damian trujillo: hello, to "comunidad del valle." i'm damian trujillo, and today we have a little bit of everything. a little bit of flamenco and a little bit of mariachi vargas de tecalitlan on your "comunidad del valle." male announcer: nbc bay area presents "comunidad del valle" with damian trujillo. damian: we begin today with a very important issue in our community, and that's alzheimer's. with me here on "comunidad del valle," representing the alzheimer's association of northern california, is sandra green. welcome to the show. sandra green: thank you. damian: now, you're having an event here coming up. what are you having, and why are you doing it? sandra: we're having our third annual alzheimer's latino conference, and we're doing it to inform the community about alzheimer's. and we're going to have a doctor that's going to talk about the correlation between alzheimer's and diabetes.

and this information is very good because people think that alzheimer's is the person is crazy, and they're embarrassed, and they don't ask for information that they need. damian: right. well, do you know about that correlation between the alzheimer's and diabetes? or should we wait for the conference? because that's kind of intriguing. sandra: i want them to come to the conference so they can learn. it's going to be on april 9th from 8 to 2. and we're going to have a lot of free items. telemundo is helping us, giving us items for a raffle. we're going to have free health screening for glucose and blood pressure. and we're going to have covered california also there that day. damian: do you think that we as latinos are--might be a little behind in how we deal with our loved ones who are suffering from alzheimer's? sandra: we latinos, we don't like to ask for help, that's what we notice. and we should because there's a lot of information out there. the alzheimer's association is there 24/7.

we have a free help line people can call. it's 800-272-3900. and they would get a lot of information and support. we have support groups, education classes, we have a lot of information, and it's free. damian: we have, i guess, the basic symptoms that we keep hearing about is you're leaving the keys in the refrigerator, you don't remember where you left your wallet. is that still--or are there new symptoms that maybe we can talk about? sandra: well, people feel like it's just forgetfulness, but people lose their abilities. so, that's something that's very concerning. and they forget how to carry on a conversation, they forget to resolve problems that they used to do before, they forget to--how to pay their bills. you know, it affects their daily life, and that's what we want to inform the population about. damian: why are you so involved with the association? sandra: i work there. i'm one of the family care specialists. and when people call us, we help them with information, with referrals, and with support.

damian: what kind of a guidance or what would you suggest to a family member who has a loved one who might be showing the early symptoms of alzheimer's? i mean, you can't ignore it, obviously. it's going to be there. sandra: the first thing is to get a diagnosis. sometimes, people think it's old age. and it has--i mean, age is a risk factor, but alzheimer's is not old, it's not a normal part of aging. so, you have to get a diagnosis, you have to see a neurologist. and once the person have the diagnosis, then we can help with-- we give support. we have support groups for the person too when they're in the early stage of the disease. damian: and i would imagine there's also support groups for the family member because they're going to be the caretakers of this loved one. sandra: exactly, we have a lot of support groups, and we have support groups on the phone. if people can't attend in person, we have telephone support groups also. damian: a lot of us are headed that way, but it's a scary feeling. it's a scary feeling to know that maybe one day you might be in the shoes of so many families that are out there.

sandra: we're headed to old age, but hopefully not for alzheimer's. that's why we're working hard to find a cure. damian: is there something that we can do now at our age maybe to slow it down? or what can we do? sandra: we--everything that's good for the body is good for the brain also. we have to remember that. what we do to prevent cancer, to prevent diabetes, to prevent high blood pressure, it helps the brain. but then we also have to socialize. we have to keep the brain working. damian: you mentioned that many families, they're embarrassed to maybe to take out their loved ones out in public because of their state of mind. and that's probably the last thing they should do because i would imagine that interaction is part of the things that helps somebody who has alzheimer's. sandra: right, it's good to help them stay active and interact with other people their age. of course you're not going to bring them, like, to an airport every day where it's crowded, and too distracting, and stress--is too much stress for them, but it's good to keep them social. damian: well, and i guess the important thing is to let

families know that you are not alone out there. you have folks who are ready to help. if you'd like more information, there is a couple of phone numbers that you can--tell us again about the conference that you're having. it's in april? sandra: our conference is going to be april 9th at the mayfair community center in san jose from 8 to 2 o'clock in the afternoon. and we're going to have lunch and breakfast, and everything is free. and we're going to have raffles, and we're going to have a lot of information that we're going to share there. damian: all right, well, thank you so much for enlightening us today. sandra: thank you very much. damian: and up next here on "comunidad del valle," flamenco. stay with us.

damian: it's the 11th in san francisco.estival here with me on "comunidad del valle," back by popular demand is nina menendez. welcome to the show. now, you're producing a couple of flamenco shows. nina menendez: that's right, it's our 11th annual bay area flamenco festival, festival flamenoco gitano, and this year we have two featured concerts. the first one is this coming tuesday, march 1st at the palace of fine arts, and it features what the new york times

describes as one of the greatest flamenco dancers of the century, farruquito. and then a week later on wednesday, march 9th, we're presenting at the herbst theater in san francisco as well. grammy winning, multiple grammy winning pianist from cuba, gonzalo rubalcaba in a sizzling new collaboration with gypsy flamenco singer esperanza fernandez. damian: so, how are you blending cuban jazz with flamenco? i mean, that sounds fascinating. nina: it's really wonderful. it's great, it's a new experiment that they're doing together. these two great artists in their own right have come together to celebrate the music of beni more, the great beni more, and his contemporary in gypsy flamenco, who's manolo caracol. so, they're going to be doing some of the classic ballads. "oh vida!" is the name of the program, actually. and they're also--they'll be performing "como fue,"

"tu me comprendes," songs by manolo caracol like "la salvadora," "caracelero." so, it's going to be a night of classics, but done with a very new and innovative approach that's based in jazz and flamenco. damian: no, that's great. i mean, you provided some great video for us. now, tell us why we should not miss this event. i mean, it sounds spectacular. nina: well, they're incredible. you know, the show of tuesday, march 1st with farruquito is going to be so exciting and so dynamic. he's bringing a cast of nine artists from spain with him, all from andalusia's gypsy community, incredible dancers, musicians, singers, and guitarists. and the dancing is just phenomenal. i mean, he--it's a real coup for us as well to bring him, a real dream come true, because it's been over a decade since he's performed in the united states. so, to bring him back is a great thing

for the whole flamenco community. and then the show on march 9th as well. it's going to be so exciting. so, we really invite people to come. it's a community event, it's a wonderful time to socialize with the whole community and get together, see people you haven't--maybe haven't seen for a while, meet new friends. and it's a thrilling evening of great music, great dance, and spanish culture. damian: do you think that we as the bay area have learned to embrace and appreciate what flamenco brings to us, or we're still kind of discovering it? what do you think? nina: well, i think we're still discovering it in many ways, although, you know, it's definitely a growing group of aficionados and people who follow flamenco. you know, there's a lot of stereotypes about flamenco, and a lot of the flamenco that comes through on the sort of main touring circuit internationally tends to be very theatrical or modern dance oriented.

and one of the things that we do at the bay area festival, festival flamenco gitano, is to really emphasize the grassroots flamenco, flamenco as a culture, a living culture, and an expression of a cultural identity of the gypsy people of spain. and so, it's the way that--in fact, the show that will be presented on march 1st, that's called "improvisal." it's really a declaration of an aesthetic, an approach to flamenco that goes back to the roots of improvisation of free expression of a culture. nothing choreographed, so it's much more exciting and dynamic, and it's also more heartfelt than a lot of the flamenco you might see that's so heavily choreographed and learned in an academy, and that sort of thing. this is not that. these are people that grew up dancing in the kitchen, singing with their grandmothers, you know, and still do to this day. that's the main way they practice flamenco.

and then to make a living, yes, they do it on the stage, and they're world class artists that are acclaimed all over, you know, by the great critics around the world as the top artists in flamenco. but at the same time, they're very connected to their roots, and that's what makes it different. and that's our focus as a festival. damian: it's a world class performance. you don't want to miss it. actually, a couple of events that are happening in san francisco, one at the herbst theater. we have that information for you. that's on march 9th, of course, but you have one coming up again this coming tuesday. nina: that's right, this coming tuesday, march 1st at the palace of fine arts. and all the information is on our website. there's a lot of great information there, bayareaflamencofestival.org. damian: all right. well, thank you so much for bringing flamenco to the bay area. nina: ole. damian: i waiting for that. muchas gracias. and up next here on "comunidad del valle," in case you missed it, the new year, mexica new year. stay with us.

damian: we're back celebrating here on "comunidad del valle."

now, talk about you have to go through a special ceremony tambien to--i don't want to say acquire-- tamara alvarado: to receive your name. damian: okay, tell us about that. tamara: sure, sure, the siembra de nombre. so, it's literally when you sow the seeds of your name. and so, traditionally, we do the ceremony locally every 2 years or so. and we bring a maestro, visiting maestro, ocelocoatl ramirez, to really direct that ceremony. and it's really special because it's everything from babies to people who are senior citizens, who come and who have done their research, and understand what day they were born on, and what are the concepts that go along with that day. and they want to go through a ceremony. and so, it's a dance ceremony. there's aztec dance and there's multiple offerings to the center, and it's reflective of that. but it's really to focus in. you know, we're all given our names at birth, right? and we're--of course, you know, we love our names. our parents gave those to us. but this is also sort of--like for example, my name, mozahuani, which means basically "she who merits all her accomplishments," which means i can't complain about the work

because i merit that work, right? damian: but you don't choose a name, right? tamara: you have options. you actually are given about--our maestro gives us about six different options to choose from. it could be very literal. i could have actually chosen the day i was born. but i really actually chose a name that was a little more difficult for me to actually accept, the one that said your work is actually for you to take on, and don't complain about it. so, i tried to live that, my name, mozahuani, that you know, when i want to complain, like, "gosh, there's so much going on. i have so much work." and then i remember, "well, what's my name? my name is mozahuani," so i accept that work. damian: and this was a family tradition for you growing up, and it continues to be a family tradition with your immediate family. tamara: yes, absolutely. all of our kids, we're out there. my husband pedro as well, who has his mexica name, aquea, as well. so, this is really something that we're saying, hey, we have lots of traditions within our latino community, right? we're not just one monolithic entity, we get that. but this is one tradition that's very important to us. this is not about a religion.

this is about culture, about the dissemination of our culture that is actually very much a living, breathing thing. and so, it really adds to the richness of a family's life and to a community. and that's why we work so hard to bring it to more children and more families in san jose. we've always had it as a free event, always. damian: and we're looking at the aerial shot. i mean, this is spectacular. look at this here. tamara: isn't that amazing? yeah, this is drone footage, which was a little bit odd for us at first. you know, when drones kind of came out, it's something that you hear about in the media and you don't really expect that at an aztec dance ceremony. but when you look at it and just appreciate how much energy and enthusiasm people bring into it and generate. damian: and there's booths there, so a lot of different activities? tamara: we have amazing-- an amazing set of vendors that come from all over. last year, i met some people who came from mexico city to come and vend at our event. it was fantastic, very--some wonderful handmade goods. you can find everything from shoes to t-shirts

to purses to turtle shells. domestic, not endangered. damian: is there an exam that i have to take in order to change my name or to acquire the name that-- tamara: no, absolutely not. what it really takes is curiosity. you know, curiosity. do you have curiosity? are you looking to--you know, some people said, "well, you know, have you legally changed your name?" and no, i didn't legally change my name. some people do choose to do that, and that's fantastic. but what we're really looking for as a community when somebody takes on their name is to live that name. so, if you choose to take a name, for example like aquea, like my husband's name, which is really about the essence of water and it's really about patience, but it's also about the force of water, of being strong and forceful when you need to be. so, it's that going back and forth. so, you know, some people might call it mumbo jumbo, but we really look to bring out the most positive elements of your naming ceremony into your work moving forward with your family, with your community.

so, when you're out there as a member of our community-- i won't speak just of our calpulli, but of our community. and you have this name that you went through in ceremony. and you need to carry yourself in a certain way. damian: see, that was going to be my next question is, what kind of responsibility now do you think you have? it's not just about acquiring your name and then going out and saying, "here's my business card. i have an aztec name." is there an added responsibility once you do that? tamara: yes, absolutely. there's an expectation that you're going to take your name, carry it, hold it with responsibility, with honor. and then you also reflect our community, our broader mexica aztec community. so, that we have respect for the environment, right? a love of family, a love of organizing. you know, within a calpulli, the unit known as the calpulli, you work together. it's about working--el tequio, tequio means communal work. and so, when you carry forward that name, that means that you're a believer in these concepts of communal work, for the good of the order.

damian: now, you're also the head of the school of arts and culture at the mexican heritage plaza. i'm assuming you also carry those beliefs into your job there and the programs that you offer there. tamara: absolutely. you know, you've been following this story, and you've been a supporter for many more years than before the organization existed, so you know that there were challenges at the plaza. and you know that we've been at it for the last 4 1/2 years. and yeah, sometimes there's some difficult moments. and that's when we get to say, "okay, this is when we knuckle up." and of course, you know, personally for me, it's to say again, "this is the work that i need to do. you know, this is the work that i've been given." and it's something that, when i reflect on that time when i chose my name, which was before the school even opened up, and you know, for example, before my son was born type of thing, it's to say, "wow, you know, sometimes you can look at things as a struggle, or you can look at it as this is my destiny. this is what i was born to do. so, let's do the work and let's be joyful about it." so, it absolutely gives me a lot of strength. damian: all right, well, it's the mexica new year celebration,

aztec new year, happening weekend of march 12th and 13th at emma prusch park in san jose. there's the number to call for more information. any final thoughts? tamara: i would just invite everyone, everyone in the entire bay area, all of your viewership to please come out. come early. there is great parking, and we're working with pal, which is going to be great. but to please come out either saturday or sunday, and support this fantastic family-focused event. damian: all right, thank you for bringing cultura into the show. tamara: thank you. damian: all right, the mexica new year is approaching. up next on "comunidad del valle," the old, old mariachi vargas de tecalitlan. stay with us.

choose, choose, choose. but at bedtime? ...why settle for this? enter sleep number, and the ultimate sleep number event, going on now. sleepiq technology tells you how well you slept and what adjustments you can make. you like the bed soft. he's more hardcore. so your sleep goes from good to great to wow! only at a sleep number store. right now save 50% on the ultimate limited edition bed, plus no interest for 48 months. hurry, ends monday. know better sleep with sleep number. damian: and now, here's wcomunidad on que pasa.r [music] [music]

[music] [music] [music] damian: and our saludos to those celebrating a special day. felicidades. [music] damian: and here is our address for next week's saludos. you can follow me on twitter. my handle is @newsdamian. also, pick up a copy of el observador newspaper, and support your bilingual weeklies all across the bay area. now, back in 1999, the promoter for mariachi vargas de tecalitlan, a good friend of mine, asked if we would like to host

mariachi vargas on our show to celebrate their 100th anniversary, and we said, obviously of course, yes, we would. and so, here is back from 1999, mariachi vargas de tecalitlan. buenas tardes. [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music]

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right now on nbc bay area news, clear out or else, a message from the city of san francisco to those living in a tent city around show place square. the deadline about 30 minutes away. we'll have a live report. also a new nbc poll showing that clinton will likely sweep three key super tuesday states. we will show you where they are. oscar controversies come to a head. what's at stake on the biggest night for the entertainment industry. >> it is a big night. thank you for joining us. i'm peggy bunker. >> i'm terry mcsweeney. decision 2016, renewed optimism