Bailemos!

Let’s Murga!

They call themselves the Gasta Suela and are the kids, youth, volunteers, and adults of PRovidencia. On performance days they gather early, the excitement is catching, as colorful designs accented with glitter transform a sea of faces into distinct individuals. Kids are pushed out the door, stopping periodically to add glitter to their faces or fix a button or two on their orange and green outfit…they are already running late! Everyone boards the bus in excitement, fitting 2,3,sometimes 4 to a seat, ready to go. The drums, large puppet, green and orange flag, and banner board last. As the bus pulls away from the dirt road leading to the stark reality of the barrio, the drums start with a steady, bold beat…thus begins the MURGA.

The Murga is a dance in Argentina and Uruguay and is generally performed by citizens who are fighting for the injustices they have experienced or for the injustices experienced by others. I was introduced to the Murga the first evening I spent in Providencia and over the last month, have learned that the spirit and purpose of Providencia is expressed through the song and dance of the Murga. The group from Providencia call themselves the Gasta Suela, or the worn sole (of a shoe), and after a month at Providencia, I have come to learn that the majority of kids from the barrio own one pair of shoes, with worn soles and holes, which prevent them from going to school when the rain creates a swamp of mud around their house. When the Gasta Suela are not performing, they practice at the end of each Saturday, after a day of playing and laughing. The meaning of the dance and songs is learned through various games and in casual conversation between generations.

They step off the bus into a neighborhood much like their own. The drums continue, growing stronger with each beat. The Gasta Suela line up, kids in the front, and youth/adults in the back, and begin their dance into the community. After about 10 minutes, the movement slows, the drums continue, and the community focuses up front, on various youth from the barrio. They begin to expose the reality of poverty through dialogue and song.; suddenly a rat appears in the crowd and the Gasta Suela jump and scream with fright, the rat of oppression has appeared.

The Murga lasts about 45 minutes and includes dancing, singing, and theatrics. The “rat” represents the presence of society and government within the barrios of poverty. The lyrics argue that society looks at the poor as dirty, smelly, lazy, violent, and miserable, yet it is society who is responsible for the current state of the barrios. They argue that the dirt and trash in the barrios is there because it is where the rest of society dumps their trash, and the “laziness” of unemployment is present because the government was elected through empty promises of a better life and has since then forgotten the barrios. Society is the rat within the barrios that creates situations of violence, poverty, unemployment, and dirt.

The rhythm grows stronger as the dance continues. People of all ages are pulled from the audience to join the dance. Arms flail, legs kick, bodies move, as the community dances in a circle as one.

The hope of a better tomorrow comes at the end of the dance, when communities join together to dance against the rat present all over the world. The last song expresses the hope of a better life, a neighborhood where it is safe to leave the doors unlocked, where there are pilates clubs and plazas, and where there are football games on Sundays. This dance expresses my perspective of Providencia, a place of HOPE and community among the realities of poverty, brought on by the rats within society.

They board the bus, filled with excitement and energy. As we begin the ride back, I watch one of the youngest dancers give in to tiredness and close his eyes; I wonder when the time will come where we all dance the Murga, as a global community, with the hope that one day this boy won’t have to wake up in the reality of Gastas Suelas.