An Interview with Filomeno Ballumbrosio Guadalupe
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Filomeno Isidro Ballumbrosio Guadalupe was born in El Carmen, Chincha, on November 29, 1961. Filomeno was the first born of Adelina and Amador. As the oldest child, he helped his parents raise his siblings. He studied in a school called Colegio Nuestra Señora del Carmen, in El Carmen. Since he was a kid he loved to tap dance like his father and to spread the black music and his traditions. Great percussionist and cajón player, during the decade of the eighties "Meno" went to Lima where he started to share his great talent. He played with different musicians such as Pochi Marambio, Chaqueta Piaggio, and afterwards with Miki González. He played with Miki more than five years and they started a group with his brothers and father called Los hermanos Ballumbrosio (The Ballumbrosio Brothers). In 2000, Meno came to the United States; first he and his wife lived in Arizona, then Illinois, Wisconsin, Kansas, and finally Texas. He has played in different North American cities such as, Tucson, Chicago, Boston, Austin, Houston, New York, Detroit, and Washington DC, among others, always playing his passionate love for the music and interpreting in the cajón different rhythms such as jazz, blues, meringue, rock, salsa, etc. In Chicago, Meno played in a band with Dan Völl, great guitar player, and they formed a group called Combo Loco. Currently, Meno resides in Houston with his wife and daughter. On the weekends he plays Latin American music in different places.
What is the main lesson that Champita (Amador) taught you?
To love art. To use art to express our sensitivity and feelings throughout the music and our traditions. Rhythm! My dad, Amador, always used to say this expression on stage or when we were performing.
How old were you when you started to tap dance?
I started when I was four years old. My father was the leader of the Atajo [group of tap dancers and fiddlers] and I followed him everywhere. They gave me a bell, and I learned the choreographies and routines and the love and passion for the Holy Mary.
How many days did you tap dance? [End Page 445]
From July 15, the day before the Lady of Mount Carmel's celebration. The Atajo would go out to the streets and start tap dancing in the Holy Mary's Procession. On July 16, the Atajo went to the plaza, which was in front of the church, and dance to honor the Holy Mary. This dance and celebration ended with the entry of Holy Mary to church. On December 24, Christmas Eve, the Atajo would get together outside the church in order to welcome Holy Mary who had come to give birth to Jesus. On the 27th, again, they got together and went through some streets accompanying the procession of Holy Mary. The Atajo danced and stayed with the Holy Mary around the town. Afterwards, in the morning, the procession went by our street and stopped with the Holy Mary. We, the Ballumbrosio family, saluted and honored the Holy Mary by tap dancing, playing music, dancing, and singing.
What is a typical food or a traditional beverage during these festivities?
Sopa seca and Mancha-Pecho, now very popular among teenagers with the new term, Calaca. Sopa seca is a dish made with pasta and pesto, but this green sauce is dried and pasty made with spinach and basil. This plate is served next to the Carapulcra, a typical plate in which the main ingredient is fresh potatoes and not dried potatoes, which is how they prepare it in the Andean region of Peru. On the other side, the beverages that are from El Carmen, Chincha, are very well known throughout the region. The spectacular Tutuma made with the fruit of the tutuma, a type of squash, whose nectar is mixed with pisco [national liquor] and sweet wine. After being left for some time to gain consistency, it comes out the great Tutuma. The complete recipe belongs to Adelina—she is the master...
