Ancient legends of historic Mexico filled the MPR Tuesday as musician Gerardo Calderon created sound effects with handcrafted instruments to accompany stories Nelda Reyes performed.

The couple from Portland, OR, Gerardo Calderon and his wife, Nelda Reyes, performed legends rooted in Mexican culture. The duo, called Nuestro Canto, is Spanish for "our songs."

Calderon teaches workshops on making traditional Mexican instruments, and Reyes performs in the local theatre and teaches Spanish acting classes. Their fascination with the roots of their homeland Mexico inspires their performance.

"It's our desire for people to know about the ancient cultures," said Nelda.

Nuestro Canto performances combine narrative storytelling with movement, dance and music to tell the "Leyendas de Mexico," or "Legends of Mexico." The legends told speak of love, creation and life in historic Mexico.

The legends that Reyes and Calderon gathered are from the ancient Aztecs, Mayans, Toltects and the culture after the arrival of Europeans to Mexico. Some are stories they were told as children. Reyes said she remembers hearing her first legend as a young girl in Mexico. There are thousands of legends circulating through Mexico according to Reyes and Calderon.

Calderon has been performing over 20 years and crafts replicas of the instruments that the ancient Latin culture used. His familiarity with the instruments led him to create his own and teach workshops on making water drums and percussion instruments from gourds.

Gerardo explained some of the traditional instruments to the audience. "The water in the drum helps the sound resonate, last longer, and carry further," he said.

The audience sat mesmerized, like children at story time as Reyes pranced around the stage, adorning herself with masks and ponchos, playing multiple characters. Spanish 121 student Kaity Seed said the performance was "really enchanting."

Reyes said she enjoys the performances because, "storytelling allows an interaction with the audience I don't get in other kinds of performances."

This was Gerardo's second visit to EvCC, but his first time performing as Nuestro Canto, with Nelda Reyes.

Multicultural program manager Consuelo Lewis hosted the event for Hispanic Culture Month, and said there will be another diverse, educational performance coming this winter.

To learn more about Grupo Condor, visit their myspace page at http://www.myspace.com/nuestrocantopdx.