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Monday, March 6, 2000
Selena video attracts dozens of little girls
Children and parents profess love for star
By Deborah Martinez
Caller-Times
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| George Gongora/Caller-Times |
| Participants in the taping of a tribute to Selena wait their turn while a demonstration is done to show them how to approach the statue of the Tejano star. |
Nearly 75 little girls in pastel dresses who showed up and, take after director's take, withstood a nippy wind Sunday to appear in a video tribute to the late Tejano star proved that they still love her nearly five years after her death.
The adults there, though, may love her even more.
"We love Selena," said Jacque De Leon, who took her daughter Valerie to be in the video. "She put the Hispanic population on the map. I think my daughter, being a part of this, she's making history. I think this is great. The entire day was worth it."
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| George Gongora/Caller-Times |
| Denise Gonzalez, who will play the young Selena in the musical, takes her turn at placing a flower at the base of the statue. |
The video tribute to Selena may be used in "Selena Forever," a musical about the vocalist. The show is in rehearsals in San Antonio, and a national tour will bring the production to Corpus Christi in April. The little girls will be shown slowly walking toward Selena's statue at Peoples Street T-Head on Shoreline Boulevard, and laying single white roses at the statue's feet.
In the sea of pastel dresses Sunday were Denise Gonzalez and Corpus Christi native Lorissa Chapa, the actresses playing young Selena in the musical, which features a cast of 35 singers, actors, dancers and musicians performing to almost 30 songs in the show.
The musical production's artistic director, Bill Virchis, said the video could be the production's pivotal moment, similar to when the ship sank in "Titanic" or when the chandelier shattered in "Phantom of the Opera."
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| George Gongora/Caller-Times |
| Dino, an artistic designer, gets Annette Hernandez ready for taping. In the video, Hernandez walks down the steps of the memorial as a symbol of Selena's spirit. |
At one point in the video, a model dressed identically to the statue walks down the steps of the memorial, away from the statue, as a symbol of Selena's spirit.
It's a spirit that still thrives in Corpus Christi, and should be shared with the nation, Virchis said.
"This is a very important moment in the play," Virchis said. "We've been trying for a long time to capture her. The statue comes to life for people when they are here. I've been here many times alone when fans are talking to her. I want for that tradition in Corpus Christi to be carried out to the world."
Vangie Beasley said she only wishes Selena could've lived long enough to see how much she is loved. Her 10-year-old niece, April Flores, said that even now she knows the words to Selena's songs by heart, as well as all the moves that go with them. She's danced to Selena, sung to Selena and loved Selena as long as she can remember, April said.
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| George Gongora/Caller-Times |
| Chassity Cardona, 12, of Denver watches the video being taped while holding a photo of Selena. |
"She's my favorite singer," she said. "I have all her cassettes."
Rebecca Valadez, who with Veronica Vazquez, shares the part of the adult Selena in the musical, said devotion such as April's is just a sample of Selena's legacy. The Tejano singer helped put Tejano culture on the map, Valadez said. She hopes the production not only communicates that, but also educates those who aren't aware of what that culture means.
"It's a little mixture of Broadway, but mostly of the Tejano culture," said the 20-year-old San Antonio native. "We're trying to educate the people about our culture. We're trying to bring a new audience to theater."
Staff writer Deborah Martinez can be reached at 886-3618 or by e-mail at martinezd@caller.com
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