Educational Media Reviews Online

Arts that Crosses Border is a very interesting film that gives a glimpse of Ecuadorian, Mexican, and Afro-Peruvian art forms (dance, music, paper-mache sculpture) brought into the San Francisco Bay Area by persons who are either from or are descendents of people from these countries. Many of these individuals started their careers by taking classes as adults, in after school programs as youths, or grew up in an environment where their craft was a part of daily life. What all of them now have in common is they are champions and instructors of their chosen art form in order to solidify and preserve their cultural legacy, to teach younger generations about their cultural heritage, and to use their art as a cultural exchange with non-community members.

Using interviews intercut with short performance pieces one sees the artists discussing their training, their art form, and how important it is for them to tell their stories and communicate their message accurately through their craft. There is also background information about the costumes, dances, and music in the film. For example, a musician retraces the history of Musica Norteña revealing its Polka and Ranchera music roots, and a dance company performs El Tranchete, a folkloric dance from the state of Jalisco (located on the southern coast of Mexico) that is performed by men to duplicate the fancy moves they teach their horses to make.

The DVD is one episode in the series The Language of Sound & Movement which investigates world dance and music and also has a 40 minute special feature section, The Arts on Their Own which shows the extended performances of the artists featured. This film is a solid introductory piece on some of the different ethnic arts originating from south of the United States border.