The Drumbeat of Home: How Loco Bloco Keeps One Family Tethered to the Mission

Editor’s note: This story is part of KQED’s Youth Takeover. Throughout the week of April 22-26, we’re publishing content by high school students from all over the Bay Area.

The booming sounds can be heard in the Mission District all the way down the block. From inside a brightly painted building on 24th Street, upstairs at the Brava Theater Center, 20 drummers pound out a rhythm for nearly three dozen dancers, shaking the floor as they move.

This is a typical weeknight rehearsal for Loco Bloco, whose performers are currently working for hours on end to master intricate choreography and complex drum patterns for their performance at San Francisco’s massive Carnaval celebration in May.

A donations-based organization offering free dance and music classes to young people, Loco Bloco primarily serves the Latin and Afro-Latino communities in the Bay Area. Since its founding in 1994, Loco Bloco has influenced countless young participants, giving them a sense of community, stability and core values.

A prime example of this is 15-year-old dancer Jediah Pratt, who began dancing with Loco Bloco when she was just 6 years old. When asked about the benefits of the program, she emphasizes the group’s tight-knit bond, and how much it means to her and her family since moving out of San Francisco with its rising costs. Now living an hour away, she says the program has kept her connected to the city where her family lived for generations.

Jediah’s family has a long history with Loco Bloco. Her mother Ramona was introduced to the program by one of its founders, Jose Carrasco, when she was 11, and would watch rehearsals from the sidelines after school before joining in herself as a drummer.

Many years later, when Jediah was just 5, she saw the group perform — feathers, floats, colors and all — and begged her mom to join. In first grade, her wish came true, and she dutifully showed up to rehearsals, rain or shine. (Once, when a family member died, she remembers wanting to go to Loco Bloco rehearsal instead of their funeral.)

“She’s grown up with Loco Bloco, which I think is a beautiful thing,” says Ramona of her daughter. “I’ve asked over and over again, ‘Is this what you really want to do? Because you’re really good at it.’”

Three years ago, the closeness and familial bond of the program gave Jediah and her family a sense of stability after moving to Concord due to high costs and inflation. It was a difficult time, and her new home and school were vastly different from San Francisco. Yet Jediah and her three siblings still attended Loco Bloco every Monday and Wednesday.

“Jediah is really the best,” said Jose Carrasco, now Loco Bloco’s managing director. “She has really developed into a beautiful artist, and through the years I’ve watched her blossom.” Jediah helps out with the younger kids and their stilts lessons, Carrasco is quick to point out, while Ramona spends her time drumming and volunteering for the program.

Two years ago, Jediah’s family moved to Fairfield, an hour away from San Francisco without traffic, where her routine and environment changed once again. She began high school in Fairfield this year, which she described as rough. She didn’t know anybody at first, and went to a school with thousands of kids and “fights every day on the schoolyard.”

Still, every Monday and Wednesday at 5 p.m., Ramona drives the family down I-80 and through the city’s traffic to Loco Bloco, where Jediah and her siblings dance and drum for hours. They don’t get back home until 11 p.m. While it may sound strenuous, when asked about it, Jediah says, “I feel like everybody is kind of like family. Everyone knows everyone, and we’re always there for each other, looking out for each other.”

For this year’s Carnaval, Jediah is one of just two teens dancing with the adults. Though the rehearsals and dances are difficult, the hardest part of preparing for Carnaval is the costumes, she says. Each year the dancers are given costumes to decorate with rhinestones or other accouterments and make their own. Jediah recalls staying up until one a.m. the night before last year’s Carnaval, trying to finish her outfit and falling asleep with the hot glue gun in hand.

As Jediah continues to navigate the challenges of adjusting to a new environment and the demands of high school life, her dedication to Loco Bloco remains a testament to the power of community and art. Through Loco Bloco, she not only hones her skills as an artist but also cultivates resilience, perseverance, and a sense of belonging.

At the upcoming Carnaval performance, there’ll be drums, dancing and colorful costumes — and for Jediah, there’ll also be the enduring impact of cultural expression and the bonds forged through shared experiences.

Loco Bloco performs as part of this year’s San Francisco’s Carnaval, running May 25–26 in the Mission District. Details here.

Binnie Kenvin is a Junior at University High School. She is passionate about screenwriting, dancing and playing bass, and loves to hang out with her three dogs. In the future she hopes to be a screenwriter.