Don Mariachi shines in fall performance with traditonal Mexican dances and music

Walking into Phillips Hall, there was a quiet atmosphere with everyone being seated, and nobody on stage. When every member of the band was on stage, the trumpet section started playing their part of “Cocula” by Manuel Esperón González and brought the atmosphere to an all-time high.

Concert coordinator, Oscar Garibay, encouraged the crowd to get engaged with the band by cheering, dancing and whistling, calling it a part of the experience.

The event officially began with “Cocula,” which was an amazing start to the concert, as it set a tone for what was to come from the rest of the performance.

Jessica Ulloa practices the song she performed, “La diferncia,” by Alberto Aguilera Valadez. Photos by Alexis Vega / el Don

High-spirited songs got the concert moving, such as “Estos Celos” performed by the mariachi band member Mark Lee. As the trumpets took over, it got the crowd whistling as they gave an ovation for the band’s energized and emotional performance.

“Estos Celos” is a popular song by Vincente Ferndez and one of my favorites. Mark Lee’s performance showed me what to expect going into the next few songs.

Three songs into the concert, young women with multicolored dresses that originated from the state of Jalisco, Mexico, came center stage and took over the performance by doing folklorico dancing. The audience clapped and whistled along as they watched.

Mark Lee practiced the second song he performed, “Somos Novios,” by Armando Manzanero. Photos by Alexis Vega / el Don

The dancing added a vibrant theme to the concert, unlike anything I had ever seen. Later that night, the dresses were changed into those from Veracruz, Mexico.

With the folklorico performance coming to an end, there was a shift in the music being played to a slower tone. Ranchera music, which is a genre of music that speaks more of betrayal, such as “Puñalada Trapera” by Tomás Méndez, set the tone for the songs that followed.

At the end of the concert, the band had one of their best performances by having a group of students that included Jairo Salagado, Alex Ramirez, Juan Montes, Mon Cortes and Michael Montoya. They all performed a potpourri of Vincente Fernandez, which is a collection of different songs from his discography that included genres like rancheras, regional and waltzes.