Whale 'Dances' to Mariachi Band

Here’s a video we couldn’t resist sharing with you. It’s of Juno, a beluga whale at the Mystic Aquarium, being serenaded by Mariachi Connecticut. It's been viewed more than a half million times on YouTube.

According to Eduardo Rocha — he’s the guitar player in the video — the impromptu serenade took place July 15, after a wedding ceremony in front of the beluga’s tank.

“You could see he was used to interacting with humans,” Rocha told Patch. “There was the groom and the bride, and the judge conducting the ceremony, and he was there watching them.”

The guests left for dinner after the ceremony, but Juno stuck around. Rocha asked a bystander if he would shoot video of the band playing for the whale. The videographer is William Kurtz. 

“He wasn’t our friend,” Rocha said, “but he’s our friend now.”

The band improvised “Yellow Bird,” a traditional Caribbean tune that isn’t part of their standard repertoire. Juno appears to enjoy the music.

“I believe he was in a good mood that day,” Rocha said. “There is no cover at the top. It is an open tank. It looks like we were indoors but we were outdoors.  You are outdoors so the whale could hear perfectly through the water.”

Based in Hartford, Mariachi Connecticut has been together eight years. Rocha said they play for private parties, educational groups and cultural events around New England. The band also plays and records original music.

Rocha said playing for Juno had particular meaning to him.

“My major degree is marine biology. That’s what I used to do,” he said. “Playing in the aquarium is like going back to my roots.”

Mariachi Connecticut will play at the Convent of the Sacred Heart in Greenwich on Aug. 29.