They’re still breathing heavy—clad in colorful dresses or baggy trousers held up by overalls, their hair pinned up in elaborate updo’s and a single rose tucked behind their ears.  

This is what the all-female cast of “Pachuquismo” looked like as they received a standing ovation for their performance at the Brava Theatre last night.  

The show tells the story of the infamous Zoot Suit Riots that took place in Los Angeles over the summer of 1943. Chicana-Native dancer Vanessa Sanchez, the show’s creator, and her dance ensemble La Mezcla, use tap dance, San Jarocho, jazz music and spoken word, to commemorate the often-forgotten presence of Mexican American women during this time. 

“I’ve been fascinated with the Zoot Suit era since I was probably like 6,” Sanchez said. “...While I was researching, I found that a lot of the stories were really focused on the young men and a lot of the information that was in films, books and plays didn’t include the experiences of the young women that were also affected during the time.” 

It was this realization that inspired Sanchez to include this message in the show. 

The Zoot Suit Riots were marked by a series of violent attacks against Mexican American youth for their choice of clothing. These garments, which often consisted of a large, loose-fitting jacket and high waisted trousers, were falsely stereotyped as being worn by criminals and delinquents. 

Sanchez’s “Pachuquismo” exalts la Pachuca—a term that refers to a female member of the subculture that was targeted during these riots. These women not only rallied to support their male counterparts but endured similar if not equal harassment. 

The show is made up of performances that either remember the oppressive history of the riots or relish in pride for the Pachuca’s they are honoring.  

Sanchez sometimes dances with her arms raised to the beat of the music, an energetic smile on her face. At other times, she dances whilst clutching the bottom of her dress, looking past the audience with a concentrated scowl.  

“I have a percussive brain,” Sanchez says, followed by a laugh. “So, the way of telling the story for me was through percussive footwork.” 

Performers participate in playful dance-offs on stage and cheer each other on from the side lines. An equally vibrant band plays off to the right, some using traditional Latin-American instruments such as a quijada or jawbone rattle.  

The liveliness is felt within the audience too, who sporadically yell out Spanish phrases of encouragement such as, “¡Eso!” or “¡ ‘Irala!” 

Some dancers, particularly those who claim Los Angeles as their hometown, feel special connections to the “Pachuquismo” culture.  

“For me, when I put on the Zoot Suit, I’m very much thinking about the people that I grew up with,” Sandy Vasquez, a dancer and performer for La Mezcla said. “The adoptive mothers that kind of raised me and their histories growing up in LA.”  

Archival images of these Pachuca's, collected by Sanchez from the LA public library, are often used as backdrops during the show.  

Newspaper clippings are shown to tell the story of Amelia Venegas, a young mother who was arrested for arming herself with brass knuckles while getting milk for her baby. Another clipping from the Eastside Journal shows an article titled “Mexican American girls meet in protest”. 

The bright faces of these women illuminate the dark room as dancers powerfully stomp their feet to a collective rhythm.  

“I found a lot of relatability in the story,” La Mezcla dancer Kirsten Millan, who is of Filipino-American decent said. “We all are fighting the same fight...We’re all fighting against racism...So I found [this story] really inspiring and it really connected with me from the very beginning... The narrative really pulls [together] so that we can all find ourselves in it.” 

Sanchez recalls that the biggest pushback she received while developing Pachuquismo was being told no one would pay to fund the production in the way she envisioned it.  

“The one that stood out to me the most was being told: No one’s going to pay to see this,” Sanchez said.  

Given most theaters cater to a specific type of dance, such as modern, ballet, or tap, Sanchez struggled to find a venue that fit such a diverse production. It took support from her maestras both in the U.S. and Mexico to assure her that Pachuquismo was honoring tradition “even though it was taking it in a different context.” 

Despite this opposition, Pachuquismo has since found mounting success and was able to embark on a national tour in 2022. The SF-based group is also scheduled to take its show to New York City for the first time next weekend.  

At the Brava Theatre, “Pachuquismo” brought out a diverse community, including youth groups on a field trip, mothers with their young daughters, and viewers whose parents participated in the culture in the 1940’s. An audience member took the mic at the end of the show to commend the group for including such strong social discourse in their dance and musicality.  

La Mezcla will go on to perform “Pachuquismo” for the final time this year at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York City on March 18 and 19, before returning home to prepare for the debut of their newest production, “Ghostly Labor”.   

*This article was written as part of the JOUR 300GW: Reporting course at San Francisco State University