"La Bruja" casts her spell

Author: Jessica Jorge

Were you stressed with exams and papers last week? Did you have to read an entire novel in one night? Or, did you miss New York City and the Bronx? If you answered "yes" to any of these questions then you should have been at the "Boogie Rican Boulevard" one-woman performance by La Bruja- - Spanish for "The Witch." The show was sponsored by the Latin-American and Caribbean Alliance (ALC) and took place Wednesday, April 6 in the McCullough Social Space. La Bruja, a Puerto Rican woman straight from the "Boogie Down Bronx," put on a one hour, nonstop show that included a mélange of hip-hop, poetry, dancing and acting.

La Bruja opened by dedicating the show to Pedro Peitri, an inspirational Puerto Rican poet who died in 2004, by giving "libations to the dead" and pouring some of her Poland Spring water onto the stage. She followed this introduction by reciting original poetry and songs displaying her love for New York and her Nuyorican life. Three haiku's ended this segment, one of which was entitled "Royalty" and went as follows: "Sometimes you feel it /without a dime in your bag / a crown's on your heart."

The mostly female audience filled the first floor of the McCullough Social Space. Senior Natalie Guarin attended the show and said, "I had never heard of her before, but I thought that she did an amazing job combining her music, poetry, social beliefs and comedy. Her performance was smart and entertaining. I'm glad I went and I'll definitely keep an eye out for her upcoming CD."

La Bruja has performed her show, "Boogie Rican Boulevard," at the Off-Broadway Producers Club as well as the Nuyorican Poets Café in New York City. She has also appeared in various periodicals including Vibe, The Source, The Daily News and The Puerto Rican Daily. She is also a devoted activist and runs a writing and critical thinking workshop called "How can I change the world?" for the national East Harlem Tutorial Program. She was also part of the "Stop the Bombs" campaign, in which she helped raise funds to close down a controversial U.S. Navy base in Puerto Rico.

La Bruja's strong desire to positively influence her audience crossed with her lyrical talent creates powerful and infectious art. In "A Poem for Bush," she writes, "An eye for an eye 'til there's no one left to stare." As she read the poem out loud, she directed the audience to follow that line by reciting, "But we're blind anyway so we don't care." On her Web site, La Bruja comments on her art, "I'm on a mission to show this hip-hop generation that it's not un-cool to care about people, do right by your kids, be married and responsible to those around you! I hope to open people's eyes to things they never thought about before, and to be a voice for those who feel voiceless."

The show concluded with three demos from her upcoming CD (due to "drop" this summer) and an encore song. La Bruja authors all of her songs and accompanies them with catchy beats. You could easily envision any one of these songs played at a McCullough dance party, especially the first song she performed, "Keep It Movin' Like."

When Amaury Sosa '07, president of ALC, was asked about the show's success and its highlights, he responded, "I was very satisfied with the turnout for the show. The ALC board, along with some faculty and staff members of the College, spent a long time putting the event together. It was nice seeing the support of the College at the event. The main highlight of the show was her experience of being a Puerto Rican living in the Bronx. She was able to communicate that experience through a series of poems, skits, comedy and songs. She was also able to talk about many other different things such as Sept. 11." Sosa also made a strong point of thanking the attendees for supporting the ALC and making the night that much more wonderful.

La Bruja's talent is unquestionable and the performance was highly entertaining, proven by the fact that not one person could resist standing up and dancing by the end of the show. In La Bruja's first visit to Vermont, she definitely made more than a few fans here at Middlebury College.