Q&A with Veronica Tierra of Encanto: The Sing-Along Film Concert Coming to The Straz!

Disney’s Encanto tells the story of Mirabal, a girl searching for her purpose within her family, The Madrigals. The 2021 movie, set in Columbia, showcases a colorful cast of characters and tells the story of the power of family accompanied by some of Disney’s most beloved and catchy tunes.

This Saturday, fans can head to the Straz Center for Encanto: The Sing-Along Film Concert where audiences are actually encouraged to talk about Bruno. The movie will be projected on a screen behind a live band that incorporates traditional Columbian instruments. We had the chance to talk with Veronica Tierra, the show’s host who leads the sing-along and encourages audiences to join in and sing.

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TBPM: Tell us what we can expect from the show.

Veronica: I don’t want to say too much. But the audience can expect to come and watch the movie, but it is a different experience because there’s going to be a live band.

My job is pretty much to connect the movie and the musicians and the audience together to encourage people to sing along. So it feels like you’re kind of in the movie a little bit. You also get to hear the live music, of course, and see traditional Colombian instruments as well.

TBPM: How long have you been doing this and how did you get involved with Encanto?

Veronica: This is my third tour already. I can’t believe it’s been three years. I got involved because my brother-in-law recorded in the movie as well. He’s a jazz artist, and he was like a cultural consultant because Disney wanted to make sure that some of the instruments were as accurate as they possibly could be, given that it’s a film based on Colombia.

Then they told him about the whole thing, about how they wanted to be able to bring the movie to life for audiences in the tour for Disney Concerts, and would he be able to host the show. And he was like, ‘Okay, that’s a whole other thing. I’ll be there to play, but I know someone that can host.’ And then it all just kind of happened from there. They reached out, and I sent a quick audition and figured out what my role would be as it was being created.

It all happened relatively quickly, but I’m so happy I gave it a go because it has been so much fun.

TBPM: Tell us about your role in this show.

I get to host the show. I get to connect the audience, the movie, and the band (Banda de la Casita).

I sing some of the songs and encourage people to sing along with us. I also play the cuatro, which is an instrument that’s very traditional in the plays of Colombia and Venezuela. And I also just start by getting the audience to do a little warm-up before the band is on stage.

We do some breathing exercises, teach them a little dance, and, yeah, just basically connect all those pieces. And a lot of the kids do think I am friends with Mirabel, or I’m Mirabel, which is so cute. They give me little gifts to give to her.

TBPM: Tell us about a couple of those traditional Colombian instruments that they use that add to the authenticity of it.

Veronica: One song that comes to mind is Dos Uruguitas, which is – the genre is vallenato, which is a rhythm from the coast of Colombia. The instruments that you can see there, the accordion is the main one. And though the accordion is a German instrument, it’s very specific to this type of music from Colombia.

There’s also an instrument called Caja Vallenata, which translates to ‘box,’ but it’s like this tube and is kind of like a box if you really think about it. It has a really crispy sound, so it’s a type of drum. And then there’s also another instrument called Guacharaca, which is like a little stick – it has like a little fork that once you swipe it down, it gives it like a percussion sound, and it joins like the percussion so that it gives it a really cool feel.

There’s one more instrument. It’s called Alegre, which translates to ‘happiness or joy,’ and it’s a really big drum. It’s really heavy. It’s really thick wood. And our Alegre player, his name is Morris, plays it. It’s a really colorful, beautiful drum to also get to feel more than listening.

So yeah, that’s why I said it’s such a cool experience for the audience, especially for kids to come and see, because you can’t even buy them here if you wanted to. They’re actually brought from Colombia.

TBPM: Do you guys talk about any of those instruments during the show, or is it just something that adds to the music itself?

Veronica: It adds to the music because we focus on the movie, and, of course, music is accompanying the movie. But when I get to present the band, I let the audience know that these are the traditional Colombian instruments, but we don’t go into it.

TBPM: Encanto is such a unique story, and it introduced different heroines that aren’t your stereotypical Disney princesses like Mirabel and Luisa. One of the things so many people love about this movie is the cast of characters that they can connect with. Why do you think that this particular story is so important, and how do you see audiences connect with it?

Veronica: It’s been very interesting to hear what adults take from it, because it’s a kid’s movie.

But I think for me, for instance, growing up, my favorite princess was Ariel, the little mermaid. And then when I saw this movie, I thought, ‘Wow, Mirabel, I feel a lot like Mirabel in my family.’  And I think we all know a Bruno in the family as well, and an Abuela in the family. And like I said, it’s interesting to see how friends of mine or adults that I get to talk to, they’re like, ‘I relate so much to this, and I feel so seen.’

And it brings awareness to a lot of family dynamics that a lot of us grew up in the Latin American culture, and how a lot of us are trying to say, ‘This we love about our families, but this is not okay,’ and we get to change this narrative. And it’s been very cool to see adults and a lot of my friends just have similar experiences while they relate to the different characters.

TBPM: The character you mentioned, Mirabel, is that who you feel that you connect with the most in the story?

Veronica: Yes, it’s so funny, because I come from a family of artists. All of us do something in music, but I also went the teaching route. I also wanted to create an organization for kids where we could teach them about world music. So even though I was in music, I still kind of left the theater part just aside temporarily.

And I think a lot of that was very scary for me. So, it almost felt like, ‘Wait, I’m not really following the steps, but I am.’ So, yeah, it’s kind of like creating my own path.

So when I did watch the movie, I thought, ‘Wow, I also love that she’s so silly and so curious and so not perfect, but still beautiful in her own way. So definitely it’s the one that I feel the closest to.

TBPM: Do you have a favorite song in the movie?

Veronica: ‘Waiting on a Miracle,’ because that’s the one that Mirabel sings about those things that I relate to. You know, I care for my family, but I don’t feel like them.

And I think it’s also a similar experience because I am Colombian. I was born in Colombia, but I grew up in the United States. I feel like I have cultures at the same time, which is a lot of our stories here growing up in this country.

And when she sings ‘Waiting on a Miracle,’ I feel like I identified also through that part of my story.

TBPM: Do you have any favorite moments in the show, on the stage, and off the stage?

Veronica: On stage, I love singing ‘The Family Marigal,’ because she’s like, ‘Look what my parents can do. And this is what my cousins do.’ And she’s avoiding talking about herself.

I love singing that part. And off the stage, it’s very cool because a lot of the music, actually all of the musicians that we’re touring with, I’ve known them for a really long time. I’m talking since I was like 19.

My brother’s also on the show. He plays the accordion. So we all know each other really well. Everything just kind of flows. Even when we’re on the bus and we’re tired or we’re getting to a new city and we don’t know what’s going on, we’re still kind of like together and it feels very much like a family, which makes the touring life more enjoyable.

TBPM: Is there anything you would want audiences to know who are coming to see this for the first time?

Veronica: I hope they sing with me. It just makes the whole experience a lot more fun when you get to be a kid again and share with the family, share with the kids.

There’s a part in the show when I say ‘Kids, will you promise you’ll get the adults to sing with me?’ and all the kids are like, ‘Yeah!’ So, I think it’s very important for the parents to come with that.

Details:

When: Saturday, November 30 at 1 pm

Where: Straz Center, 1010 N. MacInnes Place, Tampa, FL 33602

Tickets: You can purchase tickets here.

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