El Sonidero de la Güera. 2019

El Sonidero de la Güera

(lyrics)

 

Welcome to the space where we all belong.

La Güera’s dance.

 

Welcome, everyone.

 

La Güera started by selling records.

From the Alameda, exactly Alameda, Alameda, and most of us have followed her,

so it’s a familiar place where we’ve seen whole families attend—children, parents, grandparents.

They come, they go, they dance.

 

It’s something very special because it’s the moment we all step away from whatever we’re doing

and do something we truly enjoy.

We have fun, and above all, we love it.

 

I love making people happy, the people who come to my dance.

That’s the essence of my dance— to connect with people, to be close to them.

It has made me more human.

 

I wouldn’t trade this dance for anything.

My life is here. I grew up here.

I became who I am at La Güera’s dance.

 

CHORUS

This is the dance, the dance, the dance of La Güera.

Come and make it yours, reclaim the people's dance.

 

Dance this dance, the dance, the dance of La Güera.

Step into the streets, come on, let’s enjoy.

 

So, so, so, so, solidarity.

 

Freedom.

 

Rhythm!

 

Now it's my turn, here at the Parque de la Solidaridad.

We have been resisting, we have been fighting, because we don’t want to lose this space.

 

Many people don’t have the means to go to a dance hall or to go out elsewhere.

For them, a public dance is the only form of connection, the only distraction.

 

Many people come with problems, with depression, and dance is health.

That means this space is necessary.

 

You can be heterosexual, bisexual, homosexual, trisexual—that’s your business.

You come here to belong, to dance, to have fun, and most of all, to be yourself.

 

The government should open more spaces.

They’re already boxing us in. Imagine if this is taken away—where will all these people go?

And we must resist. Why do they want to take it from us?

As a woman, you have to fight twice as hard. Women are warriors.

I had to win the battle, and here I am— they haven’t defeated me.

 

As a woman, I feel much safer in spaces like this than in any dance hall.

 

Here, everyone is respected. I want this to be a dance of social inclusion.

I want us to be seen with respect in every space. All women have the same rights.

We must not let anyone step on us, especially not men. We must be heard.

We must not be violated by any authority or by any man who wants to put us down.

We fight for our rights, and as a sonidera, I must fight for mine.

I must stand with the people who come to my dance. If this is a fight for all women, we must push forward together.

 

No to violence against women. Women can. Women are strong.

 

Long live La Güera’s dance!

 

CHORUS

This is the dance, the dance, the dance of La Güera.

Come and make it yours, reclaim the people's dance.

 

Dance this dance, the dance, the dance of La Güera.

Step into the streets, come on, let’s enjoy.

 

So, so, so, so, solidarity.

 

Freedom.

 

Rhythm!

 

Here, you weave networks. Stories are woven together. I say this is forever, don’t you think?

 

We met here. We became friends. And here we are, every week.

 

La Güera has created a kind of family among all of us.

 

Gifts have been given to people. Food has been shared. Piñatas have been made. This dance has history.

 

She carries herself with such openness, with a way of treating us that, truly, for me, La Güera is my friend, my sister.

Whatever she needs, she has become a very special person to me.

 

I feel her love is pure. I feel her friendship.

 

Sometimes people don’t even want to dance—they just want a hug, a kiss,

to hear someone say, “My love, I care about you,” “My dear, you matter to me.”

 

She knows how to understand people. She knows how to connect with the people at the dance.

 

Here, we all see each other as friends, as siblings. We are always united.

 

I love to dance. She loves to see me, to hug me,

to ask, “How have you been? How’s everything?”

 

I tell them, “The day I die, dance for me until you can’t dance anymore.”

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