I can't dance (or sing), but come to my musical

So tonight is the night, "In The Heights" opens at the South Bend Civic Theatre tonight at 7:30PM. It is my stage debut... I can't sing, I don't even read music, and I really can't dance (I pretend well) and have never been in a choreographed number. So why am I in a musical tonight?

REPRESENTATION

Our Cast (me in blue tank top)

When my friend, Aaron, the Executive Director of the theatre told me they were bringing the famed Lin-Manuel Miranda musical here... I thought whoa yes! And then I thought... oh crap... we got to do this thing right... how can I help?

The Civic has done it right, they advertised castings in Spanish, on Spanish radio, we even did auditions at La Casa de Amistad, we promoted it at Latin Dance downtown... and we got it, a diverse cast.

So why am I in the cast? Well, if I was asking people to audition for it, I couldn't be a hypocrite and sit back and say, "Thats not for me"... cause guess what, Aaron told me that the Civic should be, and is for everyone...

REPRESENTATION MATTERS

Aaron Nichols, SB Civic Theatre

So I auditioned, I warned them, I can't really sing... they told me they would push me to learn. Then I broke the news to them, I don't really dance, I do merengue and bachata cause hey, its easy and most people are worse than me so I generally look alright on the dance floor... and they again told me they would push me to be better.

I got a role, ensemble, AKA back up dancer and singer. I figured cool, I made it, and the role would not be a lot of work. I was wrong... it was a lot of work. We started months ago, several nights a week, learning the songs, learning the choreo, learning about theatre... this week I spent nearly 30 hours at the theatre.

I will reflect more on my experience later. It was hard for an engineer to be involved in a musical... it has been a challenge, but you know whats good for this soon to be forty year old? Having to learn new things, to push myself, to make myself step out of my comfort zone.

REPRESENTATION MATTERS, SO I REPRESENTED

Tonight I step out of my comfort zone. Tonight I represent Bolivia on that state, I represent local immigrants, I represent immigrant kids who might think they can never be in theatre... hey you can, look at me, this old man learned, and this old man will miss a few steps tonight, and come in a second late in a spot (or two, or three), but the show will be amazing, filled with talented local folks, singing and dancing their hearts out and telling you a beautiful story of a low income immigrant neighborhood in New York...

Enjoy the show... to my cast members, thanks for helping me along, to the crew thanks for including so many cool South Bend Latino/Immigrant things into the set, and lets break a leg tonight.

ALZA LA BANDERA! 

What I told Anderson Cooper about Dreamers

It’s been a year since my interview with Anderson Cooper. As usual 80% of what you tell a journalist doesn’t make the news… so I wanted to write it down. I told him two stories; this is my family one that I share a lot when I speak about immigration and about Dreamers… 

I was a child, brought to this country by my parents, I am not technically a Dreamer but close. Why is no one mad at this child immigrant? 

Let me tell you a story…

My mom was born in Saginaw, MI, red hair, green eyes, requires SPF 75, and most would consider her about as American as apple pie. After college she went to Bolivia to do missionary work, fell in love with the country, and later fell in love with my dad. They got married, started a family, and never planned to move to the USA. In 1984 they planned a trip to Michigan for Christmas. 

We packed for a short trip, I kissed my abuelita, wrestled with my dog Tony, and told my cousins I'll be back in two weeks. (Blog about my first Christmas)

Couple days after Christmas, my brothers and I were enjoying the snow, playing with presents, and our parents sat us down, and told us, we weren’t going back. My mom was pregnant with my little sister, and the Bolivian economy that year had over 2,000% inflation (not a typo) and in 1985 it was over 16,000%!  They explained that life would be better here.

It didn’t feel better...

I lived with my grandparents that spoke no Spanish (my parents went back to sell everything). I spoke little English, it was very cold, and no one else played soccer. I started school right away and couldn’t understand anything except math class.

I would never see my dog Tony again. I wouldn’t get to kiss my abuelita for many years. I didn’t play pick up soccer with my cousins again until I was a teenager.

I came to this country, like most Dreamers, by “no fault of my own” as they say. My status is not challenged, I am “good immigrant”, who did it the right way.  Did my family seeking the American Dream impede on your ability to chase that same dream? I don’t think so, so why are you mad at Juan? Am I not taking people’s jobs? Am I not the negative things people say about immigrants?

I was born an American citizen...  

We had support systems when we arrived to get on our feet. Even with a green card my family couldn't get most government supports, but my dad was able to get construction work right away, and once he learned English was able to get better paying jobs and eventually back into accounting. With a SS number I worked in high school and I got to fill out FASFA for college, and got grants and subsidized loans.

Compared to my Dreamer friends… who get accused of using government resources…. but who can’t. I paid in-state tuition, got loans, and other government benefits of being a citizen. 

So why is no one mad at me?

It’s where you easily see the racism. Regardless of how I came, my impact is exactly the same as Juan from Mexico. It’s where you see our country’s history of treating immigrants horribly. My dad, green card or not, had it hard. In our history every major immigrant group had its stereotypes, and now people are against Mexicans/Latinos, and make negative myths, and take advantage of them.

I look like my mom, was born an American, and so I had it easier. Yes my immigration story wasn't easy, but not as hard as it has been for others and I often wish I could trade places. To carry their burden for them, and in a way I am trying today in my work now to make it right. 

So how do we change? We have to expose the truth, teach people what is happening, why it is happening, and discuss real solutions. When I told Anderson Cooper this story he replied that my story, and those of Dreamers, is the story of America. The story of seeking opportunity, the true definition of “The American Dream”.

So what can you do? Lot's, here are some suggestions: Want to Help?