The paradigm of identity in border music and dance

The overarching theme of border-oriented music and dance appears to be the owning of identity, regardless of the controversy that certain identities may carry. Particularly with narcocorrido music, there seems to be an ideological discrepancy between celebrating and romanticizing the lives and adventures of narcotraffickers and warning and deterring the music listener from the dangerous life style. While the music certainly offers explicit accounts of the dangers of the narcotraficante lifestyle, the upbeat, danceable nature of the music and the element of boasting in the lyrics suggest a desire to claim pride of one’s community and all of its members, even if said community members are performing dangerous, illegal, and life-threatening activities. With border dance, including Nor-Tec and Quebradita forms, despite criticism of its authenticity and stylistic choices, the members of the border dance community preach the importance of emphasizing and demonstrating a strong sense of identity through their performance. Whether or not the music and dance of the border culture benefits or hurts the cause towards mending the issues surrounding border tension and immigration, they create and strong sense of community and maintain a sense of pride in identity.