Folklórico: Méxican Culture in Motion

Story and photos

by Kathia Sanchez

*Editors note; Italicized quotes are translated from Spanish.

Culture is an important part of where you come from. It is important to keep traditions alive and project the understanding of that culture onto others.

“Folklórico is enriched by a culture but for many states of México, they are all different. Many people don’t know that, they think it’s just a dance. Each state has its typical dresses, its dance style, it has its history and where it came from. All of this is very nice to teach people so that they don’t lose their culture and also for other cultures that are not Méxican to get to know us better because many times they have ideas of us in a different way, that México is different, and not really. México is really very beautiful, especially starting with folklórico,” Laura Frias said.

Ballet Folklórico Mexicano Fuego Nuevo y Academia de Danza is a dance academy focused on teaching a fusion between ballet, jazz and folklórico. Their goal is to build a community and keep the tradition of Méxican folk dance alive. The academy has been open for almost 18 years and was started by two friends, José Luis Juárez and Miguel Ángel Martínez. Both are directors and main choreographers of the academy.

Juárez found his love for folklórico by accident when he was living in México. He said that it never grabbed his attention, but once he started dancing it was something “internal,” without him realizing it he “wrapped” himself into what dance is. His passion for dance got so strong that he “never stopped” dancing.

Martínez always had a love and appreciation for the dance.

“Seeing other groups dance, seeing the costumes, seeing how people applauded them, the fact of seeing a person on stage as people admire everything goes as smoothly as possible. him, it was something that caught my attention,” Martínez said.

“This has prevented me from fully enjoying being a dancer,” Martínez said.

Despite the responsibilities, he said that his emotions towards the dance are the same.

He enjoys his job and loves to dance but now he has more responsibilities compared to when he was just a dancer.

He gets on the stage and is always aware of what is going on in every aspect of the performance such as lighting, costumes and making sure

A group is only as strong as the connection they have with each other. Events are hosted by the team to raise funds to attend festivals they were invited to, both in the country and abroad.

“Coexistence has made the group become more united,” Juárez said.

Folklórico is a traditional folk Méxican dance that became an important part of Méxican culture after the Méxican Revolution around the late 1910s, according to Rafaela Castro who wrote the article Ballet Folklόrico. The dance is characterized by its vibrant and bright colors, specific dance steps and style of clothing. Different regions in México have their own unique representation of these characterizations. Traditions are maintained by teaching the next generation the important aspects of the culture and dance.

Advanced student Laura Frias has been dancing with the group for about 12 years. She was born in Jalisco, México and resides in San José. Folklórico is important to her because dancing is a way for her to keep her culture “alive.” She is appreciative of the dance because it “teaches you many things personally, and it teaches you how to grow as a person in many areas of your life,” Frias said.

“Here we always say that it is like our second family. We call Fuego Nuevo a family because apart from us knowing each other for years, we have gone through a lot of experiences together,” Frias said.

Frias adds that folklórico is a big part of her life. She will continue to participate in the group and help in as many ways as possible to help the academy and students grow.

“I am very proud to belong to this ballet, to be Méxican, to be able to represent my culture and to experience it. It is something very beautiful,” Frias said.

Antonio Cervantes has always had a passion for folklórico since he was very young. He is one of the oldest members of the group. He joined the group when the academy had only been open for four months which makes him an advanced student.

He has seen generations of dance members, those who have left and those who have stayed for a long period of time.

“The friendship and connection between everyone is very good. It is difficult to say that it is complicated to connect because everyone is very friendly all the time,” Cervantes said.

It is important to Cervantes to show what art and culture can do and what type of feelings it can evoke.

“You get into the dance and start to feel that adrenaline, you feel a great emotion,” Maria De Los Angeles Mata said.

Mata is in her 60’s and has realized her dream of dancing folklórico with a dance group. She has been “dreaming” of doing this for more than 20 years. Mata has been in the group for four months and is a beginner student. She currently resides in San José but is originally from México. Mata has always loved dancing and has had the desire to learn her cultural dance.

What attracts her to dance is “the emotion of feeling it, of dancing, of doing it, of projecting it, because it is not the same when you think about it and desire it than when you are already doing it,” Mata said.

The group is very appreciative towards each other and their directors.

“The coaches are very professional, very outstanding, they love their profession as well as are very dedicated to it and they have really taught us so much,” Frias said. “Personally, they have taught me a lot and I am not talking about just the dance, I am talking about how to socialize with your team members, they give me advice that I can apply in my everyday life. They have taught us to love our culture more.”

Mata described her directors as very “focused.” She adds that they respect the group a lot and she feels that projection of adrenaline.

“We are a family, because the fact that we are together for a long time, you start growing sentimental emotions different to maybe a person you just met or even the love of family that on some occasions, we frequently do not see, well we see and talk more to the members here,” Juárez said.