Elefanta, Que Ninguna Se Quede Balanceándose Sola is an animated short created by The Latinx House, inspired by the Latin American nursery song Un Elefante Se Balanceaba, taught in schools and by parents to help their kids learn how to count. The song tells the story of one elephant bouncing on a spider web. Once the elephant realizes the spider web holds its weight, they invite another elephant to bounce on it. The song continues as each elephant invites another. Most Latinos are familiar with this song. For many, it is a childhood memory passed down for generations. But, we found a deeper meaning. We realized there’s a message to be pulled from the song that we need to translate for our community, especially when collaborating and building together. When one Latinx person holds power, they should help bring another Latinx. For our comunidad to level up, we must support and lift up each other.
We created a 5-minute animation featuring elephants in different industries and positions of power; twelve Latina actresses lend their voices to bring this animation to life. We adapted the original Elefante song into a NEW modern Reggaeton version sung by the Latinx artists Michelle Rodríguez, Mare Advertencia, and Charly Gynn and produced by Tayhana and Kevin Da Silva.
Our community needs inspiration. We believe we can find it in our roots. We’ve seen it with other communities, and it’s time we do it ourselves.