The Big Wrap Up! - Week 53

Welcome Back!  Mauritania checked out the blog this week! Thank you and welcome! The blog continues to grow! It's funny how these things go.  Last week I announced that week 52 was my "official" last post of the One Big Wedo blog. I made a one year weekly commitment in January 2013 to write about all my folklorico experiences on a weekly basis.  I stuck with it and accomplished that goal.  Apparently, all you have to do to increase readership is to announce "the end" because I had people come out of the woodwork to read it this week. Better late than never I suppose!
 

 

Although I plan on continuing posting from time to time, I wanted to wrap up the "official" 52 week blog by providing my readers with the blog stats and some closing thoughts and reflections on the past year.  What a year it has been!  I thought maybe I would reach 7000 to 7500 readers by the end of the year.  I am pleased to say that as of this posting, I have had 9797 page views!  I am shocked.  I find it mind boggling at times, that people actually take the time to read these posts. Who knew a white man dancing Mexican folklorico would turn so many heads! It got people's attention! Blogger's tracking charts show a steady growing audience from the beginning to now. Thank you to everyone who has read the blog and made it a success.  You make it all worth it.
 

Several months ago, on week 27, I put out a friendly competition to all the countries around the globe and challenged them to read, read, read. The blog stirred up a frenzy and was received all around the world. So how did things end up?  Which countries read and followed the blog the most? Here is a list of the top ten countries who embraced the Wedo:

 

1.)  United States of America

2.)  Russia

3.)  Germany

4.)  France

5.)  Canada

6.)  United Kingdom

7.)  South Korea

8.)  Mexico

9.)  Poland

10.)  China

Of course there were many others who checked out the blog.  Here's a list of all the countries that read the blog.  From my calculations, there are 73 total:

Afghanistan, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Bangladesh, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, China, Columbia, Congo, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cyprus, Egypt, Faroe Islands, Finland, France, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Guam, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jersey, Kenya, Lebanon, Malta, Maldives, Mauritania, Malaysia, Mexico, Moldova, Netherlands, Nigeria, North Korea, Pakistan, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Romania, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Slovenia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Taiwan, Thailand, Trinidad & Tobago, Turkey, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States of America, Venezuela, Vietnam

My goodness!  I really need to brush up on my geography!  That's a lot of countries!  There's still a whole lot more out there too!  Keep sharing the blog and let's see if we can reach them all!  I believe it can and will happen!  I'm still open to a world tour!  Who wants to host the Wedo and dance group. Have boots, will travel!
 

As far a the posts themselves, Week 31's "Modern Folklorico Dancing" took the #1 spot for all time most read post.  It also generated a lot of feedback. To be honest, I was surprised that so many folks read it.  It wasn't even one of my personal favorites.  In fact, I felt that I didn't do a good job explaining myself and that I came off as somewhat contradicting. But I'm my biggest critic and people understood the message the way I intended nonetheless. Some felt it was controversial, which may have aided in its success. Overall, most agreed it provoked thought.

Now not to go all back into it, but I do want to say that on the one hand I was trying to make the point that there are many variations of the same dance in the folklorico world - some more traditional and authentic than others.  On a different note, I was trying to inspire originality in style an execution.  I made the comment that many group imitate Amalia Hernandez and Ballet Folklorico de Mexico's style, dances and choreography.  It's kind of like going and seeing a tribute band.  Yes, they sing the same songs an even copy the original band's look. However, at the end of the day, everyone still prefers the original band because they are the "real" one. I even had one of the dancers from Mexico write me a note thanking me for the post.  Anyway, lets just move on.
 

Several other post received heavy readership as well.  Here is a list of the top 21 posts:

1.)  Modern Folklorico Dancing - Week 31

2.)  A Big L.A. Af-fair! - Part 1 - Week 40

3.)  The Day of The Dead - Week 30

4.)  Heart & Sol - Week 16

5.)  A Deadly Transformation - Week 45

6.)  Latin Stage Fever - Denver Part 2 - Week 27

7.)  Richard Solorzano - Week 52

8.)  Sizzling Sinaloa - Denver Part 1 - Week 26

9.)  Chihuahua, Chiapas & Baja - Week 43

10.)  The Viva Navidad Experience - Part 1 - Week 51

 

11.)  Who Is Herencia Mexicana?  A History! - Week 42

12.)  Dancing At Disney California Adventure - Week 37

13.)  In The Beginning - Week 2

14.)  The Audition! - Week 47

15.)  L.A. County Fair Show - The Sequel - Week 41

16.)  Images Of Mexico - Week 21

17.). History In The Making - Week 4

18.)  What To Wear - Week 5

19.). Getting Started - Week 1

20.)  The Miracles Of Dancing - Week 6

21.)  39 - Say It Isn't So!  - Week 34

Now on the contrary, the all time least read post was week 32's "Why A Blog?"  How bizarre that week 31 was the top post and week 32 was the bottom.  Perhaps folks got turned off by week 31s post, who knows.  I actually wrote week 32's post due to some of the feedback I received regarding week 31's post.  Some folks after reading week 31 asked "Who is this Wedo and what gives him the right to write about folklorico?"  So I wrote a post about how the blog actually came about. I personally like week 32s blog much more than week 31s.  Go figure!  

I acknowledged that there are a plethora of highly qualified individuals out there, much more so than I, that should be blogging and writing about folklorico.  I even presented the idea of guest bloggers for my blog.  I approached several qualified folks to write a post to share on my blog.  Most agreed, but in the end, no one followed through, leaving my voice to be heard alone.  So that whole idea was a flop!  Kind of like week 32's post!  Of course now that I've mentioned it here, it will probably be in the top 10 by next week!
 

Since I'm sharing flops, the kids coloring activity didn't go well either!  Not a single soul sent the Wedo a picture.  Oh well.  Too bad, so sad.  I gave it a shot.  I had one person submit some logos for my logo contest. Thank goodness for that!  How embarrassing it would have been if no one had responded.  At one time, I presented an idea of creating a folklorico themed t-shirt line. That didn't happen either! Besides, Miicamisa Folk/Urban Wear already has a full line of fabulous folklorico themed items. I discovered them after I presented my desire to create some folklorico t-shirts of my own under the label "We do Wear!"  I may have some One Big Wedo blog t-shirts made up yet. Anyone interested out there?  Of course, with my bald head, folks may mistake me for Casper!  For other folklorico t-shirts and products, check out Miicamisa online and on Facebook.  And what's up with no movie offer, reality television show, music/dance video, interview or book deal? Hello Hollywood! I'll even settle for a 12 month Big Wedo calendar! Now that's sure to be a big seller! I'm waiting! Call me Hollywood! I guess there's still some hope in creating a stage show at least, but time will tell. I even hit Cher up on Facebook to have us perform a number at her upcoming show in Ontario in July. All I've heard back is crickets!
 

Now that I've shared the flops, how about some more positive areas of success? I received lots of encouragement and emails over the past year.  I even had a couple college dance professors from Texas share my blog with their students as recommended reading on their class syllabuses.  How cool is that!  I heard from some of the students themselves!  Hopefully they are still reading! Multicultural California, Folklorico Page and Folkloricochannel were all very supportive of the blog this past year. Thank you very, very much.  In fact, Folklorico Page recently gave me this compliment which has to be among the best I've ever received.  As part of the response to my post about "Richard Solorzano - Week 52", Folklorico Page wrote, "One Big Wedo's blog is [also] the "real deal", funny, informative and insightful." I am so going to have you write the book review if I should get a book deal! I recommend everyone to check out Folklorico Page on Facebook. I find the commentary and photos very inspiring. Keep up the great work.

With the announcement of the blog being officially complete, I received several texts, emails and messages encouraging me to keep blogging. Of course, this sparked my thinking of what I might still write about. I thought of a few things but then I couldn't remember if I've already written about the topics. So this week, I spent some time reading and reviewing my own blog and guess what, I haven't written about them. That means I have three or four potential new blog topics to post about. Plus, with 2014 just getting started, there's a whole year of potential posts just waiting to happen. Stay tuned. However, if the blog should end after that, I have to be honest in saying I won't miss all the work it takes to write these little gems. And I won't miss all the computer errors, unsaved and deleted posts, rework and the like. Nothing is more disappointing and aggravating than spending all day working on a post only to lose it.  Even so, I really appreciate Blogger and Google for the free service and for providing a place for my voice to be heard.  Your voice can be heard to, sign up and get to writing!
 

Let's take a moment and look at all the performances!  Here is the current list of shows I've participated in since the very beginning:

May 11, 2012:  Mariachi de Azusa 6th Annual Benefit Concert - Azusa, California (Herencia Mexicana) - Live Mariachi
May 13, 2012:  Our Lady of Assumption - Mother's Day - Carnival - Claremont, California (Herencia Mexicana)
May 18, 2012:  Plaza Mexico Performance - Lynnwood, California (Herencia Mexicana)
July 19, 2012:  Azusa Memorial Park Event - Azusa, California (Herencia Mexicana) - Live Mariachi
July 25, 2012 :  2nd Annual Viva La Vida @ Fiesta Mexicana Restaurant - Montebello, California (Images of Mexico) - Live Mariachi
July 28, 2012:  Durado Cultural Heritage Foundation Fundraiser Event - El Monte, California (Herencia Mexicana & Images of Mexico) - Live Mariachi
August 19, 2012:  Private Birthday Event - Pico Rivera, California (Herencia Mexicana)
September 14, 2012:  Plaza Mexico Performance - Lynnwood, California (Herencia Mexicana)
September 15, 2012:  Private Birthday Event - Montclair, California (Herencia Mexicana) - Live Mariachi
September 26, 2012:  Private Wedding Event - Loma Linda, California (Herencia Mexicana)
October 7, 2012:  St. Adelaide Church Carnival - Highland, California (Herencia Mexicana)
October 28, 2012:  Private Birthday Event - Azusa, California (Herencia Mexicana) - Live Mariachi
December 1, 2012:  Foster Care Event (DFCS) - Montebello, California (Herencia Mexicana)
December 9, 2012:  Riverside Festival of Lights - Riverside, California (Herencia Mexicana)
December 11, 2012:  Durado Foundation, Misa y Fiesta de Celebracion a la Virgen de Guadalupe - Riverside, California (Images of Mexico) - Live Mariachi
February 9, 2013:  Mission School Event - Redlands, California (Herencia Mexicana)
March 9, 2013:  Santa Teresita Hayden Child Care Family Festival - Duarte, California (Herencia Mexicana)
April 6, 2013:  Private Birthday Event - Ontario, California (Herencia Mexicana)
April 13, 2013:  Herencia Mexicana 2013:  El Mitote - Historic Civic Center Theatre - Corona, California (Sol de Mexico Ballet Folklorico) (Herencia Mexicana)
April 28, 2013:  City of Azusa - 2013 Cinco De Mayo Celebration, Azusa, California (Herencia Mexicana)
May 5, 2013:  Workman & Temple Family Homestead Museum, City of Industry, California.  "Romance of the Ranchos" (Herencia Mexicana)
May 12, 2013:  OLA Fiesta!  Our Lady of Assumption Parish, Claremont, California.  (Herencia Mexicana)
May 18, 2013:  Private Family Reunion Event - Arcadia Park in Arcadia, California. (Herencia Mexicana)
June 1, 2013:  Ascension Church Community Festival 2013 - Los Angeles, California. (Herencia Mexicana)
June 14, 2013:  Orgullo 2013 (Sponsored by Unidos Y Orgullo) - Potrero Night Club - Glendale, Colorado (Herencia Mexicana)
June 15, 2013:  Denver Pridefest 2013 @ Civic Center Park - Orgullo Latino Stage - Denver, Colorado (Herencia Mexicana - 2 Shows)
June 16, 2013:  Denver Pridefest 2013 @ Civic Center Park - Orgullo Latino Stage - Denver, Colorado (Herencia Mexicana - 2 Shows)
September 1, 2013:  Disney's Community Arts Showcase - Disney California Adventure - Hollywood Backlot Stage - Anaheim, California (Sol de Mexico Ballet Folklorico)

September 7, 2013:  City of Azusa Recreation Department - Azusa Senior Center Fiesta Event - Azusa, California (Herencia Mexicana)

September 8, 2013 - Plaza Mexico Colima Festival & Estrella TV - Lynnwood, California (Ballet Folklorico Mi Tierra)

September 22, 2013 - LA County Fair - Plaza De Las Americas Stage @ The Fairplex - Pomona, California (Ballet Folklorico Sol de Mexico) 

September 29, 2013 - LA County Fair - Plaza De Las Americas Stage - Pomona, California (Herencia Mexicana)
November 2, 2013 - Day of The Dead 2013 - Olvera Street Gazebo - Los Angeles, California (Herencia Mexicana)
November 2, 2013 - Dia de Los Muertos Ten Year Anniversary - Historic Downtown Riverside @ Market & Tenth - Riverside, California (Herencia Mexicana) (BF Sol de Mexico)

November 9, 2013 - Private Event - Quinceanera - Razzle Dazzle Dance Studios - Riverside, California - Live Mariachi (Herencia Mexicana) (BF Sol de Mexico)

November 16, 2013 - 50th Wedding Anniversary Private Event with Mariachi Los Camperos - The Ritz Gardens - Whittier, California - Live Mariachi (Dancers from Various Groups)

December 7, 2013 - D.C.F.S. Holiday Event at Montebello Senior Center - Montebello, California (Herencia Mexicana)
December 14, 2013 - Riverside Festival of Lights sponsored by The Mission Inn - Main Stage at University & Main - Riverside, California (Herencia Mexicana)

December 21, 2013 - Disney Viva Navidad Guest Performances - Disney California Adventure Park - Anaheim, California - Paradise Gardens Stage - 4 Shows (Herencia Mexicana)

December 22, 2013 - Disney Viva Navidad Guest Performances - Disney California Adventure Park - Anaheim, California - Paradise Gardens Stage - 2 Shows (Herencia Mexicana)

March 29, 2014 - Priscilla's Quinceanera - City Of Industry Expo Center - Industry, California (Herencia Mexicana)

April 8, 2014 - Veracruz Photo Shoot - Los Angeles, California (BF Mi Tierra)

April 27, 2014 - Azusa Cinco de Mayo Celebration - Azusa City Hall - Azusa, California (Herencia Mexicana)

May 1, 2014 - Destination Downtown Riverside Fashion Show - Riverside California (Herencia Mexicana)

May 1, 2014 - Riverside Cinco de Mayo Celebration at I.E. Art walk - Riverside, California (Herencia Mexicana)
May 6, 2014 - First Steps Independent Living Cinco de Mayo Event - San Bernardino, California (Herencia Mexicana)

May 11, 2014 - OLA Fiests Mother's Day Performance - Our Lady of Assumption Church & School - Claremont, California (Herencia Mexicana)

June 20, 2014 - Unidos Y Orgullo's 2014 Pride Event at Club El Potrero - Glendale, Colorado (Herencia Mexicana)

June 21, 2014 - Denver Pridefest 2014 at Civic Center Park - Latin Stage - Denver, Colorado (Herencia Mexicana - 3 shows)

June 22, 2014 - Denver Pridefest 2014 at Civic Center Park - Latin Stage - Denver, Colorado (Herencia Mexicana - 2 shows)

KGNU Radio Interview.

July 26, 2014 - 15th Wedding Anniversary Celebration - Mentone Moose Lodge - Mentone, California (Herencia Mexicana)

August 2, 2014 - Fabiola's Birthday Party - Escobedo's Residence - Covina, California (Herencia Mexicana)

August 23, 2014 - Disney Community Arts Showcase - Disney California Adventure - Hollywood Backlot Stage - Anaheim, California (Herencia Mexicana)

September 6, 2014 - City of Azusa "Fiesta" - Azusa Senior Center - Azusa, California (Herencia Mexicana)

September 27, 2014 - St. Bernardine's Multicultural Festival - San Bernardino, California (Herencia Mexicana)

September 28, 2014 - Los Angeles County Fair - Plaza de Las Americas, Pomona, California (Herencia Mexicana)
October 5, 2014 - Unity Fellowship of Christ Church Hispanic Heritage Month Celebration - Riverside, California (Herencia Mexicana)
October 12, 2014 - Private Wedding Reception Performance - Mentone Moose Lodge, Mentone Beach, California (Herencia Mexicana)
October 18, 2014 - Herencia Mexicana's 2014 Annual Fundraiser Event - The Ranch - Riverside, California - 2 Performances (Herencia Mexicana)

November 2, 2014 - Placita Olvera - Olvera Street Dia de Los Muertos (Day of The Dead) Festival - Los Angeles, California (Herencia Mexicana) 

November 2, 2014 - Riverside Dia de Los Muertos Featival - Downtown Riverside, California (Herencia Mexicana)

November 22, 2014 - Disney Viva Navidad! - Disney California Adventure Park - Paradise Pier/Goofy's Sky School - Anaheim, California - 2 Shows (Herencia Mexicana)
November 23, 2014 - Disney Viva Navidad! - Disney California Adventure - Paradise Pier/Goofy's Sky School - Anaheim, California - 2 Shows (Herencia Mexicana)

December 6, 2014 - Knott's Merry Farm - Knott's Berry Farm - Calico Stage - Buena Park, California (Herencia Mexicana)
December 13, 2014 - Winter Wonderland - The Roosevelt Bowl @ Perris Hill Park - San Bernardino, California (Herencia Mexicana)
December 13, 2014 - Riverside Mission Inn Festival of Lights - Riverside, California (Herencia Mexicana)
December 21, 2014 - KCAA Radio Event @ The Carousel Mall - Performance & Radio Interview - San Bernardino, California (Herencia Mexicana)
January 18, 2015 - Disney Community Arts Showcase - Hollywood Backlot Stage - Disney California Adventure - Anaheim, California (Herencia Mexicana)

I count 40+ shows!  Not too shabby. That's a lot of foot tapping going on! Almost averages out to one performance for every year old I am! One Big Wedo thanks all the dancers, dance groups, directors, teachers, photographers, videographers, Wikipedia, various reference resources, You Tube, Facebook and the like, who all contributed to the success of the blog. There's a saying that goes something like "It takes a village to raise a child." I guess it could be said "It takes a village to help a wedo dance and blog folklorico!" I especially want to thank God, Richard and my parents. Even during the tough times!

 

 

If you check out my profile on Google+ and Gmail, you can view tons of photos I've posted in the blog.  There are also a few photos that Google selected to enhance!  They are referred to as "Google+ Auto Awesome Photos"! Check them out sometime.

In other news, just as the blog ended, Herencia started up practices for the 2014 season. Everyone came back a little bit sluggish from the holidays. We are all a bit weighted down, if you get my drift. Now I didn't eat tamales, but I had my share of tortillas and chocolate. Now comes time to "feel the burn" and lose those extra pounds before our first show of the new year. Speaking of weight, check out this photo of me I found from a couple years ago. I was a much bigger boy! Folklorico makes you skinny!
 

Hey, here's a completely random piece of information for you.  I must be having one of my ADD moments.  After our fair performance last year, we received some feedback about our costumes. Although everyone liked our costumes, it was brought to our attention that the women's bloomers didn't match. So guess what, now they do. Richard designed a Herencia bloomer that all the women have wear, so everyone is uniform now. And I thought I suffered from OCD. Yes folks, even the underwear have to match!  

In closing, I want to share something I learned in college. Many of you have read and know that I studied Bible and Theology. I recall one class where the professor shared how there will be a day when all the nations of the world stand before God and present their contributions to life and society to God.  We discussed various aspects of life in which nations and people contribute too.  I remember thinking that one of the great contributions of Mexico is folklorico. I often think about how I am not only dancing before men, but also before God. Folklorico dancing reflects God and His creativity through man. That's my opinion anyways. What a beautiful thing.

So to wrap this all up, I sum up the whole blog like this:

Guero, whetto, wettoh, huero, weddo, weddoh, whedo, wedoh, huerro, Guerro, guedo, wetto, huedo, wero, guelo, wello, wheddoh, wedian and FOLKLORICO!  But no matter how you prefer to spell it, I'm still the One Big Wedo!
 

That's pretty much it! So what does next week bring, if anything? Check back and see! I already have folks trying to persuade me in going on some new adventures so I can write about them! Until then, this Wedo needs a moment to catch his breath! Wedo out!

Contact Information for "The Big Wedo":

Google E-mail: onebigwedo@gmail.com
Facebook: One Big Wedo (Guero)
Twitter: Michael Smith @onebigwedo
Blogger: www.onebigwedo.blogspot.com

Contact Information for Ballet Folklorico de Herencia Mexicana:

Richard Solorzano, Director: (909) 201-1957
Facebook: Herencia Mexicana
E-Mail: Bf_herencia_mexicana@yahoo.com
 

Note: Looking for your own adventure or journey? Herencia is a great place to find one!  Folklorico lessons and performances are both available. Herencia Mexicana performs for private & public events of all kinds. Book your event today! Herencia Mexicana welcomes new students. No previous folklorico or dance experience required.  All are welcome.

 

 

A Look Ahead - Week 49

Hello Everybody!  Welcome back!  One Big Wedo is on the verge of 8100 page views!  I am blown away that so many folks have discovered and are following the blog.  Thank you!  A special welcome to Malta this week for joining the blog!  Keep spreading the word out there and let's see how big this blog can grow! Are we friends on Facebook yet?  Join me on Facebook at "One Big Wedo - Guero" for all things Grand Wedo!  You won't miss a beat.

This week's blog presents a bit of a challenge as I really don't know what to write about.  Oh dear, a dilemma!  As I review my pages of notes and ideas, I can see that I've managed to incorporate all my topics of desire into my blog effectively.  Wow, how'd that happen?  Don't worry, the next three weeks are already plotted, leaving this week open.  I wanted to do a Flaming Folklorico Part 2, but my party hasn't happened yet.  I'll have to do that in 2014 sometime.  If you're not familiar with what a "Flaming Folklorico" is, refer to week 24's post.  If you want to host a Flaming Folklorico party, send me an email and maybe we can make it happen!  Of course, One Big Wedo will come and serve up the drinks himself.  We can all suffer together.
 

2014 is right around the corner which means the 2014 season of Herencia Mexicana is at hand.  This week I began an aggressive attack on the 2014 schedule.  Unlike in years past, this year we are practicing and performing right up to the end of the year.  Typically Herencia has taken the holidays off.  So preparations for the new year are happening amongst all the chaos.  And 2014 is shaping up to be a biggie!  Lights, Cameras, Action!  2014 here we come!

In October, we secured a new studio in Covina to practice at!  It has a great hourly rate which provides a huge cost savings.  Now our members in the Los Angeles area have a new home to practice at which is conveniently located near the 10 and 210 freeways.  

Also In October, we learned that a practice location in San Bernardino at the National Orange Show Art Gallery was finally going to happen.  It took us nearly a year to secure the spot.  Thanks to Ishmael Nunez's donation from my Blog Logo Contest winnings, we were able to start up a folklorico program in San Bernardino at our new location!  You can read more about my logo contest on weeks 28 and 36!  We were able to slash our monthly dues in half because of all the cost savings!  That's great news for everyone, we all like saving money!  Now students only pay $20 per month to be part of Herencia.  And we still provide the performing costumes!  That's an incredible deal.  If anyone is searching for a group to belong to, join Herencia Mexicana.  We have a lot of fun together and we're affordable.

In November, we started a Thursday night beginner's group that meets from 7 pm to 9 pm.  On Sundays, we have our performing group rehearsals back to back - first in Covina from 2pm to 4pm and then in San Bernardino from 5pm to 7pm. Busy, busy!  In anticipation of the new year, I've been sending out email notices to our regular show venues and sponsors letting them know we are booking shows and setting up our 2014 calendar.  I've also been scouting new venues to perform at in 2014.  I feel the group is exciting about some of the new performance possibilities!

There are many, many appealing venues out there.  A couple new ones we are looking at are Knotts Berry Farm and Six Flags Magic Mountain.  Of course, Herencia would also like to participate in The Community Arts Showcase at Disneyland during the summer too.  Our dancers also enjoyed the shows at Olvera Street, The LA County Fair and Riverside's Day of the Dead Festival and Festival of Lights, so we will probably return to those events again.  It also looks like we will be returning to Denver, Colorado in June for another series of shows! Yes, 2014 is shaping up nicely!

In addition to venues, I've been scouting sponsors and writing letters requesting support for advertising and new costumes.  We would like to add the regions of Colima, Michoacan, Yucatan, Aguascalientes and Guerrero to our show repertoire in 2014 which means a lot of new costumes to make.  We need to replace some of our existing costumes too!  It's going to be a year of big investment into costumes.  Let the fundraising begin!  Of course Herencia accepts donations too, big or small - anything helps.  Shoot me an email if you would like to contribute. One area of need is garment bags.
 

I've also been starting a Facebook Ad campaign to increase group membership.  The group has fluctuated in membership and we would like to have a group with 40 to 60 regular, consistent members.  So I've been busy spreading the word out there.  It seems to be working because we're up! I think the new reduced rate has sparked a lot of interest.  Starting in January, Herencia is going to host some classes for interested dancers to come and try us out.  But there's no need to wait, we practice every week. The best time to start is now.  As I read this week on Facebook, "A year from now you will wish you had started today." So again I say "The best time to start is now", don't delay!

Next on my list of tasks is to print up an official practice schedule for 2014 for both the beginners class and the performance group practices.  We are also ordering standardized group practice shirts and group performance shirts which are worn to all performances.  Richard also has the new Directors Award program which is given to one dancer per year.  The award is given to the dancer of his choice and they receive a Herencia Letterman jacket.

Of course all this is just planning.  It's good to have a plan; however, as I read earlier this week, "A plan is just your wish list"!  That is so true.  And if there is one thing I've learned about folklorico and groups, it's that things rarely ever happen as planned.  Something always changes.  The grey hairs on my chin are proof of that!

So what about the Big Wedo?  What's happening to the blog in 2014?  The blog was a one year weekly commitment.   I've tossed around several ideas, even an official season two of the blog, but I've concluded that there will not be any official season two.  This has been a huge undertaking folks! Much more work than anticipated, but completely worth it. I've enjoyed my time with you.  And I'm not going to let the blog just die!  I've invested too much into it for that to happen.  I'm going to continue writing posts in 2014 but on no set deadline.  The requirement of one a week is too much, especially now with all my added group responsibilities.  So as big things happen or inspiration strikes, I will be writing about it and posting it on the blog.  It's not an official season two, its just updates at random.

My special guest posts never happened.  I approached several people about it and they seemed interested in doing it, but they never followed through.  So I continue to do this work alone.  That's ok, I don't mind.

What about the Wedo dancing?  Yes, I will be dancing in 2014 too.  I have made a commitment to dance another year.  My main focus will remain on Herencia Mexicana, even more so now with all the changes.  Which means I'll probably be cutting back some with other groups.  I say that, but reality will tell the true story if that happens or not.  I enjoy performing, so when opportunities knock, I'm usually quick to say "YES"!  But as Herencia Mexicana grows, I will need to channel my attention on it more so than in the past.  

All the practicing has taken its toll on the body too.  I'm at an all time low weight of 192.  Which is fine, but I feel like I could break cause I am so fragile!  There no meat on these bones.  And where there is, it has shifted to all the wrong places!  I'm approaching 40 people!  For the first time in my life, I actually feel and look my age.  It's kind of a bummer.  The dancing has kept this Wedo moving that's for sure. Even so, I'm feelin it!  Plus, I've noticed the younger generation refers to me as "sir" now.  It's better than "Mame" I suppose, but it makes you feel old. 

It's exciting to see the group growing!  There is a lot of potential for its future.  I'm so honored to be part of it.  Yes indeed, things are looking up for Herencia!
 

In other news, this week we had our promotional booth for Herencia, sponsored by Jarritos soda!  It was a good event and we gained a lot of exposure and interest.  We may even have a show for May booked from it!  That's always a good thing!  Plus we earned some money for costumes!  Right after the event ended, it was off to LA to buy more material and accessories for upcoming shows.  One big expense was the lace fabric for the replacement of the Veracruz shawls.  I had no idea that "bridal" fabric cost so much.  I found a nice one for $25 a yard! We needed 25 yards so that one was out of the question.  We found another nice one for a bit cheaper.  That's just the cost for the fabric, now comes the cost in sewing.  All this work is for our upcoming shows in Riverside and at Disney.
 

On Saturday we had a last minute show for Los Angeles area Foster Kids.  It went well and the kids loved it.  You can come on out and see us on Saturday December 14th for the Riverside Festival of Lights at 7 pm sharp on the main stage!  Or you can come on out on December 21st or 22nd to Disney California Adventure for one of our six shows on the Paradise Gardens stage.  These are our last shows for 2013.  Don't worry, Knotts Berry Farm is coming up in the spring!  You won't have to wait too long to see us again!
 

That's it for this week!  Next weeks blog is called "Viva Mariachi!" Make sure to come back and check it out.  Later folks, Wedo out!

Contact Information for "The Big Wedo":

Google E-mail: onebigwedo@gmail.com
Facebook: One Big Wedo (Guero)
Twitter: Michael Smith @onebigwedo
Blogger: www.onebigwedo.blogspot.com

Contact Information for Ballet Folklorico de Herencia Mexicana:

Richard Solorzano, Director: (909) 201-1957
Facebook: Herencia Mexicana
E-Mail: Bf_herencia_mexicana@yahoo.com
 

Note: Looking for your own adventure or journey? Herencia is a great place to find one!  Folklorico lessons and performances are both available. Herencia Mexicana performs for private & public events of all kinds. Book your event today! Herencia Mexicana welcomes new students. No previous folklorico or dance experience required.  All are welcome.
 

 

 

Latin Stage Fever - Denver Part 2 - Week 27

Happy Independence Day Everyone!  Hope you all had an enjoyable Fourth Of July this week.  Here we are at Week 27, the beginning of the end so to speak.  Welcome to the second half of the One Big Wedo blog!  A special shout out to Malaysia who checked back in this week.  Where are the rest of the nations?  There's a whole section of the globe that hasn't checked out the blog yet.  It's time to get on board!  South America, Africa and Asia I'm talkin' to you!  There's only 26 week's left, no time to wait.  Keep spreading the word out there and help me reach readers!

Before we get to this week's topic, let's review the first half:

The First Quarter:

Week 1:  Getting Started
Week 2:  In The Beginning
Week 3:  The United States of Mexico
Week 4:  History In The Making!
Week 5:  What To Wear?
Week 6:  The Miracles Of Dancing
Week 7:  Show Time!
Week 8:  Who Am I?  A Personal Introduction
Week 9:  Three Challenges
Week 10:  What Is Folk Dancing?
Week 11:  I Believe In Herencia
Week 12:  The Tale Of Two Chinas
Week 13:  Competition Movie Time!

The Second Quarter:

Week 14:  Breaking The Language Barrier
Week 15:  Commitment Failures & Uncertainty
Week 16:  Heart & Sol
Week 17:  Ballet Vs. Danza?  What's The Deal?
Week 18:  Taking Inventory
Week 19:  Cinco De Mayo
Week 20:  Retrospective & Prospective
Week 21:  Images Of Mexico
Week 22:  The World Of Workshops
Week 23:  Man Up Or Sit Down!
Week 24:  Flaming Folklorico!
Week 25:  Veracruz Presented By Herencia Mexicana
Week 26:  Sizzling Sinaloa - Denver Part 1

Wow!  I am amazed.  Lots of fun folklorico themed reading for those who are interested.  Although I fell short of my 3000 pageview goal, I still appreciate everyone's support in sharing and promoting my blog.  Blogger does a great job of tracking everything and the top ten countries with readership thus far according to their ranking are as follows:

#1:  The United States
#2:  Germany
#3:  Russia
#4:  United Kingdom
#5:  France
#6:  Canada
#7:  South Korea
#8:  Bosnia and Herzegovina
#9:  Poland
#10:  Ukraine

Don't see your country listed?  Well, you can help change that!  Let's start a worldwide friendly competition!  You have 26 more weeks to get your country in the top 10 or to keep it there!  Ready, Get Set, Read On! 

As far as the top five all time most read posts thus far, here's how they rank:

#1:  Week 16 - "Heart & Sol"
#2:  Week 4 - "History In The Making!"
#3:  Week 21 - "Images Of Mexico"
#4:  Week 5 - "What To Wear?"
#5:  Week 2 - "In The Beginning"

Of course that could all change over the next several week's.  On week 52's wrap up, I'll let everyone know where everything ended up!

Have you "LIKED" One Big Wedo (Guero) on Facebook yet?  The "likes" are slowly climbing.  Log on and "like" me today.  Now, let's get down to business!

Week 27:  Latin Stage Fever - Denver Part 2:

According to online resources, The Denver Pridefest had an attendance of nearly 350,000 participants in 2012 and the number was expected to increase for this year's festival.  That's a lot of people!  So when Herencia Mexicana was invited to come, it was a huge honor.  Thank you for asking us!  The festival took place on June 15th and 16th in the downtown's centrally situated Civic Center Park which is at the corner of Colfax and Broadway amongst all the government buildings and monuments.  A lovely setting.  The beautiful city of Denver has to be ranked as one of the cleanest cities in America.  It quickly became one of my favorite places in the country.   

This was the fifth year for the festival to have a Latin stage.  The stage set in the lawn next to the McNichols building in the park.  The stage is titled "Orgullo Latino" and is "packed with the best in colorful, cultural entertainment from around the country" according to one online source.  The event is free to the public and is the third largest festival of its kind in the nation, providing a $25 million dollar economic impact to the City of Denver annually.  A big production.

On Saturday morning Richard and I got up early and headed over to the Denver International Airport to pick up the rest of the dance crew.  Then it was a rush back to The Curtis Hotel to pick up everyone else and head over to the event.

We arrived to the festival around 11:00 a.m., hauling all our costumes and accessories in hand to the dressing room.  On both Saturday and Sunday we performed two shows - One of Veracruz and the other Chihuahua.  Colorado loves its cowboys, so Chihuahua was a big hit.  As we got ourselves dressed in costume, DJ's pumped out the jams and other groups and performers worked the stage.  Our first show of the day - Veracruz.  The stage itself was nicely ordained with colorful stage set painted by a local artist.  Richard liked the stage so much that had they given us the set, he would have found a way to strap to the hood of the Sienna to bring it back home to Cali! 

 

Prior to the event, Herencia spent a small fortune on dry cleaning all the costumes, repairing any damaged lace on the dresses, replacing zippers and buttons and so on.  We wanted to look our very best.  Now, as I have mentioned in the past, something always seems to go wrong at every show.  What was it this time?  An uncooperative zipper.  Apparently, the zipper on one of the Veracruz dresses was so excited it decided to zip all the way up and off!  Well at least the dress was on for this show.  However, once it was taken off it wouldn't be zipped again.  Or would it? 

At about 1:00 pm in the afternoon we took the stage.  A large crowd gathered in the lawn to watch the show.  A sea of people.  Even the head organizer of the whole event came out for the show.  Also there in the audience was Monica, the Herencia alumni I spoke of last week.  She photographed and took video of our performance. 

 

Monica & Richard dancing Chihuahua together

Pancho Villa Ad featuring Monica

 

 Jalisco

The audience enjoyed the show and their response was much like the performance the night before.  A genuine appreciation.  After our Veracruz show it was a rush back into the dressing room to change for the Chihuahua show.  Richard had contracted a good friend of his to make us two new Chihuahua dresses for this event, one pink and one blue.  He is a costume designer in Hollywood who makes spectacular costumes for the stage and screen.  However, our order got bumped, which left us in a predicament.  No dresses!  Oh No!  What to do?  Images of Mexico to the rescue.  Whew!

 Herencia Mexicana Chihuahua Costume

Images of Mexico Chihuahua Costume

Images Of Mexico allowed us to use three of their Chihuahua dresses for Denver.  The dresses are different from Herencia's style of Chihuahua dress.  There's are poofy!  Is poofy even a word?  How about "puffy" then!  In either case, the extra fluff made it a bit more challenging to dance with your partner.  At least I thought so.  It took some adjusting and getting use to.  Regardless, the Chihuahua show was a hit with the audience.  Many commented to me that they liked it over the Veracruz, although they were quick to say that both shows were nice.  Personally, I feel the shows in Denver were among the best shows Herencia has performed since I joined the group in 2011.  Many in the audience told other dancers that it was nice to see some their heritage and cultural roots represented in their local community and that they were taken back to their homeland - Mexico.  Awesome! 

 The Lawn

The Lawn Full Of People Prior To Our Shows 

After the show we headed back over to our hotel, refreshed and got ready for dinner.  We were treated to dinner that evening at Imperial Palace.  One word, "Delicious!" 

On Sunday, we did the whole routine over again!  Except this time the audience was even larger!  Joey Diamond was there to DJ and people really came out.  The Veracruz dress with the zipper had been repaired, or so we thought, but when it was put on the zipper busted again before it even got zipped up.  Never a break!  Under pressure, Richard went to work and somehow at the last minute he got the dress to zip as we were walking out of the dressing room and onto the stage.  What a save!  Note to self:  Burn the dress.

 

After our Veracruz set we dashed off stage to get ready for Chihuahua.  A mysterious wind kicked up and the weather turned.  The crowd thinned as people left.  But there was still an audience and we completed our last show in the wind.  At least we were cooler.  It was a hot weekend overall.  Ironically, two days later on July 18th, a tornado was spotted at the Denver International Airport.  Thank goodness we were already home at that point.  Timing is everything!

Right after we finished our last show, we changed and packed up the costumes and hit the road home.  It was about 2:30 in the afternoon.  We drove back the same way we came, passing all the famous ski villages and resorts that I dreamed about going to when I was a kid who loved to ski.  After ten tedious hours of driving we stopped for the night in Beaver, Utah.  Not much to do in Beaver but sleep.  However, some of the dancers came up with a fun way of entertaining themselves!

The trip wrapped up on Monday afternoon.  Everyone returned to their normal, everyday lives.  What an awesome experience.  When I returned the rental on Tuesday the odometer read trip mileage of 2309.8 miles.  Now that's some travelling!

Denver is known as the "Mile High" city.  There was some concern that the altitude may make it difficult to breath up there.  Add to the mix the physical activity of dancing and that spells exhaustion!  But the altitude really didn't have much of an affect as I anticipated.  I was more out of breath from being chunky!  Plus all the adrenalin provided a big boost of energy.  The feet were a tappin'.

Show organizers enjoyed and appreciated Herencia's performance that they told us we could come again next year.  What a compliment to be invited back!  Thank you.  Let's make it happen!  Richard has already been thinking about what he would do next year.  There are some things he would do differently.  If we end up going back I know I want to stay an extra day or two and go rafting down the Colorado River.  That should help with my "man" image!

For those of you on Facebook, you can visit the Unidos N Orgullo page and watch a short video clip that one of their followers posted on their timeline of the crowd at the Latin Stage dancing right before one of our performances.  You will see two of our dancers on stage in Chihuahua dresses dancing.  Check it out.  Good times!

There you have it, "Latin Stage Fever".  You can create some fever of your own by having Herencia Mexicana perform at your next Pride Festival or Latin Event.  Contact Richard to book your event.  His information is below. 

Does anyone have ideas or topics that they want me to address in the blog?  What have I missed?  Is there anything you have been wondering about in my experience?  I am open to suggestions and feedback.  Please contact me and let me know your thoughts.  My email is below.  Perhaps it will lead to the next great post!

In closing, I want to say "Congratulations" to all of my friends that performed last weekend at the Hollywood Bowl for the 24th Mariachi USA show.  I'm glad I got to go and experience it.  Until next week everyone, wedo out!

****ATTENTION ALL BIG WEDO FANS & FOLLOWERS:  MARK YOUR CALENDARS - SEPTEMBER 29, 2013 - HERENCIA MEXICANA WILL BE PERFORMING AT THE LA COUNTY FAIR.  THIS IS A GREAT OPPORTUNITY FOR THOSE OF YOU IN THE SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA AREA TO COME OUT AND SHOW YOUR SUPPORT!  MEET THE WEDO!  LET'S PACK THE PLAZA AND SET RECORD ATTENDANCE FOR THE SHOW!  HOPE TO SEE EVERYONE THERE.  MORE DETAILS TO COME AS THE EVENT GETS CLOSER!****


Contact Information for "The Big Wedo":

Google E-mail: onebigwedo@gmail.com
Facebook: One Big Wedo (Guero)
Twitter: Michael Smith @onebigwedo
Blogger: www.onebigwedo.blogspot.com

Contact Information for Ballet Folklorico de Herencia Mexicana:

Richard Solorzano, Director: (909) 201-1957
Facebook: Herencia Mexicana
E-Mail: Bf_herencia_mexicana@yahoo.com

Note: Looking for your own adventure or journey? Herencia is a great place to find one!  Folklorico lessons and performances are both available. Herencia Mexicana performs for private & public events of all kinds. Book your event today! Herencia Mexicana welcomes new students. No previous folklorico or dance experience required.  All are welcome.