Private Story
Las Adelitas
Las Adelitas are the only group of their kind in England. With their costumes full of detail and colour, their wide-brimmed hats and unusual musical instruments like Guitarrón or Vihuela, they have managed to make their music heard not only by a Latin American audience but also, little by little, by English festivals, private parties, engagements and events with thousands of spectators.
This project seeks to celebrate how Las Adelitas break barriers and spread mariachi culture internationally with their concerts around the United Kingdom. It aims to celebrate how this group of women combine their roles as mothers with rehearsals, concerts in the evenings and weekends or places with an entirely male audience.
The mixture of mariachi’s past and future, tradition and innovation, respect and rebellion, is the backbone to this story.
Reflection: This ongoing project started when I found out about Las Adelitas through some English friends. They are a mariachi group composed entirely of women and they propose a different way to interpret rancheras. Since the end of last year I got in contact with these women and I have been following their gigs, concerts and slowly getting to know their families to make the project more personal. I have always said that as a Venezuelan based in London it is relevant to me to stay connected to my roots in my personal projects. As the Latin American community is growing in the UK, I wanted to explore the identities of Latin American immigrants and their children. I feel it is important that people understand who we are, the reasons we are here and how much we can contribute to this society
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