Ballet Folklorico is a very exciting club to join. It not only teaches you how to become a more experienced dancer but it teaches you about the Spanish culture as well. Ballet Folklorico has been around for a long time. It originated in Mexico and grew larger and larger as time went on. Ballet Folklorico consists of some basic set of steps called “zapateados” which involve a lot of heel-stomping. There are many different dances from many different regions from Mexico. The most popular dance is called “El Jarape Tapatio” which originated from Jalisco and is performed across Mexico and all over the U.S. I interviewed some of the dancers from Folklorico and this is what they had to say:

“I joined Ballet Folklorico because I feel like dancing is my passion. I’ve been dancing Folklorico since I was 5 years old. I sometimes get nervous before when I perform but it ends up going away. I’ve gotten much better at dancing because of Folklorico” – Salvador Gonzales (11)

“The reason why I joined Folklorico was because I really enjoy dancing. To me, dancing is special because I get to learn something new and when it comes to performances I try not to get nervous so the dance can come out good. I feel Folklorico helped me a lot to because a dance better and understand more steps.” – Evelin Ramirez (11) 

“I’ve been dancing Folklorico for about 2 years at high school level and it’s incredible! I joined Folklorico because I really enjoyed seeing the dances of Mexico since I saw it at Oakley Elementary School. What did I expect? Well let’s see, I wanna get my voice and be out there in the public. Yes! It’s fun and a very exciting experience! At times I get nervous but I am now getting used to performing since this will be my 3rd year.” – Juan Antonio (11)

“I’ve been dancing Folklorico for 3 years now. The reason why I joined was that I wanted to try new things and learn more about my culture. My expectation for this year is to be able to perform at school rallies. Yes, Folklorico is really fun and I invited people to join! When it comes to performances it’s always nerve racking but you get used to it. I’ve learned so much from it and I wouldn’t change it for anything.” – Jenni Angeles (12)

“I joined Ballet Folklorico because I’ve always danced since I was a little kid and I wanted to become a more experienced dancer and work on my foot work. What I expect from Folklorico is to meet new people. I think Folklorico will be fun this year because last year was fun as well. I am always nervous for performances but who isn’t? It always goes away when I set foot on the stage. And the most important thing I’ve learned from Ballet Folklorico is that we always come together as a family.”
-Angel Espinoza (10)