A Tribute to Cesar Chavez Proves Uneven but Sincere

Though presented with unflagging sincerity, Gema Sandoval and Loretta Livingston’s “Si, Se Puede/Yes, You Can” turns out to be neither a unified nor a focused work, and its parts vary widely in effect.

Intended as a tribute to Cesar Chavez, the eight-part suite, seen Saturday at the Luckman Theatre at Cal State L.A., opened with a pre-Columbian sequence and ended with a fiesta ignited by the words of Chavez. Sections not clearly or causally related in between dealt with unity, work, ritual and generational differences.

Some made their points through movement; some did not.

“The Promise,” for instance, represented Sandoval and Livingston’s collaboration (their first) at its most inspired. Two couples--Christie Rios and Nacho Hernandez in traditional dress; the choreographer’s daughter Gema M. Sandoval and Sergio Mora in contemporary outfits--danced an elaborate generational and cultural counterpoint that brought together the strengths of both without weakening the identities of either. That is quite a remarkable achievement.

Independently choreographed, Sandoval’s “Sangre Antigua/Ancient Bloodline” showed her company, Danza Floricanto/USA, at its familiar pre-Columbian best and most intense. Francisco Sandoval designed the vividly colorful costumes. Rios and Gema Sandoval were the drummers.

Similarly, Livingston’s “The Guards” set brown-uniformed dancers marching smartly and inventively to the music of their own footsteps in skillfully deployed and fluid stage patterns. The abstract situation, however, ultimately raised more questions than it answered.

The guards were seen in action and ready to act, but their enemy had to be inferred. Who and where was it? Farm owners? More generally, a racist society? Both? The military metaphor was powerful, but it represented the history of the United Farm Workers in a symbolic manner, minimizing the full humanity of the movement.

As did Sandoval’s brief “Regeneracion Trilogy” sequence. Society types, the educated elite, the working class--all previously isolated and some even internally hostile--magically united the instant a slide of Chavez was shown. It was just too easy, and more a testimonial than a dance-realized moment.

Accurate representation also seemed minimal in the co-choreographed “Ritmos de Pisca/Picking Rhythms,” in which happy laborers worked and danced with all the sweat and fatigue evident in an earlier-era Hollywood movie.

Even worse, their “Lamento de la Tierra” married modern dance expressionism and pre-Columbian ritual in a tableau that could too easily fit as one of those sidelight nightclub acts in a ‘40s film.

Fortunately, Livingston’s solo “Crossing the Bridge/Crusando el Puente” showed a happier marriage between two cultures. Dancing to original music by guitarist-composer Gerardo Tamez and later trumpeter Rey Medina, Livingston embodied the crisp, clean line of a modern dancer with the flair and intensity of a traditional artist.

Guests Angelica Aragon and Ismael Gallegos also sang Tamez’s expressive ballads (“What Is at Stake Is Human Dignity” and “Confirming Our Humanity”) with heart and fervor. Medina’s Mariachi Mexicapan provided the music in the final colorful scene.