This is a C.Y.’s Kids Club Event and an On Stage Event.

Photos

Program

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1. MATACHINES

The Matachines dance is danced in the north side of Mexico City and it is danced during the religious celebrations. It comes from the custom of the prehispanic people to dance to their Gods.
The Spaniards brought with the conquest dances from the middle ages which existed in Spain, and since the XVI Century,it is danced for Christian Gods. This is the way the dance of The Matachines was created and that remains intact until today.


2. TIXTLA PLATAFORM
LIVE MUSIC – TYPICAL GROUP

The group dance: El Toro – El Arrancazacate – La Iguana


3. REVOLUTION
LIVE MUSIC – MARIACHIS

Modern Mexico began with the Revolution of 1910. For the first time in the country’s history Mexican women joined the men in their political struggle. The ballet is dedicated to the Soldaderas, the women who supported their men and even bore arms with them in Mexico’s fight for liberty.
Contrasted with the footsore men and women is a group of young aristocrats dancing European polkas and flirting,unconcerned with the peoples’ fight for freedom. A group of revolutionaries breaks up the party brandishing their weapons. Now it is the peasants who dance in the aristocratic drawing room. Juana Gallo, and Adelitas are dedicated to these two heroines, and to the final song of the Revolution.


4. CHARREADA
LIVE MUSIC – MARIACHIS

The rope dance
Country love dance


5. TLACOTALPAN FESTIVITY
LIVE MUSIC - JAROCHOS

January 31 marks the celebration of the Candelaria Virgin In the town of Tlacotalpan. Stages are built in the main square where musicians and dancers of fandangoes are presented. The Mojigangas are huge figures representing living characters and legends of the village.
In the midst of it, Caribean music is played with Congas (drums), as in a mardi-gras celebration parade.


INTERMISSION


6. THE QUETZALS OF PUEBLA

This ancient dance has its origin in the legend of the quetzal, a mythological bird of Mesoamerica considered by the Indians as sacred and symbolizing for them the essence of beauty and elegance. The great headdress of King Moctezuma is said to have been formed from twenty-four feathers captured at great peril from the long tails of the quetzals. In its home state of Puebla, the dance is executed by performers trained during many months to personify the bird and illustrate the dignity, godliness and grace the Indians attribute to this divine representation. The plumed crowns worn by the dancers are approximately six feet in diameter and demand from the dancer much practice and skill to achieve the imposing movements of this dance.


7. WEDDING IN THE HUASTECA

On the day of his wedding, a young rancher finds a beautiful young Indian girl and cannot resist the temptation of romance with her. Meanwhile, at the village church, the bride begins the preparations for their wedding. When the groom finally arrives, the couple begins a dance and all the neighbors join in and court her. In the midst of the general gaiety her groom’s rival arrives. In seconds, the happiness of the celebration disappears as the two men get hold of their machetes and fight until the rival dies.
The party continues, as is tradition in that region. The bride and groom finally leave for the church in total splendor but leave behind the mourners in the plaza who are the only memory of the fight and death of the rival.


8. DEER DANCE

The Yaqui people, excellent hunters, have stayed away from the Spanish influence and constitute the only aboriginal tribe of the country which conserves its original autonomy. Free from any racial mingling and modern cultures, the Yaquis continue hunting with bows and arrows, cultivating the land according to their ancestors’ methods and celebrating their ritual dances with their same hermetic fervor. The Deer Dance forms a part of the rite that is organized in the preparation for the hunt, and it produces with an astonishing fidelity the movements of the pursued prey. Because of its authenticity and for its present mastery of execution, it constitutes one of the best examples of imitative magic.


9. JALISCO
LIVE MUSIC – MARIACHIS

The state of Jalisco is the land of Charros, Chinas and Mariachis. Since the last century it has become a symbol of Mexican nationality. The Charros of Jalisco are known for their high spirits and joyous grasping of life. Jalisco’s folklore captures the soul of Mexico in its sensual music, refined dances and dazzling costumes. This ballet closes every performance of the Ballet Folklorico’s Touring Company. It opens with a Mariachi parade playing lively sones at the start of a fiesta. In the background is the traditional gazebo found in all the small towns of Mexico. During the fiesta the songs and dances, The Snake, El Tranchete, La Negra and El Jarabe Tapatío, the famous “Mexican Hat Dance”, are performed. At the end of the performance the dancers salute the audience, throwing colorful paper streamers to them.