Much Ado About Nothing – A Cliché Survinging Through Different Variants in Human Nature
By Ani Sofer
“These Latin People are simple.” stated a woman who tried to convince me not to play on 3rd Street Promenade on Sundays, as I used to do for years.
This belief about Latin people and the opinion that I shouldn’t play on Sundays deserves simultaneously, both a simple and a complex answer.
The simple answer is that every one of us who has a performance permit – for music, DJing, singing, tarot card reading, drawing, balloon blower, etc. – has signed to follow the same rules on 3rd Street Promenade and other areas that they apply to. If a performer refuses to abide by those rules, there are procedures in place that help mitigate any disagreements. If anyone wants to take sides on any disagreements, the wise approach is to read the rules before forming an opinion. Permit holders don’t need approval from the public to perform; we need permission from the city of Santa Monica.
The more complicated answer starts with me helping P.C., the founder of Third Street Promenade Salsa Familia. This group has a 19+ years legacy that has become a fixture of social interactions, fun, and entertainment. Different players have been part of the leadership of this group at different times, just like different DJs have been active in playing music for dancers – both for the recent and for the old-timers who no longer come for different reasons. When the pandemic began, the group splintered into two groups, those that wanted freedom from masks and/or vaccination and those of us who comply with health restrictions and make a choice to be vaccinated. During that time, I helped to keep the venue going because P.C. asked for it and he needed help. That was the only reason I kept being involved in the group.
My recent disagreement with DJ A., one of the current DJs at Salsa Familia, began on 10.09.2021. DJ T. called and expressed interest in playing salsa again. I had recently stopped playing music for the group because of a disagreement about keeping one’s word and even having no recollection of what was said. Having to work every day, this newly free time was a timely sigh of relief. But, I explained to DJ T. that the venue grandfathered permit would be expiring on December 31st of last year. This meant that the old performance rules would once again be in effect starting January 1st. On October 9th of last year, in the middle of my niece’s wedding, I attempted to call DJ A. to ask if DJ T. could start playing again. He answered that he didn’t have time to talk. After a couple of weeks, I followed up with a text, asking for the same thing – no response. To be clear, as of January 1st, DJ A. doesn’t have the right to give approval or disapproval for any permit holder to play music at the north block of the Promenade, even on the usual spot where the Salsa Familia meets.
For those of you who don’t know DJ T., it’s best to explain it in his own words. When asked why he wants to play again at the Promenade, he responds “I enjoy watching people dancing, and I enjoy playing my music.” Our best DJs on the Promenade have been DJ Tito and DJ T. Their personalities and music added many years of enjoyment to the Salsa Familia. I made a decision to help DJ T. regain the right to play at his old spot, whether independently or with the group. I am happy to hear that DJ T. has been invited to play along with the other DJs in the Salsa Familia Group. I hope individuals in the group honor their words and build an atmosphere that is welcoming and fun.
Now, I had already thought of getting my performance permit in order to play salsa like I used to do at the Promenade – on Saturdays and on my own. I have no interest to inherit a group, which I helped sustain through the years. I remember arriving as early as 9:00 A.M. to Santa Monica in order to reserve the right to play at the very same spot on Sundays. I kept P.C. company many times; it was the only way to get some grub and get a chance to go to the restroom during a long stretch of times.
I didn’t do anything for the group to get any thanks. I did it because someone asked for help, but I also did it became I enjoy playing music, capturing video footage, and dancing to any danceable music.
What happened this past Sunday, February 13th could have been avoided. Whenever I have approached DJ A., all I have gotten is “Go away! I don’t want to talk to you! You are bothering me.” I had an easier time asking DJ A.’s son whenever there was a need to have a common understanding about who was playing in what order. I have no interest to take over the group. I only have an interest for DJ T. to use the same privileges afforded to any permit holder on the Promenade. If you, as a dancer or casual reader, condone not abiding by the same rules we agreed to follow as permit holders, you are enabling the breaking of rules, which are meant to be guidelines for equitable access to a public space. I am content to play on Saturdays. There are plenty of random individuals who come by to dance, and then they leave.
“Latin people are not simple.” They, as native peoples to this continent who may or may not have mixed European or African blood, have enlarged and forgiving hearts for the traumas that Europeans and Africans have been inflicting for over 500 years. My mother is Kumeyaay, mostly. But, she is called Latin, Latina, Hispanic, and lately, LatinX. These are European-American social constructs to make us, the natives forget who we are.
If you should come upon a song that I am playing, you have the right to dance or not to dance. There are plenty of toddlers, tourists, locals, and drunkards who already do. Life is too short to spend any energy on what other people think. But, sometimes, statements like the one above, deserve an unapologetic answer.