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From Quebradita to Duranguense: Dance in Mexican American Youth Culture. By Sydney Hutchinson. (Tucson: University of Arizona Press, 2007. Pp. xii + 238, list of figures, list of tables, acknowledgments, notes, glossary, works cited, index.)
One has to wonder, in our field, will anyone besides ourselves read and hear values, beauties, politics, and creativities embedded in communities of dance and music-of place, body, beauty, and sound? As music and dances evolve, they often become more detailed, more elaborate, and more sophisticated, even as they acquire markets, achieve recognition from the media, evolve into and influence other music and dance forms, and then seemingly die away (although still performed by some). With many types of music and dance that grow into a movement as they evolve from prior forms, acquire new significance for a population, and spread and connect to other communities, it remains unclear exactly what their "value" is. Sydney Hutchinson, in From Quebradita to Duranguense, does an insightful and detailed exploration of one such movement, claiming, perhaps too broadly, but certainly with justification, the impact such dance movements have on individuals, local communities, and broader national identities.
Hutchinson sets herself a number of questions to address: the relationship between music, dance,...