An Evening at the Cedar Cultural Center
Alone and a little nervous, I entered the colorful, well-aged storefront of the Cedar Cultural Center for my first time. The lobby, a close orange space with a couple of small tables, looked like it might be a bustling cafe during normal daytime hours. Few people sat now, but some gathered about the grimy counter in the back, purchasing treats and beverages. An unfamiliar and forcibly pleasant scent like spiced tea pervaded my nostrils. The box office, just in front of the counter, consisted of a folding table and three white ladies scrambling to check attendees off the RSVP list. They handed me a program and ushered me along into the performance space.
Only fifteen minutes before the show, loose groups of people of many skin tones still chatted comfortably in the lobby and outdoors. As people entered the performance space, they lowered their voices, but continued to converse. The room encouraged a good compromise between social interaction and solitary viewing. Some attendees squeezed into the limited seating in the front corner of the room, but most stood and socialized. The lighting was just bright enough to facilitate these groups, but dark enough in the back to afford singletons like me some privacy. Since the stage was well-lit, elevated, and visible from all parts of the room, it seemed like the performers would be tonight’s primary focus.
The program listed the first group as a Venezuelan drum ensemble. In a flurry of brightly colored traditional garments and pretty vocal harmonies, they entered the room from the back and paraded through the audience up to the stage. In contrast, most of the audience stood rather still at first. It only took the a few songs before many people thawed out and began dancing, especially those closest to the stage. The ensemble sang mostly in Spanish. Many audience members sang along, but non-Spanish speakers like myself danced and clapped with equal enthusiasm. The repetitive lyrics, harmonies, and drum patterns also helped to allow everyone to participate in the dancing. During several songs, a handsome young Venezuelan couple came down from the stage to dance with members of the audience. The audience grew more lively each time this happened; these were the most exciting parts of the first show.
During intermission, about a third of the audience left the venue, leaving uncomfortable gaps in the room. A Haitian/Canadian rap group performed next. In contrast to the Venezuelan ensemble, all of these musicians were young and about the same age. They also wore matching red dress shirts with black dress pants. Their uniform attire matched their ability to play tightly in sync with each other. Their catchy music changed style often. In general, the audience listened more and danced less compared to the first performance. This was especially true during the instrumental solos, when I felt that dancing would inappropriately distract me from hearing the individual musicians’ virtuosity. The lead singer frequently urged the audience to wave their hands and dance, but without such reminders the motion would usually settle down. The rapper sang in a mix of French and other languages, none of which I knew. Even so, it seemed that by not knowing the language I dropped more of the meaning of the music compared to the more participatory group. Much of the audience may have also noticed; no one sang along and the dancing was limited to mostly head-bobbing.
I left The Cedar after the performance with both groups’ songs stuck in my head. I enjoyed the traditional drumming for the fiesta-like atmosphere it created, as well as the cool vibe of the rapper. I 10/10 would recommend and hope to go back soon!
Note: My reaction to this performance is closely tied to ideas in Thomas Turino’s Music as Social Life (a really interesting book!), which I’ve been reading as part of Mus 1801W (Music, Society, and Culture). If my writing comes off a bit analytic, that’s why!
