NOT YOUR TYPICAL BALLET

by Megan Zustra

out a fire with his foot. The dance of the copy editor Quetzales, which means multicolored bird, followed. This dance had wonderful

The Ballet Gran Folklorico de Mexico was not your run-of-the-mill ballet. No tutus or toe shoes were found. Instead, bright and colorful costumes portraying the Mexican culture took the place of ballet traditions.

The performance by this company took place on Friday, Oct. 30 at 7:30 p.m. in the Dixon Center gym. The company is composed of 35_ members: singers, dancers and musicians direct from Mexico City. They are directed by Theo Shanab and choreographed by Lino Ortega.

The many regions of Mexico were represented through the song and dance of the company.

The performance began with Dr. Adeline Bethany, chair of fine arts, welcoming the large crowd to the Dixon Center and then briefing them on the company.

The first dance was of Aztec origin. A strong drum beat set the tone for this ritual opening dance, with one dancer putting crowd appeal with the costumes Tesembling a peacock. The multicolored headdress definitely caught the crowd's eye.

Other highlights were the final number of the dances of the Yucatan, the Dance of the Deer and the final number with the floreador (roper) and the Mexican hat dance.

The end of the dance of the Yucatan dance included a large pole with colorful ribbons attached to it, which the dancers held on to as they weaved in and out of one another, as well as around the pole.

The dance of the Deer was very symbolic, with a dancer dressed as a deer being hunted and finally killed by four dancers representing hunters with bows and arrows in hand.

This performance was attended by members of both the Cabrini and Radnor communities. It was an excellent finish to United Nations Day, which was celebrated throughout the day in the Dixon Center.