Mexican culture is distinctive in all aspects of the word: The color and flavors of its food, music and dance, the bold hues of its paintings and clothes, and the rich array of skin tones of its ethnic diversity are all examples of the vibrant spirit and texture of Mexico."Celebrate Mexico," an event corresponding with the "Richness of Mexico" exhibit in the Women's Studies Research Center, celebrated some of these aspects last Tuesday. After the 50 audience members finished nibbling on quesadillas, taco salad, churros, guacamole and salsa, Veronica Robles, a local mariachi singer, dancer and instructor, her dance partner and her band made an energetic entrance, beginning over an hour of performance and instruction.

Robles, a very charismatic and vocal performer, introduced the members her band: a woman on violin and and another on guitarr?n (a large Mexican guitar), and two men on guitar and vihuela (a small, round-backed guitar). In describing each of their unique backgrounds, Robles emphasized her comment that "people need to understand diversity." Each musician was from a different country: Columbia, Peru, Bolivia and England, while Robles hails from Mexico and her dance partner, formerly her student, is from the United States.

Between songs, Robles discussed the Aztec culture that influenced mariachi music, song and dance: The continuous and circular movement represents the importance of the sun and revolving energy, for example. She also corrected the common misconception that mariachi bands are simply musical. In fact, an authentic mariachi performance includes song and dance elements, as well. Also, contrary to popular belief in the U.S., mariachi rarely emphasizes a trumpet section, instead often utilizing as many as eight violins, she said.

Robles and her young dance partner twirled and swooshed their brightly colored, intricately patterned skirts while the band played deliriously happy tunes that inspired involuntary exclamations from both the dancers and musicians. After a few songs, Robles produced a few skirts and a sombrero for three brave volunteers to learn some basic mariachi choreography. Although the volunteers were initially self-conscious about dancing, Robles' engaging personality let them feel a little more at ease and enjoy themselves.

The performance ended on a high note with the familiar "Ceilito Linda," during which the entire audience sang and followed Robles' choreography. Robles said she believed Mexican culture was a rich mixture because "Mexicans didn't fight immigration, they embraced it.