With lights dimmed and the soft beat of gourd water drums in the background, storyteller and musician Michael Heralda grabbed the attention of 350 students, seniors and community members during a Cinco de Mayo celebration of culture at the Aurora Fox Arts Center on Wednesday.
Dressed in a red shirt and striped pants and with seed rattles known as ayayotls wrapped around his ankles, Heralda explained the significance of the Mayan clay flute — made of the elements earth, water and fire.
“And then you add wind to make it sing,” Heralda said. With a deep breath, he blew the lilting notes over a hushed audience.
The event concluded the Colorado Folk Arts Council’s season, said Renee Fajardo of the council. It also featured dancers from Azteca Art Colorado.
“The biggest and best thing about Colorado is that we are all different, and that’s what Cinco de Mayo is all about,” Fajardo said. “It’s also about people overcoming great odds.”
Cinco de Mayo celebrates the victory over the French by a vastly outnumbered Mexican force at the May 5, 1862, Battle of Puebla.
Wednesday’s free performance drew students of all ages from across the metro area, Fajardo said.
“It’s so important that they accept and appreciate each other,” she said, and exposing them to cultural experiences such as Heralda’s storytelling builds understanding.
“It also gives kids an experiential time rather than just reading about it,” said Denise Capone, a teacher at Cherry Creek’s Prairie Middle School, who brought a group of students to the performance.
During the performance, students chanted Aztec — or more properly Nahuatl — words, clapped to the shake of Heralda’s ankle ayayotls and climbed on stage to help create music for the songs.
Heralda has performed across the country, including at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C.
This performance focused on foods of the Aztec culture, with a particular nod to the “three sisters” of corn, beans and squash.
Audience member Enrique Carbajal saw Heralda in Los Angeles but wanted to see him again, he said. He’d like to make a set of the water drums used in the performance — a series of large, dried gourds placed in water — and he was pleased to see so many students in attendance.
“This is incredible,” Carbajal said.
Heather McWilliams: 303-954-1698 or hmcwilliams@denverpost.com
