Singer opens her heart: confessions and images of her acting debut

Don’t you say that the cholo is without a soul / And that he is like a stone, without a voice, without a word / And he cries inside, without showing his tears / I am a cholo and don’t pity me (Part of the lyrics of the classic “Cholo soy” by Luis Abanto-Morales)

With the same inner strength with which he promotes his Andean roots and passion for music, Milena Warton gets up on stage to tell us a story of discrimination and exclusion, but also of faith and hope. Through acting and singing, she gives voice and word to that cholo who “cries inside without showing tears.” Together with the dancer Raúl Romero, the artist stars in “Lamentos”, the winning show of the MINCUL 2021 performing arts contest.

“The work tells us about feeling proud of our roots and valuing everything that has happened at a historical level with respect to discrimination. It shows us this problem, but also ways out and solutions, ways to empathize, it leaves us a great message”, explains the interpreter of “Warmisitay”

In her debut on stage, Milena adds to singing, dancing and acting. With Creole classics such as “Cholo soy” and “El Perú na serrano”, the artist describes with great feeling the inclemency of a racist and unjust society, full of inequality and lack of opportunities.

“I’m very happy because it’s my first time on stage, it’s amazing. They looked for me to be able to sing songs that tell the history of our country and how it affects the present. Although it is true that I had already heard them, I had not had the opportunity to sing them or analyze the strength of their lyrics. They are strong songs, of pain, of experiencing discrimination firsthand, especially at that time, when it was harder than it is now. It is incredible how through art you can represent the pain of so many people, but also share a message of hope and struggle.”, says the 22-year-old singer.

unique proposal

“Lamentos” is an original story created by contemporary dance directors and dancers Héctor Quispe and Sergio Murillo. It tells the experiences of a schoolgirl (Thaís Manrique) who must deal with conflicts around her roots, and stages historical characters who bravely raised her voice to defend her ideals, such as Túpac Amaru II, andhe Peruvian leader responsible for the largest anti-colonial rebellion that occurred in Latin America during the eighteenth century.

“The play is based on a girl who begins an inner journey after being rejected by her classmates at school. Through this journey she shows situations of discrimination and injustice committed by our ancestors, very similar to those we see today. And Milena is an omnipresent character who is in the minor’s subconscious, inside her. She appears in different situations from the past as someone who has fought in times of oppression and mistreatment. At this stage we will also find Raúl and many dancers telling us important moments in the history of Peru, such as the arrival of the Spanish or how the gamonales deceived the people of the Andean community to take away their land. In the end, all the characters will come to the present to leave us a beautiful and encouraging message.” explains Hector Quispe, one of the creators of this theatrical proposal.

“My character has no name, it’s like the inner voice of the protagonist. She represents the Latin American Andean woman, she speaks of Peru and the entire Andean community with whom we share this wonderful culture. The message that she is going to give will be direct, without makeup or consideration. For that I’m going to have to stand strong on stage. She represents the empowered woman who is saying ‘enough’. It is incredible how through music you can represent a history stained by discrimination, but at the same time full of struggle and progress.”, refers Wharton Tamarisk.

The selection

Since they decided to carry out a project that speaks of cultural identity, Quispe and Murillo were clear that the faces of their proposal should represent our roots and culture; but above all, the love for what is ours.

“For the work to be honest and really get through, it seemed to us that we had to find two people that people could see and recognize with both cultures: the Afro-Peruvian and the Andean. That is why Raúl Romero and Milena Warthon were always our first choice. Milena has a career full of pride in her culture, her wardrobe, her music, and she is empowering that aspect. Raúl has also been in the business for many years and is a great representative of Afro-Peruvian culture,” explains Héctor Quispe.

It also details that convincing the interpreter of “Maravilloso” and “Volgó a latir” to make her debut on the stage was not such a complicated task, taking into account that the artist’s musical project was born as a search for her own identity, as a need to meet and know their origins.

“When we talked to Milena about what the work was about, that it went with the line that she carries, she was interested in the message from the beginning. She had no acting experience, but since she stood on stage she has performed very well, she is very talented and she is an artist who transmits, she quickly engages with the public, ”says the director.

“Within the range of the arts I am much more familiar with music, then with dance, but a more innate dance, not so technical; I also love to paint, but I had never fallen into acting, which seems interesting and close to me because as a singer and composer I also perform, every word and movement I make has a meaning. My friend Miluska Eskenazi, who I think is a great actress, gave me some tips for my debut. So here we go.Warthon adds.

According to the creator of this multidisciplinary proposal, “Lamentos” was going to be a dance-only show, but as the project grew, it was decided that it would also be told through music and acting.

“Practically the entire story unfolds with well-known songs, which seem to have been made especially for the play or inspired the structure, when it was the other way around. First we put together the work and then we chose the songs that could fit in”, explains Quispe.

Goal

On the other hand, Wharton Tamariz clarifies that “Lamentos” seeks to vindicate the Andean and Afro-American, embrace our identity, accept ourselves as we are, and promote respect and consideration for others.

“We live involved in our personal problems, our work and family that we ignore that society can often be harsh with some of our compatriots or with ourselves, although little by little the problem of discrimination is becoming visible. Peru will continue to grow as long as respect for differences continues to grow, ”he details.

“In these more than four years of my career, I have been offended with discriminatory comments because of my skin color, because my voice is different, because I am small, because my last name is English…. I am proof of diversity and That makes me proud”, remarks the singer.

“History shows us that there are a lot of things we should be proud of and that the color of skin, eyes or hair does not have to be a reason for insecurity or ridicule,” adds Héctor Quispe.

Parallel to her preparation to debut on the charts, Milena is working on her next single, which will be released in November of this year, and is getting ready to open for Mon Laferte, this November 6 at the Arena Peru. And despite the fact that acting is not her priority, she does not rule out joining later in a new acting project.

“It is an area that I would like to continue exploring, although my priority will always be singing and being able to rediscover my roots and build an identity. I started singing professionally when I was 17 years old and at that age, as happens to all of us, I wondered who I was, now I am 22 years old and I know that I still have a long way to go and learn, but I am sure who I am and what I want to do : I want to reach everywhere, the whole world, and for everyone to understand my message”, he stresses.