TikTok’s Folklórico sweetheart

By Alicia Alvarez Graphics by Canva

Ballet folklórico has consumed the majority of Matisse Rainbolt’s life.

Rainbolt is a southern California resident and professional dancer, whose career began when she was only four years old. She recently came into the internet’s spotlight on social media for her cultural dance content.

Folklórico is Spanish for “folk,” which is a genre of dance representing various Méxican cultures with brightly colored traditional clothing and distinct music.

Rainbolt surrounds herself with the vibrant colors, flittering skirts and loud gritos, shouts, that come with the folklórico lifestyle. She began to share this aspect of her life online, turning heads and ramping up her image as a dancer in April of 2020.

Thanks to folklórico dancers like Rainbolt, the Méxican dance has a new-found popularity on social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram.

“I posted one video with folklórico content and that video got a few thousand likes on it,” Rainbolt said. “I was like, ‘OK, since this is getting more likes than the trend videos I posted, maybe this is what people want to see and what I should be sharing.’ ”

She quickly shifted her focus and content around her Méxican heritage. Social media simply started out as a hobby. Rainbolt began posting content to TikTok in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic.

Soon, Rainbolt’s accounts had amassed around 1.6 million followers on TikTok and 96.6 thousand on Instagram.

Followers and likes aren’t what drive her passion though. Rainbolt, like many others, began dancing as soon as she could.

The driving force of keeping her culture alive and honoring her family stems from her love for her grandmother.

Rainbolt uses her platform to publicize Méxican culture and encourage all ages to begin to learn new traditions, and encourages those in the Latino community to reclaim their practices.

“I wanted to catch their attention so they would research more, not only for folklórico but for clothing from their own cultures,” she said. “I want to encourage people to research their own cultures because I think it’s important that we don’t let those traditions die too.”

Rainbolt said she hopes to inspire many Latinos, young and old, to return to their roots through dance.

“You’re not going to be great right away . . . especially people who start when they’re older, like us, (who) get frustrated when they see people our age and aren’t at their level yet,” she said. “But that’s the thing, they’re not there yet.”

Rainbolt encourages people to take the leap, buy the shoes and start moving that skirt; folklórico is a difficult dance to learn, but don’t be discouraged.

Combining grand skirt movements and intricate footwork is already difficult enough. Now add in different nuances to the style of each region in México and it can seem impossible to learn.

Rainbolt said she hopes to remind her audience that what’s important isn’t how good you are but how much you enjoy it.

Many dance studios have taken advantage of the new popularity of folklórico and have begun posting videos of performances and practices.

Studios such as Ballet Folklórico de Los Angeles and Técnica Arte y Folklore have posted videos with folklóricorelated hashtags and have amassed over 20 thousand followers as of March 2023.

That interest from the public is exactly what Rainbolt said she had hoped for.

“I’m not just wanting people to have an interest in my culture but to find their own culture as well and to explore that,” she said.

Rainbolt uses her platform to promote cultural education and sharing, not just Méxican folklórico.

Rainbolt educates her audience through video in hopes that a passion and interest sparks within them. She entices her audience with her beautiful skirt work and genuine personality. Her audience isn’t the only thing that appreciates her. Various other creators collaborate with her.

Joey Velázquez, a personal trainer and folklórico dancer, often accompanies Rainbolt to photo shoots and recordings to dance together. The two are friends and enjoy creating beautiful imagery together. His content consists of folklórico, fitness and vintage themes.

Companies such as Hoja de Maíz, a tailoring company that creates various garments for Méxican traditions, have gained traction with the help of Rainbolt.

It often posts behind-the-scenes content of creating these garments under the username @hojademaiz. Rainbolt often struts in various dresses and practice skirts made by Hoja de Maíz in her videos.

Rainbolt has created an online community of Latinos and those who appreciate the culture. This dance is no longer confined to studios and holiday performances.

Now folklórico is popping up everywhere – quinceañeras, weddings, parties – everyone wants to see the colorful skirts twirl.

She recently performed at Disneyland California Adventure in its Plaza de la Familia for the “Viva Navidad” parade.

Rainbolt currently teaches her own folklórico classes at her company, Step-by-Step Folklórico, offering both online and in-person lessons that cater to each students’ level.

Whether or not you love folklórico, it is impossible to hold back a smile while watching Rainbolt dance with her infectious joy.