CSUN Gets in Swing of Cinco de Mayo

“Viva Mexico!” went the cry from an outdoor stage at Cal State Northridge on Thursday.

“Viva!” came the enthusiastic reply from a few hundred students scattered across the University Student Union for CSUN’s first Cinco de Mayo festival.

The hearty sound was coming not from a fiery student but from a 7-year-old girl. On stage, singer Tatiana Bolanos danced, gestured and sang with all the fury of a veteran performer as she closed out a three-song set.

Afterward, admirers swarmed the diminutive singer for autographed photos at a nearby table. For Tatiana, who has been singing since age 4, it was all in a day’s work. “I practice a lot,” the Los Angeles native said, explaining her blossoming talent. The free event, produced by 26-year-old student Rocio Huerta Lopez in conjunction with several campus organizations and sponsors, was a way of celebrating Mexican heritage via the universal language of music.

Host Jorge Elias began the noontime event with a brief reminder of the history associated with May 5 in Mexican culture. The date commemorates the 1862 Battle of Puebla, a bloody conflict between Mexico and France.

Conducted primarily in Spanish, the 90-minute concert featured Bolanos, the seven-member Mariachi Alma de Mexico, Ballet Folklorico Las Rosas and singer-percussionist Coco Villalobos.

For Lopez, it was a way of showcasing her culture to students who may be familiar only with stereotypes.

“It’s important to be open-minded,” she said. “We need to empower ourselves and leave the stereotypes behind. . . . We have a wonderful heritage.”