When I hear the unmistakable beat of cumbia, my body and spirit naturally respond — I just want to dance. Cumbia is the sound of my childhood and the backdrop to my life’s celebrations. I grew up in South Texas in the ‘90s and early 2000s. Back then, every quinceañera, boda, and family barbecue was imbued with cumbias by Tejano and norteño bands. You couldn’t leave a party without hearing Fito Olivares, Los Tigrillos, Grupo Control, and of course, Selena. I danced with my cousins to “Como La Flor” a hundred times and made my quince dance debut to “Baila Esta Cumbia” with my damas and chambelanes.