Under The Sun: Víctor Ferrer, Folkloric dance director, newspaper editor
How long have you been with the ballet folklorico Quetzalén? I began dancing with the group in 2011. A friend invited me, telling me that they specifically needed more men. I had been taking salsa classes for five years, and I was ready for a new challenge. I have loved to dance ever since I was little; I think that other than being with my family, it’s the thing I most enjoy.
It’s a labor of love, right? That’s right. I began as a dancer, then took on more responsibility – as a graphic designer, then as group coordinator, then instructor, artistic director and finally executive director. It’s all been as a volunteer.
Where were you born and raised? I was born in México, DF – Mexico City. I had the great fortune to be raised all over Mexico, getting to know the whole country, thanks to my step-father’s job which moved him just about every year. For some, this instability might have been upsetting, but I am grateful I got to know so much of my country, from north to south, from Baja California Norte to Yucatán.
When did you come to the U.S.? In 2001. My first visit to Sonoma was in 2005, when I came to apply for a job as a reporter for El Sol de Sonoma, the Spanish language newspaper which was The Sun’s sister publication. I loved Sonoma right away.
Did you get the job? The editor of El Sol was Rómulo Hernández, a well-known Venezuelan journalist. I was 18, and my only experience was having published, for a couple of years, a newsletter in my ESL class at high school. Hernández told me he wanted someone with experience, and who knew the area. I had neither qualification, but at the end of the interview I told him I wasn’t interested in a salary, I just wanted an opportunity to learn journalism in Spanish. He called me later that day and offered me the job. However, not long after that, Hernández unexpectedly departed as editor. The owner at that time, Bill Hammett, had the confidence in me to ask me to take his place. Several people told me that at 18 I might be the youngest newspaper editor in the country. And maybe I was. My time as editor of El Sol was one of the most challenging experiences of my life, a day by day apprenticeship. A hugely important aspect for me was learning the digital and print media industry from many different angles, as a translator, photographer, reporter, editor, radio show host, graphic designer and part of a radio production team.
You mentioned your family. Yes, I am married and have a daughter, Nikte, who’s one and a half. Her name means “flower of May” in Maya. I met my wife, Carmen Farías, when we were both working at a summer language camp run by CommonBond. She joined Quetzalén at about the same time I did. My daughter, even at her young age, is slowly becoming part of the group, doing her first dance steps with ever more skill.
I know you participated recently in a rally against our current politics regarding immigrants. Yes, I’ve been part of various marches and movements in support of immigrant rights. Back in 2005-06, I marched to oppose H.R. 4437 which basically proposed to criminalize all undocumented people in this country. As far as the immigrant people in Sonoma go, I believe they are hard-working people who are here in search of a better life, for themselves and their families.
What are your dreams? As a father, to provide everything my family needs, for my daughter to be happy being whatever she chooses to be in life, and that I will live to see that. Also, I would love to see Quetzalén becoming a great dance academy, known throughout the country.
Anything else you’d like to tell our readers? I’d like them to know about Quetzalén, and to know that our doors are open to receive everyone who wants to learn about Mexican culture, traditions and dance.
–interview by Anna Pier
