Cachi R.

My favorite activity when I was younger was dancing with my family to the 2013 and 2014 Just Dance songs. As I grew older and became a teenager, I developed a love for K-pop and spent my free time trying to learn the complex choreography (though I would fail horribly because I do not have the same stamina as the trained dancers do). However, what I had not realized when I started learning how to dance in the privacy of my home was the precious little audience member I had, my little brother. He loved watching me try to dance to the songs I forced him to grow up on and would bring me water whenever I took a break.

Then one day, my mother saw me dancing and decided to teach me a traditional dance from Mexico. I was really excited to learn, but also partly ashamed that I did not know the dances of my own culture. That is when I got the brilliant idea to start teaching my little brother, Mateo, so that he could grow up immersed in his culture.

The first dance I taught him was the classic “Caballo Dorado”. Even though it was a bit complicated for him and he hadn’t completely mastered the dance, I decided to show my mother what he learned. Off we went to find our mother and told her that we had a surprise for her. When the music started playing, Mateo started well but then got a little lost when it came to the turns. Nevertheless, my mother was proud of both of us.

What started as a pastime for me became an intergenerational dance activity that brought my family closer together and connected us to our culture in a creative and engaging way.