Traditions: Ohio Heritage Fellows; 302; Elaina Hernandez interview, part 3 of 4

Q:

ELAINA: Well, the Hispanic community here in Toledo is actually a very old community. Um, we’re getting more and more, um, immigrants who are coming into the area but my grandfather came here, um, to work on the railroad and you’ll find a lot of the families that are here had family members who worked on the railroad when it was first built here. Um, also too, who came here to work on farms and who have stayed in the area. So, it’s, it’s really absorbed into the culture and the city of Toledo has really embraced it. So, it’s, it’s just part of it. When you go into your classroom, any classroom here in Toledo, you’re gonna find kids who are Mexican-American who are part of the community and, uh, the community itself is really just made it part of Toledo.

Q:

ELAINA: So, um, with our dance group, we have dancers who are second, third generation Mexican- American who don’t speak Spanish, they’ve never been to Mexico. Some of their parents have never been to Mexico. And, this is a great way for them to express their culture, being part of the group and really find how they can be Mexican-American without living up to stereotypes of what a Mexican-American really is. So, they can find that connection and really feel like they’re part of their culture but not be what they would think that you’re supposed to look like on T.V. I mean, obviously I don’t have the look of being a Mexican-American, you know, I’m second generation, um, but I definitely have that feeling that, yes, I am American but I am also Mexican.

Q:

ELAINA: It’s not... it’s a weird fit to kind of feel that feeling of being a Mexican-American because you want to be proud of being American but also be proud of being Mexican and especially when your second, third generation, you’ve lost a lot of the closeness, you’ve lost the language, you’ve lost some of the other things that belong to the culture, um, some of the traditions and they’re so many traditions that the traditions from one family from Mexico may be different from a different family from Mexico. So, you kinda are in the middle where you’re not really sure, you know, although maybe somebody celebrates Dealejo Sumertos (sp?). You know, not all the families celebrated it and so now you’re kinda like well, should I be celebrating this, I’m not really sure. So, being part of the group lets them feel that connection but not feel awkward or weird because they’re with other kids who are just like them who they haven’t been to Mexico, they don’t speak Spanish either but then they’re also with kids who parents are from Mexico and they’re first generation and so they’re getting to experience that all together so that they don’t have to feel weird. They can feel normal, they don’t have to feel like, I don’t really fit in. They’re... they’re part of a community when they’re here.

Q:

ELAINA: We really want to make sure that the kids, um, feel pride in who they are. So, they’re not just from Toledo, they’re not just from the United States, they have a connection that’s deeper than that. And, we want to make sure that they feel that connection and that they’re proud of that connection. And, that when they learn these dances they can be proud of it. When their grandparents see them dancing and they remember dancing the... these dances themselves or when someone comes up to them and says, I remember this dance, I danced this dance when I was a child and the smile that it brings and the joy that it brings to these kids’ faces is priceless.

Q:

ELAINA: We really try and focus not just on the dancing, we want to make sure that our kids are getting a good education, um, we’re encouraging them to go to, uh, to college, uh, in fact, I help write plenty of letters to get these kids accepted and to make sure they have scholarships and things like that. So, we don’t want to just make it just about the dance, we want to make sure that they’re going to be good citizens, that they are going to be part of the community and really make sure that they are just happy kids, that they’re happy people, that they remember this part as being their... part of their childhood that they grew up with and that they get to experience that they’re not growing up too quickly.

Q:

ELAINA: So, a lot of times when you have a student who’s really not getting it it’s really weird because you can explain it a lot of different ways and they... some of them it just will not click but then one practice, it will be one time and all of a sudden it just (FINGER SNAP) it snaps and you’re like, I don’t know what we said but it worked. And, I think a lot of it is just them growing into their bodies, you know, they get into these stages where they... where their bodies just don’t move the way they want them to move and you can explain it different ways and it doesn’t happen. Uh, but once they get to that point, it’s pretty amazing and they feel it too, I mean, they know when they’ve hit that point and, uh, they would take really big pride in it, I take a big pride in it too because you can... they will remember this story and then they’ll tell the dancers who don’t get it as well so that they can encourage them that, yeah, I had a hard time with this too and you can see it like, oh look at this dancer, they had a hard time when they were dancing too and look at them now. You... they encourage each other, they help each other out, they help each other with the steps. And, it makes it so that it’s nice so that other dancers can look up to that.

Q:

ELAINA: So, as far as making it relevant, um, in this time period along with just teaching the kids about their culture, it also teaches the community and outside of the Mexican community about the culture. And, there’s so many stereotypes, there’s so many negative things about different kinds of people that it’s nice for these kids... like, when we go into schools and we do programs that they see what’s part of these traditions and that they see that every person who dances doesn’t look a certain way and, um, not to be afraid of it. So, that when they see somebody who’s Hispanic or who’s Mexican they’re not gonna have those same kinds of fears because they never, never met anyone like that before. Um, and also too that they see that the culture is not just what they see on T.V., there’s more to it and it’s not just one type of thing, they’re gonna see a lot of different types of dances and not just for kids but for everyone in general but we like to really focus in on that when we go into schools and we do performances so that they really kinda see that... it’s not what you think it’s gonna be or what people say and that people are scary, it’s not like that at all.

Q:

ELAINA: So, it’s important for other people to kind of learn about, uh, the Mexican culture so they realize that Mexico and all Latin countries are not the same. There’s so many stereotypes that people just think that all these countries are grouped together but it’s different and it’s important to recognize that these countries are different and that they have different traditions and that they’re different people. Uh, if said... I mean, people get upset when they say, oh you’re from Ohio, I thought you were from Michigan. You know, so now say that you’re a completely different country, you know, and you’re from Mexico and they say, oh well I thought you were from Brazil. I mean, it’s different cultures, it’s different traditions. So, it’s important for everyone to realize that these are different kinds of dances because it’s a different nation, it’s a different community, its different culture and everything and that they’re all separated.

Q:

ELAINA: So, in the future, uh, I would, uh, love to take another big trip. So, we’re kind of working on it but I’m working on getting my dancers ready for big trip. Um, as far as other things that we’d like to do I’ve... I would love to incorporate live music into our group, um, which is something that I’ve talked about trying to kind of work out and see if we can kind of make it work. We haven’t been able to yet but that’s definitely something that we’re interested in kind of putting into our group.

Q:

ELAINA: So, the main thing that I want the kids to really get out of this group is the idea of giving back. I’ve done this for free my whole life and they know that I do it for free. I think I would have a completely different group if I charged my dancers and I want them to recognize the sacrifices that have come with this but I don’t feel like it’s a sacrifice. It’s something that I enjoy doing and I want them to find that passion so that they find something that they can also give back to the community. If we don’t help each other, know one’s gonna help us and we really need to look out for those kids and make sure that they get that extra.

END