us to queer the Fandango and imagine a tarima free of heteronormativity, where queer dance expressions are celebrated. This musical series aims to foster meaningful connection, cultural preservation, and cross-border solidarities for our diasporic, queer, and femme communities. 

Join us Saturday, June 14 in celebrating queer musical expressions while remaining rooted in the folk traditions of our homelands. May our traditions continue to restore our spirits and strengthen our fight for our peoples’ collective liberation.

Bring your instruments and dancing shoes and join us on the tarima. All levels of musical experience are welcomed!