Enjoy a lively evening of music, dancing, and zapateado– bring your dance shoes and instruments, or just come and enjoy the music and dance!

There is no entrance fee, but any monetary donations are accepted in support of programming at La Peña.

Son Jarocho is a lively traditional art form from the southern Mexican state of Veracruz that sits on the coast of the Gulf of Mexico.

It is a lyrical and danceable music genre that formed in the melding of three cultures: Arabic-Spanish, African and indigenous Mexican.  It is at the same time highly improvised and highly structured—filled with complex poly-rhythms and musical dialogue in its dance, song, poetry and music.  The basic instrumentation of the son jarocho includes the jarana jarocha, guitarra de son (both guitar-like instruments) and zapateado (percussive footwork).  Regional variations include the harp and various percussive instruments such as quijada, pandero, marimbol or cajón, with the latter two instruments being contemporary additions.

On a communal level, the son jarocho is used to celebrate various life occasions and often speaks of love (including courtship), happiness and the beauties of life as well as the hardships including sadness, loss and death.  Hundreds of years old, the son jarocho is a living, contemporary art form that continues to evolve with time and under the influences of trans-cultural exchange and inter-generational dialogue.