Letter to the Dance Rescue Association
Machine translation from the original, not yet reviewed by the author.
Original in Spanish
Cambridge, September 3, 2006
Gentlemen
Dance Rescue Association
“Miguel Leguízamo”
By hand
It is with deep joy that I have received the news that the “Miguel Leguízamo” Dance Rescue Association is preparing to promote the Corpus Christi traditions of Los Santos through new performances beyond the setting and the date of the religious festival. I am grateful for the deference the Association has shown my family in offering us the opportunity to be the sponsors of these events, and at the same time for the kindness my father has shown me, in allowing me to be the one who receives the credit for the sponsorship that my family has decided to grant these activities.
The traditions that persist in the Heroica Villa during the festival of Corpus Christi have a value that exceeds the understanding and the interest of the ordinary local, whose familiarity with these folk expressions leads him to see them as something that—being his own—seems eternal and immune to the onslaught of time. The reality is otherwise: fragile are the threads that keep these arcane art forms alive in our day. More than once in the past they were in danger of dissolving into oblivion, whether through neglect or through ignorance.
That is why I congratulate the Association and applaud its efforts. We inhabitants of the Heroica Villa should count ourselves fortunate to have people willing to sacrifice a significant part of their time and their energy, which others squander on frivolities, for the preservation, study, and promotion of the beautiful Dances of Corpus Christi. Thanks to the constant vigilance of its members, the Dances will go on adorning our streets, refreshing our spirits, and bringing us the echo of our centuries-old past, for many generations to come.
I have tried, as far as I could, to lend a hand to this work. But destiny has shown it more than once: my paths have taken me far from my land, although my heart always remains there. My best wishes go out for the success and good harvest of the aims the Association has set itself, and on behalf of my family I express to you our gratitude for not giving in, for always continuing to perpetuate what is worthy, what is beautiful, what is ours.
A big hug,