by Kim Lamb Gregory
When he and his dance partner are whirling to the sounds of swing, Associate Professor
of Chicana/o Studies Nicholas “Nick” Centino is truly in the moment.
“A painter paints, a sculptor sculpts, and there’s a work of art at the end,” Centino said. “But when I share and create with another dancer, once the song ends, the dance is done.”
Swing dancing is just one of the ways Centino immerses himself in the Los Angeles Latina/o cultural scene. He’s also a deejay and an author, with his most recent book receiving recognition from the Los Angeles City Council.
LA City Councilmember Imelda Padilla presented Centino with a plaque in May to recognize his 2021 book “Razabilly: Transforming Sights, Sounds and History in the Los Angeles Latina/o Rockabilly Scene.”
“Councilmember Padilla was interested in taking advantage of Cinco de Mayo to celebrate different aspects of the Latina/o culture,” Centino said. “The research that went into the book was a span of 10 to 12 years.”
Through music, fashion and art Centino’s book explores the turn of the 21st Century in Los Angeles, a critical time when Latina/os became close to half of the population of Los Angeles County, yet continued to be marginalized by entrenched racism.
Latina/o Los Angelenos responded with a Rockabilly renaissance, reinventing their world with blend of Black rhythm and blues and white country music from the 1950s. Cuffed pants, short bangs, red lipstick, an upright bass and dancing—lots of dancing.
“You saw people reaching back into time to artists like Elvis Presley,” Centino said. “It was a bit of a retro soup. But what remained the same was this notion of a shared history. An enthusiastic generation reaching back to draw inspiration from a previous generation.”
Centino was a part of that movement himself, co-founding the Barrio Boogie Music & Arts Festival in Boyle Heights, hosting and acting as deejay for gatherings, concerts and other events. Today he sits on the board of directors of the Pacific Swing Dance Foundation, and participates in regional, national and international competitions.
He was part of the Los Angeles culture, but Centino’s roots are in the Lompoc Valley, where his dad’s side of the family was comprised of farmworkers and his mom’s side worked for the Johns-Manville quarry.
He moved to Los Angeles after graduating with a bachelor’s degree, a master’s degree and a Ph.D. in Chicana and Chicano Studies from UC Santa Barbara. He later taught at Loyola Marymount University, UC Irvine School of Law and CSU Long Beach.
Centino brings his colorful perspective into the classroom by getting his students immersed in the subject matter.
“I really work to make the material come to life,” Centino said. “I like to incorporate a lot of movement into my curriculum. Every class, we do grounding and meditation so we can be present for the lesson. We will incorporate stretching type of exercises that are all adaptive so everybody can participate.”
Centino wants his students to graduate with a solid foundation in Chicana/o Studies, as well as the skills that will continue to serve them all through their lives.
“I really try to instill them with a deep sense of critical thinking,” Centino said. “I want to arm them with tools they’ll need to tackle a bewildering world that sometimes doesn’t make sense.”
Photo courtesy Ashley McKibbon