MITOTE ORCHESTRA
Shine a Light met with the director of the Mitote Orquestra in Seville in 2008, where he had just created a small Mitote with local sudents and educators. He was kind enough to send an essay on the history and methodology of the group, which we include here.
Trash for some... wellness for others!!!. ©
X INTRODUCTION
Mitote is a nahuatl ancestral circular dance. It's also the cloud and snake symbol, representing the union between heaven and earth. Mitote is a fertility dance.
I form percussion orchestras, creating musical instruments, made with solid disposable material, using afroamerican, middle west and african rhythms. This experience fuse Ecology, Music and Instrument Making, in a natural melting-pot between these intrinsical elements of human evolution. These orchestras are democratic and creative structures, social welfare systems and a planetary awareness vehicle.
All the social and individual activities are ruled by rhythm, communication and music share this kind of elements. Man has created Music and musical instruments as a social activity in direct relationship with his environment. To organize my orchestras, I use non material heritage and non verbal languages, which emphasizes and promotes ecological sensibility, social integrity, cultural plurality and develops a continuously team participation. This activity is therefore transformed into an exercise based on order and humility, while materializing physical well-being immediately through sound. Mitote is for all kinds of people. Supported by Music, they'll develop team and rhythmic sense. Recycling will develop hand creativity and ecological consciousness.
On the other hand modern societies, force us to stay alert against their voracity. The ephemeral quality of our environment, and our economy defense, show us the great value inside the recycling culture, making us aware of the difference between production and consume.
At the end of this experience, the participants will be able to reproduce Mitotes, and the social benefits will multiply, offering an opportunity to live together peacefully and harmonically with our planet.
In my opinion Mitote is the ideal way to achieve this, based as it is on Culture as a group of signs molding communities, demonstrably more than a
mere use-value.
X PROJECT DESCRIPTION
I propose an initial structure for your consideration:
A two week residency, Monday through Friday.
At the end of the second week, we'll have a full-length concert as a result of our work.
We'll work daily four hours, divided in two sections: two hours to establish a common language with the future Mitote teachers, and two with the students of the future based Mitote Orchestra.
Each day during the first week, the participants will work with recycled material to build the different instruments that will comprise the orchestra. At the same time, they will learn the rhythms and how to play these rhythms with the instruments that they have built.
During the second week we will rehearse with the ensemble, and I will also train and supervise the future instructors of our ensemble. The second weekend there'll be a concert to illustrate the results of this experience.
By the end of the residency, the instructors/assistance will be able to reproduce this experience with other students.
In terms of whom I could need to work with to conduct this workshop:
Our ensemble could be made by children between 7 to 11 years old, teenagers from 12 to 17 years old, or the group could be composed of adults and/ or senior citizens or mixed.
About the reproducers:
This workshop can be made without assistance. But if you have the chance to make an reproducers selection, it would be best to give preference to people with teaching experience and a basic knowledge on musical education. This will help to maintain the quality of the work and it can provide the continuity of this project by giving the instructors the tools to reproduce future orchestras.
I would also need a place where we can work in, and the materials for the orchestra, which are very inexpensive because they are recycled and easy to obtain.
X MEXICAN SPONSORS
Instituto Nacional de Bellas Artes, Consejo Nacional para la Cultura y las Artes (CONACULTA), Consejo Mexicano de la Música (COMUS), Escuela Superior de Música, Consejo Nacional de Fomento Educativo (CONAFE), Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), Dirección General de Tratamiento y Prevención para Menores Infractores, Dirección de Programas para la Juventud, Secretaría de la Juventud and Secretaría de Desarrollo Social. Also by Fondo Regional para la Cultura y las Artes Zona Sur (Yucatán, Chiapas, Quintana Roo, Campeche, Tabasco and Veracruz), Museo del Niño, EL GLOBO in Guadalajara, Centro Cultural Santo Domingo in Oaxaca, Universidad Autónoma de Morelos en Cuernavaca and by Tubos de Acero de México, S.A, among others.
X SOME PRESENTATIONS
Mitote was presented at the Forum Panamericano sobre Educación Musical and the Tribuna Musical de América Latina y el Caribe in Mexico City (october 28 to november 1st, 2002), invited by UNESCO, trough the Consejo Internacional de la Música (CIM) and the COMUS.
In Italy the Regione Lombardia trough Musicopoli has invited Mitote every year since 1996.
In Colombia invited by the Ministerio de Cultura de Colombia and the mexican CONACULTA (february 03 to april 14, 2003).
During the celebration of International Environment Day (june 2, 2002), Mitote was invited by Mexico City's Secretariats for Environment and Culture, to present the recently formed orchestra in the city's Natural History Museum.
In Uruguay, at the Coloquio Internacional sobre Diversidad Musical, (october 12 to 18, 2003), Mitote represented Mexico, once again invited by UNESCO via CIM and COMUS.
Mitote: una experiencia mexicana was presented at the Earth Project, international symposium on arts and society, invited by Judith Marcuse Projects, under the patronage of UNESCO, in Vancouver, Canadá (april- may 2004), supported in Mexico by CONACULTA.
The Discovery Channel trought Lonely Planet filmed Mitote (november 2004).
The US-Mexico Foundation for Culture granted Mitote Orchestra with the “Coming Up Taller Award 2004”, as one of the 10 most original and innovating projects of this contest (december 2004).
The Instituto Latinoamericano de Comunicación Educativa (ILCE) films Mitote (november 2005).
Mitote was presented at The World Urban Festival and the National Aboriginal Day organized by the UNESCO, the city of Vancouver, Canada, Judith Marcuse Projects and the Roundhouse Community Arts (may 2006).
Festival Territorios from Sevilla, Spain, invites Mitote to expose his work in the section Solidarios dedicated to social applications of music (may 2007).
Training of 320 CONAFE rural teachers to reproduced Mitote in the poorest and isolated zones from Mexico (may 2007).
The Regione Lazio and Lombardia from Italy, invites him to collaborate in Rome, Milan and Cerbia as instructor (june - july 2007).
Mitote at the Forum Universal de las Culturas organized by the UNESCO (september-october 2007).
Mitote for the UNAM in Mexico City (october-november 2007).
Sincerely yours
Daniel Sànchez de la Barquera Gutiérrez.
Orquesta Mitote, Dirección.
“La basura de unos... la riqueza de otros !!!” ©
www.geocities.com/orquestamitote
http://daniel-sanchez-b.neurona.com
H (52-55+) 5335.1246, M + 2657.0248.
Skype: danielsanchezb
