la gira de veronica y los latinos

 LA GIRA DE VERONICA Y LOS LATINOS First Edition – Volume 1 by Alison Miller Verónica y Los Latinos
La gira de Verónica y Los Latinos: Learning Spanish through Art, Music, Theater and Games, First Edition Copyright © 2012 by Alison Miller All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Inquiries: [email protected] Pablo Neruda. “Algunas bestias”, “Voy a vivir”, “Vienen los pájaros”, “La United Fruit Co.”, “Amor América”, “América Insurrecta”, y fragmentos de “Los libertadores”, de “(Lautaro) Educación del cacique”, “Sandino”, “A Emiliano Zapata con música de Tata Nacho”, © Fundación Pablo Neruda, 2012. Alfredo Arreguín. Paintings: “Sacrificio na Amazonia (Homage to Chico Mendes)”, “Paraíso”, “Isla Negra”, “The Bull Got into the Flower Garden”, “Trilogía de la Independencia”, “Selva Naranja”, “Sueño” (detail), “Cuaco Quilt”, “Sirenas”, “Hacia el Sur”, “Río Tamazula” (detail), “Caleta”, “Herencia”, “La Malinche”, “Sueños que no despiertan”, “Zapata’s Stables”, “Cenote”, “The Return to Aztlán”, © Alfredo Arreguín. Susan Lytle. Paintings: “Self Portrait”, “Zorra”, “Wallflower”, “Blush”, “Monkey Face”, “Pajama Party”, © Susan Lytle. Lesley Rialto. Photographs of self portrait doll, © Lesley Rialto. Barbara Northcutt Laybourn. Line drawings for the Mini‐diccionarios, © Barbara Laybourn. Sumi paintings, © Alison Miller. Kaye Miller. Photograph of South American ice and snow in Acto Ocho, © Kaye Miller All other photographs: © Alison Miller. Kyle Miller. Guitar music to accompany each act © Kyle Miller, 2011. Front cover: © by Alfredo Arreguín: Xochiquetzal, The Birth of Flowers, 2004, private collection. Paintings for each chapter and detail strips: © by Alfredo Arreguín. ii
Verónica y Los Latinos
La gira de Verónica y Los Latinos,
un conjunto sensacional
Volume 1 Learning Spanish Through Art, Poetry, Music, Theater & Games First Edition by Alison Miller iii
Verónica y Los Latinos
ARTISTIC CONTENTS Canto General: Poetry by Pablo Neruda/Music by Mikis Theodorakis & Paintings by Alfredo Arreguín _________________________________________________________________________________________________________ I: NATURE – La Naturaleza (Sacrificio na Amazonia) Preludio: A Walk in the Jungle – Un paseo en la selva Painting: Paraíso Poem/ Music: Canto general: Algunas bestias Acto Uno: Carmen’s Exile – El exilio de Carmen Painting: Isla Negra Poem/Music: Voy a vivir Acto Dos: The Odyssey Begins – La odisea empieza Painting: Trilogía de la Independencia de México Poem/Music: Los libertadores II: RELATIONS – Relaciones (Selva Naranja) Acto Tres: Heroes – Héroes Painting: Cuaco Quilt Poem/Music: Lautaro (1550): Educación del cacique Acto Cuatro: Thieves – Ladrones Painting: Hacia el Sur Poem/Music: Vienen los pájaros Acto Cinco: Revealing the Truth – Revelando la Verdad Painting: Caleta Poem/Music: Sandino (1926), La United Fruit Co, Inc. III: UNITED IN THE STRUGGLE – Unidos en la lucha (Herencia) Acto Seis: The Accident – El accidente Painting: La Malinche Poem/Music: Amor América (1400) Acto Siete: Women – Mujeres Paintings: Sueños que no despiertan Wallflower by Susan Lytle Zapata’s Stables Poem/Music: A Emiliano Zapata con música de Tata Nacho Acto Ocho: The Turquoise Light – La luz de turqueza Painting: Cenote, Return to Aztlán Poem/Music: América insurrecta (1800)), Vegetaciones Preludio: Encore: Un paseo en la selva iv
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The Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery dedicated a room to Arreguín portraits, in the
exhibition “Framing Memory: Portraiture Now”, in 2007. The Return to Aztlán will remain in
their permanent collection.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS: I am grateful to today’s researchers in neurosience, to Drs. Lozanov and Gateva for their ground‐breaking work and teaching, to Mr. Mikis Theodorakis, Rena Parmenidou, Petros Pandis for their time and generosity, to Alfredo Arreguín, Susan Lytle, and Lesley Rialto for their artwork, anecdotes, and friendship, to the Hispanic Division of the Library of Congress in Washington D.C. for being like a second home for more than two years, to the Neruda Foundation, for assisting me when I was in Santiago de Chile, and to William O’Daly for help with translation issues. Also, without ideas and patience from my husband Mark, without the Spanish editing done by Lourdes Young and Ana Pizarro, and without all of the challenges that my Spanish students had to endure at Skagit Valley College, for nearly three years of experimentation, this book would be seriously lacking. Mil gracias. Susan Lytle, Alison Miller and Alfredo Arreguín v
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Niños de Otavalo, Ecuador WELCOME TO JOYFUL LEARNING BEYOND CHILDHOOD If you were between the age of eight and puberty, you could learn to speak a foreign language like a native. You would still be within what is recognized as the “critical period” for learning language, so you could easily pick up two at once. Your native tongue would not yet be monopolizing the designated brain space, continuously competing to maintain its dominion.1 The mature brain is so well “mapped” that learning a new language can require a great deal more effort and energy, but special conditions can take you back to happier learning. Although your native language rules the roost, neuroscience shows that the brain itself is “plastic”, meaning that it can change. Norman Doidge, M.D. posed the question, “How many of us have taken language courses over years and not learned as much as when we went to the country and “immersed” ourselves in the language for a far shorter period?”2 Immersion produces faster results because it is compatible with the way the brain works. Neuroscientist Michael Merzenich contends that “when learning occurs in a way consistent with the laws that govern brain plasticity, the mental “machinery” of the brain can be improved so that we learn and perceive with greater precision, speed and retention.” 3 He sees the brain as a “living and hungry creature” that, with nutritious food, increases its ability to learn. Merzenich even recommends learning a language during old age. Because of the focused 1
Doidge, Norman, M.D., The Brain that Changes Itself: Stories of Personal Triumph from the
Frontiers of Brain Science, © 2007, Penguin Books, N.Y., p. 60.
2
IBID, p. 155.
3
IBID, p. 46
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attention that it requires, language learning has been shown to improve memory in general.4 You can sharpen your mental acuity by learning Spanish. Long before The Brain that Changes Itself was published, Bulgarian Dr. Georgi Lozanov began a science called Suggestology, and with Dr. Evelina Gateva, created Suggestopedia, a foreign language system that was tested by many thousands of adults, in their Sophia institute, with good results. Their learning system, that does recognize the plastic characteristics of the brain, spread to other European countries, America, Asia and Africa, in the 1970s and 80s, where it is still being used. This textbook reflects many of the basic principles of Lozanov and Gateva’s system. I studied with them, in 1979, and practiced as a purist, for more than thirty years, before making any significant changes in the way that I teach. I recommend that immersion or semi‐immersion communicative approaches be used with the book. While you are learning how to speak, understand, read and write Spanish you will also learn about culture, through an integration of the arts. You can expect to experience learning conditions that are compatible with the way the brain works: massed practice of the language without boring repetition, the placement of communication in the spotlight, less conscious attention to the grammar lessons, a calming and artistic environment, preparation for real life experiences with the language, and a spirit of fun. These aspects of the approach are effective, not only in the Lozanov/Gateva methodology, but also in many recent communicative and contextual teaching methods. They offer you promising results on your pathway toward mastering the Spanish language. ABOUT CANTO GENERAL Chile’s Nobel Laureate Pablo Neruda, pictured on the left, and Greece’s composer, Mikis Theodorakis, on the right, had much in common when they met in Paris, in 1972. At that time, 4
IBID, p. 87
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they were two of the most prolific artists of the twentieth century, in their fields. Both were beloved in their respective countries and had been forced to live in hiding, ultimately fleeing into temporary exile for political reasons. Their art brought messages of hope to people in times of oppression and cruelty. Theodorakis set twelve poems to music, from Neruda’s encyclopedic Canto general, allowing the poetry to reach a larger public, in more than 1000 concerts, performed in 39 countries. Canto General: Oratorio for Soloists, Chorus and Orchestra, one of the works by Theodorakis that has been most often performed internationally, second only to The Ballet Zorba, is relevant in today’s tumultuous and uncertain world. It is still enthusiastically received in many different cultures. Its blend of universal themes can be seen as a microcosm of Latin American nature, history, and political upheavals. As you learn the language, you will simultaneously gain an insight into the flora and fauna, the iconic heroes and antiheroes, and other aspects of Latin American life and culture. The eight‐act play also explores unique patterns and designs painted by Mexican‐
born Alfredo Arreguín, among the most recognized Hispanic artists in the United States. Alfredo, his wife, Susan, and daughter, Lesley, have generously allowed us to publish their art in this book and have told stories about their lives that will help you learn how to read Spanish. Alfredo’s paintings illustrate Canto general so well that he seems to have had it in mind as he painted. University of Washington Professor, Lauro Flores, in his book, Alfredo Arreguín, Patterns of Dreams and Nature, compares Arreguín’s works to Neruda’s Canto general, noting parallels between the lives of the poet and the painter. This powerful integration of poetry, music and art will guide your language learning in unexpected ways. viii
Lesley Rialto, Alfredo Arreguín, and Susan Lytle at a family exhibition, in 2008, that celebrated artwork created by all three artists. Verónica y Los Latinos
LA MADRUGADA Learning comes more naturally to a peaceful state of mind. Let your imagination create a state of serenity. To calm your thoughts, try stretching a little, taking some slow, deep breaths, and escaping into a field of wild flowers, at dawn, for learning Spanish. Es la madrugada. It is dawn. Estoy en un prado I’m in a meadow de flores silvestres. of wildflowers. Poco a poco, Little by little, todo se despierta. everything wakes up. El rocío The dew lo cubre todo, covers everything, satinado, resplandeciente. glossy, glistening. El sol baila The sun dances tranquilamente gently de pétalo en pétalo, from petal to petal, de hoja en hoja… from leaf to leaf… En la distancia, In the distance, asoma una montaña rises a mountain, majestuosa. majestic. Una neblina rosada A pinkish mist envuelve al gigante wraps the giant de piedra. of stone. Una manta de nieve A blanket of pure blanca pura white snow tapiza la cumbre. drapes over the peak. Las colinas de abajo The hills below ofrecen la frescura offer the freshness de los pinos of the pines y álamos temblones. and aspens. Una brisa ligera A light breeze susurra whispers por las ramas, through the branches, arrullando a los pájaros. lulling the birds. ix
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Puedes ver You can see una flor pequeña, a small flower, frágil. fragile, de un color azul claro. of a light blue color. Una gota de rocío A drop of dew cae hacia el centro falls toward the center de la flor, of the flower, y una margarita and a daisy revela orgullosamente proudly reveals su cara radiante her radiant, y amarilla. yellow face. Por todos lados, All around, la tierra the land muestra una pincelada shows a sprinkling de rojos, anaranjados, reds, oranges, morados, y azules, purples, and blues, sobre un fondo on a lush, de verde lozano. green background. Existen mil A thousand shades matices de verde. of green exist. Estás en plena naturaleza. You are in the midst of nature. Es un lugar tranquilo. It’s a tranquil place. Un lugar seguro. A safe place. Muy tuyo. Very much your own. Respires, You breathe, profundamente, libremente, deeply, freely, lentamente… slowly… participando en la belleza, participating in the beauty, la asombrosa belleza the astonishing beauty de nuestra tierra. of our earth. Reprinted from El nuevo sol: A Spanish Text for Language Through the Arts, by Alison Miller, Edition 8, 1999, First Edition, 1982. x
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THE CHARACTERS: LOS PERSONAJES _____________________________
Verónica y Los Latinos A musical group singing “Canto General” on their world tour: The Musicians: Don Antonio el Anciano Generous and robust 125‐year‐old Peruvian Shaman, healer, and percussionist Verónica Mysteriously beautiful female vocalist, of great tenderness and strength, possibly from a different universe Músculos Black Cuban Male soloist, so strong that he inadvertently breaks a thousand things Gloria Costa Rican conductor of the group, tall as the Andes Mountains, & enormously feminine Pepe Pianist and tango dancer from Patagonia, so small that he’s called “Penguin;” he and Gloria are a loving couple who argue, everyday, from sunrise to sunset Eulalia Chilean flutist, living in exile, whose real name is Carmen, so shy that she plays behind the curtain in all of the concerts Other Characters: Juan Eulalia´s friend, who married her niece Catalina, after the 1973 coup d’état, in Chile Estrella & Rosa Juan and Catalina’s daughters, 11 and 5 years of age Sabelotodo Estrella’s troublemaking monkey xi
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