“Mexicans, we’re everywhere. It’s evident that we’re a force and we’ll keep heading to the top,” Mexican regional artist Chino Pacas said before he took the Sueños stage on May 30, the second day of the Latine music festival. This year’s lineup featured a balance of world-renowned Mexican grupos, reggaeton artists, and Chicago stars like Las Bompleneras, Los de la Homan, Lemanz, DJ Chava, DJ Drip, and DJ Orozco. Over the past five years of the festival’s existence, this was by far the most diverse set of performers.
Pacas began to sing the chorus of one of his corridos mid-interview after being asked about the significance of Latine youth from across the country taking up space at the center of a major U.S. city.
Chicago has been caught in a swelling, national crossfire, as federal immigration officials have detained people in surges of enforcement, often apparently targeting people based on racial profiling or for living in predominantly Latine communities. But indigenous cultures across the world have utilized dance as a ritual to invoke protection and to exercise freedom. Music not only served as a spiritual guide for movement but as a sacred form of storytelling. At Sueños, the same people who are being targeted celebrate the identities that are being criminalized.
“We’re all here united enjoying this day and that’s what it’s about,” said Marc Cardenas , vocalist of Los de la Homan, a grupo currently on the rise. Proudly representing Chicago’s Marquette Park community, Cardenas contrasted the festival with last fall, when he said local promoters weren’t booking them at all due to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activity.
Puerto Rican singer Yandel also focused on community when curating the accompaniment for his Sinfónico, a show that he performs accompanied by classically trained musicians. Yandel says he is intentional about booking and working with musicians from Latine communities. The Yandel Sinfonico at Sueños featured Lidanys Graterol, a Venezuelan immigrant who graduated from El Sistema, a Venezuelan state-funded youth music education program established in 1975 by musician José Antonio Abreu.
“Typically, when you’re classically trained, you’re told not to move too much while performing. This had a lot more freedom: I could move the cello, I could allow myself to feel the music and move my body, and express what I was feeling,” said Graterol, who recently arrived in the United States to continue studying music at Roosevelt University.
“This signified a celebration of identity; knowing that we are Latinos and [Yandel’s team] was looking for Latinos,”Graterol said. “We all know how difficult it is being an immigrant, no matter the circumstances of your arrival. … but always knowing that we have gone through difficulties.”
Miami-based Ramón Fragoso, head of U.S. Latin at Amazon Music, understands the importance of supporting Chicago’s Latine youth and the value of providing local, rising talent at the festival. Fragoso was proud to announce a $100,000 gift, supported by Sueños and Mexican American regional band Fuerza Regida, to the National Mexican Museum of Art and the Puerto Rican Arts Alliance to support youth music programs across the city’s North and South Sides.
Fragoso sees his investment as proof that Chicago is more than just a “market” for Sueños. “This is a great, great, great opportunity to try to help youth see how far they can reach,” he said.
Sueños itself says it is asking similar questions. Festival co-founder Chris Den Uijl said, “Obviously we’re here to celebrate culture and build these huge events, but we’re also here to make impact.” Festival co-founder Aaron Ampudia added, “We’ve been involved in the community since year one, and we’ve had a lot of talks recently on how to be involved year-round in the community, not only when Sueños comes around.”
At the Toyota Music Den opposite the main stage, youth from Sarah E. Goode STEM Academy in Ashburn were given an opportunity to perform in partnership with Music Will, the largest nonprofit music program in U.S. public schools. “When we give students a safe space to embrace their culture and who they are, and explore that, the results are just amazing, and we see what students can really do,” said Kelly McCollom, their Chicago Public Schools music teacher. 8onthebeat, a DJ/producer from California who also performed at the Music Den, said, “This goes to show that no matter what, you’re not going to take our pride and our joy.”
DJ Maracuya, a producer from New York City, also shared her perspective on how music can support people who are healing from trauma. “We have to alchemize our grief; how else are we going to process it?” she asked. “Dancing is a survival tactic.”
It’s clear that by providing a massive platform for local talent, investing in youth programs, and highlighting the importance of supporting local businesses, Sueños is being intentional about supporting our city. The artists that continue to make up the Sueños line up are also being proactive, remembering that their identity and being proud of it can make all the difference.
Saturday headliner Kali Uchis’s stunning choreography made for an unforgettable performance. Credit: Mateo Zapata 
Dominican rapper Tokischa started her set on Day 2 of Sueños by breaking herself free, setting the tone for one of her most provocative performances. Credit: Mateo Zapata 
Married couple Dre and Esperanza traveled from Denver to attend Sueños. Credit: Mateo Zapata
Graterol said that combating stereotypes spread across mainstream media about Venezuelan immigrants is part of the work she does as a musician. “I feel the responsibility of always representing where I’m from. At the end of the day, we still have family back home, and we have to keep going against the tide.”
Mateo Zapata, a Chicago-based photojournalist and artist, documents narratives to uplift voices from his community. Find him on Instagram @mateoxzapata.