About Us

Jaranas del Norte Collective

BIO

Jaranas del Norte is an artistic collective created in 2019 and based in Helsinki that performs and promotes the musical, lyrical, and dancistic tradition of son jarocho

Son jarocho is a folk musical style originally from the Sotavento region of the state of Veracruz, by the Gulf of Mexico. It combines indigenous, Spanish, and African musical elements, and it is traditionally performed during “fandango” celebrations: communitarian festive gatherings with music, “zapateado” dancing, and singing that typically last all night long. 

Jaranas del Norte aims to develop a community in Nordic Europe, particularly in Finland, that appreciates the legacy, values, and social-weaving aspects involved in the tradition of son jarocho.


Active members:

Balam Orozco (requinto, jarana tercera, voice)

Eva Anastasi (jarana segunda, voice)

Grisell Macdonel (leona, double bass, voice)

Ludvik Moreno (jarana primera, requinto, voice)

Paola Nieto (dance, jarana primera, voice)

Yesmith Sánchez (voice, percussions, jarana segunda)


ACTIVE MEMBERS
(Short Bio)

BALAM OROZCO (MX/FI)

Born and raised in El Puerto de Veracruz, Veracruz.


Son jarocho has been a part of his identity since childhood, always present in family reunions or special holidays back home in Veracruz. As a part-time musician, he has been involved with various projects of different genres of music in Mexico and Finland. Jaranas del Norte is a very special one, since it connects him with his roots.




eva Anastasi (FI/EL)

Is Finnish-Greek amateur musician and artist. She found son jarocho during her exchange studies in Mexico. Eva has practised music since childhood: mandolin, guitar, drums, piano and jarana. Eva has also sung in a choir Cantare and practised greek folk dance. She has auditioned in many small gigs in Finland, Mexico and Greece. She is the founder of youth art exhibition Äly Väly and she also has participated in "Kuin onnellinen ajatus" - recording. Her strong suit is her background in Finnish folk music as a student of Heikki Lahti, a leading Finnish mandolin folk musician. Through participation in Jaranas del Norte, Eva manifests her deep affection and respect for Mexican culture.

grisell macdonel (MX/FI)

Grisell was born in Mexico City. She is a musicologist and double bass player. She studied double bass' art music repertoire at the Faculty of Music of UNAM in Mexico City, and did her Master of Arts in musicology at the University of Helsinki. Nowadays she is dedicated to her work as doctoral researcher at the same institution. As a musician, Grisell explores the versatile character of the double bass in distinct musical genres from classical to popular music. She is a member of Finnish orchestras such as the Helsinki Metropolitan Orchestra, Espoo Sinfonia, and The Polytech's Orchestra. Musical improvisation is another of her main fields of interest, and she plays in bands such as Improvisatrice, and Korvat Auki Ensemble. Grisell is also a member of Aurinko Música de Latinoamérica ry and Jaranas del Norte.

Ludvik moreno (mx)

Poet, philosopher, jaranero, and melophile from Xalapa, grew up listening to son jarocho (and all sorts of music) in El Puerto de Veracruz, México. Since 2016, he is a researcher in the faculty of philosophy at the University of Helsinki. Some of his poems have been published in literary magazines in Mexico and, more recently, in an anthology of multicultural writers living in Finland. He has been part of several literary and musical events during his years in Finland. Since 2019, he is a member of Jaranas del Norte cultural collective.

paola nieto (mx)

Originally from Mexico City, Paola is a cultural manager, dancer and musician. 

Her artistic practice intertwines Latin American popular culture and dance traditions into contemporary, experimental, and transcultural contexts. Under this angle, she is developing a sonic and movement proposal based on son jarocho zapateado, an Afro-indigenous dance and foot percussion technique from Veracruz, Mexico.

She is also a member of Impropias Collective, a dance group that explores Latin American identities from an embodied, situated, and feminist standpoint. She was part of Khamsa Dance Project Company (2013-17, Mexico), where she contributed as both a dancer and a creative in the production of pieces such as Azahar Chocolatl (2014) and Urdimbre (2018), exploring the languages of Middle-Eastern and Mexican dance traditions. 

She holds an MA in Arts Management from the Sibelius Academy, Uniarts Helsinki, and has studied piano jazz music at Escuela Superior de Música in Mexico. 

YESMITH SÁNCHEZ (MX/FI)

Yesmith is a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion expert and business strategist born in Querétaro, Mx.

Yesmith manages to combine her passion for DEI and multiculturalism and channels it through art. As such she's been involved in multiple initiatives in Finland that promote multiculturalism such as being a founding member of the multicultural children's festival Kolibrí.

About being part of our collective she says: "I love how son jarocho makes me feel like I am discovering something that I didn't know I had in me. It makes me proud to be part of a community of talented artists and that we get to share our roots and passion with our host society. I strongly believe that art expressions are a powerful way of activism and son jarocho very tangibly reflects that." Yesmith is passionate about different art expressions such as folk dance and music. In her spare time, she listens to hours of music and reads books. Writing is part of her way to better understand her identity and experiences and shares some of her thoughts and experiences through her blog

FORMER MEMBERS

Daniela pascual (Ec/Es)

(Jarana segunda, voice)
Co-founding member of JDN during 2018-2023.


Daniela is a practitioner straddling urban studies and performance art. 


Her research focuses on space, autonomy, modes of inhabiting and organisational practices. She has recently finished her MA in Live Art and Performance Studies at Uniarts Helsinki. Daniela got acquainted with son jarocho in 2014 while living in Mexico. She began playing jarana in 2017 before moving to Helsinki, where she has continued learning interpreting son jarocho and its culture alongside Jaranas del Norte


Embracing her beautiful heritage from Ecuador and Spain, she proudly wears double nationality.

alan guerra (mx)

(Jarana tercera, guitar)

Member of JDN during 2019-2023.

Musician (Guitarist) from Culiacán, Sinaloa.


Has performed in concert halls, theaters, and street shows around Mexico, Holland, England and Finland, performing music for solo guitar, chamber ensembles, orchestral soloist and, folk music. His Bachelor's degree in classical guitar was obtained with honors in 2016 at the “Escuela Superior de Música”, in Mexico City. He has studied with important world-famous guitarists like Omán Kaminsky and Johannes Möller. Recently (May 2022) he obtained a Master's Degree with Petri Kumela at the Sibelius Academy.

eduardo tejedor (MX)

(Percussions, jarana segunda, voice) 

Co-founding member of JDN during 2018-2022.


Hybrid Designer born in Guadalajara, Jalisco. 


Product design, textile & print design, visual branding, UX/UI design, illustration. He has developed his own sustainable Design brand @tejedordesign in Helsinki using motifs inspired by Mexican culture. Self-taught musician (percussions), found his passion for music and dance with Western African rhythms (2005-2010) and Capoeira Angola (Mexico/Brazil since 2008), which he continues practicing today. He experienced son jarocho for the first time in Mexico in 2014 and continues learning to the current date. Eduardo loves cooking and growing plants. He had ventured into healthy food projects in Mexico in the past running his own Gluten-free bakery and collaborating with Cacao producers and local artisans. 


See more about Eduardo's artwork here.

Rodrigo tripp (mx)

(Jarana segunda) 

Member of JDN during 2019-2021


Originally from Mexico City he has been living in Finland for over a decade. Rodrigo is a professional Web programmer. Amateur guitar and bass player, currently acquiring skills to become a jarana performer and player. Back in Mexico city, during his teenage years, he played in different bands exploring genres like punk, metal and pop. As a hobby he also produces electronic music tracks under the name "Ronsu"

JARANAS DEL NORTE IN FINLAND

workshops

In collaboration with various institutions, we offer a variety of practical workshops to promote the folk culture of Son Jarocho. Workshops include live music and are given by highly-trained and experienced instructors who create a welcoming and joyful learning atmosphere.

Every now and then, we also organize free-of-charge music and dance workshops and events in Helsinki. To stay updated, follow our social media channels.

If you wish to book a private workshop please let us know via email, phone, or by filling up a request form here:  Contact us.

Events in Helsinki

Semana Global 2019 Mexican cultural events around the world. Music and dance workshops organized by Jaranas del Norte collective at Suvilahti, Helsinki. November 2019.

Folk dance workshop organized by World Music School Helsinki at Caisa Kulttuurikeskus summer 2020. (above and right pictures by WMS).

 "Café con Pan" music and dance workshop for kids at Kolibrí festivaali  in September 2021 in Helsinki. (above and right, pictures by Maikki Kantola, Nalle Elmgren and Danilo Canguçu).