From Quebradita to Duranguense: Dance in Mexican American Youth Culture

By Sydney Hutchinson
(University of Arizona Press, 2007)

Sydney Hutchinson’s From Quebradita to Duranguense: Dance in Mexican American Youth Culture is not just a work that calls attention to the many Mexican-American dances, but also a venue of rich cultural experiences. Hutchinson, currently a doctoral candidate in ethnomusicology at NYU, discusses the dances that sprang onto the U.S. scene in the last generation. She then explores the complex ethnic and social differences across Mexican American and Mexican cultural subgroups based on nationality, region, and gender.

The Quebradita, meaning “little break,” is a modern Mexican American dance that became increasingly popular in Los Angeles and soon spread across the southwestern United States during the early to mid 1990s. It combined influences from Mexican, Anglo, and African American cultural expressions, representing an appeal to thousands of people. The dance emerged as a response to the anti-immigrant and English-only legislation being enacted in California at the time. Though the dance itself did not stay popular for long, examining it can help others to gain insight into the workings of Mexican-American youth at the time. In addition, its appeal has endured, helping to ensure the popularity of later creations like the pasito duranguense of Chicago and the regional urbano musical style that combines hip-hop with regional Mexican music.

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