It’s time for Tucson to sneak a peek at The Mariachi Miracle!
The ten-year film and book project reaches a significant milestone August 14 at noon at Tucson’s Fox Theatre as a rough cut of the film is presented for input from the city.
The Mariachi Miracle documents how Tucson has become a more cohesive and prosperous place thanks to its youth mariachi and folklorico dance programs, and the national movement they helped spark.
For over a decade, director Daniel Buckley, a former music writer for the daily Tucson Citizen newspaper, followed the mariachi and folklorico trail, digging out the chronology of a budding educational movement, hearing the stories of those who lived it and shooting countless gigs and performances as youth mariachi and folklorico dancers created the soundtrack of life in our city.
Over 350 interviews were conducted with former youth mariachis, teachers, administrators, parents, family members, politicians, community leaders, business professionals and more to hear first-hand how becoming part of this movement changed their lives and the lives of folks around them.
With co-producer Eva Romero, Buckley has been piecing together a collage of interviews, photos, footage and audio to convey the emotion, color and vibrance of the youth mariachi and folklorico dance experience as it evolved from its origins with a single group in days of segregation to today, when the mariachi and folklorico dancer are as iconic to Tucson as the saguaro cactus, and when our first Latina mayor is herself a mariachi mom.
Los Changuitos Feos set the tone, establishing rules of how to travel and spread the word of how these types of groups open doors for young Mexican Americans, and establishing the practice of awarding a college scholarship to those who participated. Along the way these young musicians and dancers learned the skills that would help them reach for their dreams – teamwork, discipline, time management, negotiating skills, communication skills and more. The idea that one was limited only by one’s imagination transformed the possibilities of these young men and women, and opened doors for careers not just in music but as scientists, engineers, doctors, lawyers, politicians, entrepreneurs, teachers, administrators and more. And challenges along the way often shaped unexpected careers that would make a huge difference for those who followed.
Just from that first batch of Changuitos came the youngest state senator in Arizona’s history, a doctor, a world-renowned martial arts master, educators, professionals and one of the engineers who helped design the Hubble Space Telescope.
As Buckley would uncover, the move from an all-male tradition to a model inclusive of women, coupled with the birth of the Tucson International Mariachi Conference, bilingual education and Linda Ronstadt’s groundbreaking “Canciones de Mi Padre” and “Más Canciones” would lead to curriculum-based music and dance programs and an explosion in the number of groups. Moreover, the high standards insisted upon academically and musically raised the level of performance – and its appreciation by local audiences – to epic levels.
Prior to the 1 p.m. screening, local groups including the current generation of Mariachi Los Changuitos Feos, Tucson High’s Mariachi Rayos Del Sol, Ballet Folklórico Tapatio, Mariachi Los Diablitos de Sunnyside High and Mariachi Aztlán de Pueblo High School will perform.
After the screening, a panel discussion will take place with Romero and Buckley hosting pioneers of the moment and community leaders to share more with the audience and offer a forum for feedback.
While it was hoped this would become a significant fundraiser to help add the finishing touches needed to propel the film to festivals, a decision was made to keep admission prices low in order to make this a family-friendly experience for the entire community and lessen barriers to community feedback.
Tucson did something extraordinary and world-changing in launching the youth mariachi movement. We’d like all of Tucson to share in celebrating that ongoing accomplishment.
Join us at the Fox. Tickets are available through the link below.
A reminder that The Mariachi Miracle still needs financial support to wrap the film, do color and audio corrections, pay royalties for use of the music and get the film and subsequent book of the same title out into the world for inclusion in film and book festivals nationally and abroad. To become part of that please check out the Support The Mariachi Miracle tab above.
Thank you for your generous support of The Mariachi Miracle!
