Senderos

Bay Area Santa Cruz County Latino/a/x Dance Folklife/Other Music Visual/Craft/Material Arts Oaxacan 2014 2017 2021 2022

About the Organization

Senderos (formerly Vive Oaxaca) was founded in 2001 by indigenous Oaxacan sisters Fe Silva and Nereida Robles. They wanted Mexican immigrant youth to find cultural pride in the face of racism and avoid gang involvement and substance abuse. The organization, which incorporated as a nonprofit in 2013, provides equitable access to performing cultural arts instruction for primarily low-income, immigrant Latinx youth and young adults. Their programs include: the Ensamble Musical; the Día de los Muertos community festival with Santa Cruz Museum of Art and History; and Nido de Lenguas (Nest of Languages), a project with the UC Santa Cruz Humanities Institute and Linguistics Department centering the indigenous languages of Oaxaca. Senderos also organizes the annual La Guelaguezta in Santa Cruz, building a culture of acceptance, tolerance, and respect for an indigenous culture and showcasing the impact that parents, youth, teachers, and community leaders can build through collaboration and engagement.

 

Senderos Ensamble Musical at Evergreen Cemetery, Santa Cruz, for Día de los Muertos in 2020.

 

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Living Cultures Grant

Connecting to Our Roots: Mexican Traditional Dance and Music

In 2021 and 2022, Senderos received funding from ACTA’s Living Cultures Grant Program to provide free traditional Oaxacan banda de viento (wind band) music instruction and baile folklórico (Mexican folkloric dance) instruction for Latinx youth in Santa Cruz County.

2017

In 2017, a Living Cultures award will support free Mexican folkloric dance and traditional Oaxacan Banda de Viento music instruction for Latino immigrants.

2014

In 2014, Vive Oaxaca received a grant from ACTA’s Living Cultures Grants Program to support their annual La Guelaguetza. La Guelaguetza, which they have organized in Santa Cruz County for nearly a decade, is an indigenous celebration in which dances, rituals, music, languages, and cuisine are taught and shared among participants and audience members.