TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — In KGUN 9's coverage of Hispanic Heritage Month, Southside Reporter Reyna Preciado highlighted Dia de los Muertos and the portrayal of the tradition in the Tucson community.
On the Southside, Viva Dance created a performance to celebrate the tradition. Viva Founder Julie Gallego described the show as "one-of-a-kind."
Last year, Viva Dance moved into a new location after Gallego spent more than 15 years in the studio built by the father of one of her dancers. While she contemplated her retirement, the families asked her to continue her legacy at the new location on I-19.
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Now, her dancers are getting ready for the 10th annual Viva Dia de los Muertos performance. “Since we were the first dance studio ever to create a two-hour long, glow-in-the-dark production, it took a lot of creativity to come up with the costumes, decorate the altars, and just the show in general with the multi-video projections as well,” said Gallego.
The unique experience, curated for the Tucson community, highlights the themes of the two-day tradition. Starting with Dia de los Angelitos, the performance has paid respect to lost loved ones by projecting their photos onto the screen behind the dancers. Family members of dancers have helped build altares, or altars, to incorporate the traditional details into the show. Sandra Fimbres described her role in making the altars as "healing" as she spoke about the heart-breaking loss of her son.
“I started doing altares in memory of my parents and then my brother. And my eldest son, Javier, was very much involved in helping me with the altares. Unfortunately, he passed away in 2018 in an accident. Now the altars serve as a healing process to me because I dedicate those to him.”
The tradition of Dia de los Muertos in Hispanic Heritage will be portrayed by Viva on Saturday, November 2nd at the Tucson Convention Center. For more details, visit vivaperformingarts.com.
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Reyna Preciado is a reporter for KGUN 9, she joined the KGUN 9 team in July of 2022 after graduating Arizona State University. Share your story ideas with Reyna by emailing reyna.preciado@kgun9.com or by connecting on Instagram, or Twitter.
