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Mexican ballet troupe preserves traditional folk dancing

By Daily Bruin Staff

Sept. 26, 1996 9:00 p.m.

By Cheryl Klein
Daily Bruin Senior Staff

When choreographer Amalia Hernandez was a little girl in Mexico,
she was mesmerized by the colorful folk dances of the Zacatecas
Indians.

"I thought it was the most beautiful dancing and the most
beautiful costumes I had ever seen," Hernandez recalls. She wanted
to join the Zacatecas to dance with them but, to her
disappointment, her parents wouldn’t allow her to.

"I couldn’t go with the Indians, so I brought their dances to
me," Hernandez says as she explains the birth of Ballet Folklorico
de Mexico, an internationally acclaimed dance troupe.

From Sept. 26 to 29, Los Angeles audiences will be able to share
the joy Hernandez finds in Mexican folk dancing when Ballet
Folklorico travels to the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion for the U.S.
premiere of "Chihuahua."

The performance features dances from different time periods in
the Chihuahua region of Mexico.

Yuri Batres, choreographer for UCLA’s student-run Grupo
Folklorico explains. "Each region has its own style of dance called
‘sones.’ Our group tries to preserve traditions and show the
student community what Mexican folk dance is all about."

Over the years, Ballet Folklorico has familiarized Californians
with this type of dancing. "I’m grateful to California because
they’ve admired and supported Ballet Folklorico for a long time,"
Hernandez says.

Batres is also a long- time admirer of Ballet Folklorico.

"I’ve seen them perform and I think they’re great. Amalia
Hernandez has given an international name to Mexican folk dance.
She is very aware of stage presence and the material is very
flashy," Batres says. He explains that he has been influenced by
the dance troupe’s work and that he incorporates aspects he likes
into his own choreography.

Yet there are certain aspects of Hernandez’s style that Batres
chooses not to follow.

"Some of the material she uses comes from sacred rituals that
are still done by people in Mexico today. I don’t use ritual dances
in my choreography because I think they won’t be considered sacred
once you modify them. But that is just my personal style," Batres
says.

"Anytime you put something on stage you have to modify it.
Amalia Hernandez does that by mixing elements of ballet into her
material," he concludes.

Hernandez trained at the National School of Dance in Mexico,
where she learned classical ballet. But folk rituals and
researching Aztec and Mayan histories are what provide the main
passion behind Ballet Folklorico.

"I had to put together a lot of material (for "Chihuahuas")
because you don’t find all the interesting stuff in the same
place,"Hernandez says. "I’ve gone to many different festivities and
feasts to learn the ancient dances. We also find out how dances
were performed by reading ‘hiroglificos.’"

These ancient Aztec writings were important in developing "Los
Tarahumuras," the first of two segments in "Chihuahua." The
Tarahumuras were a people who lived in the Chihuahua region of
Mexico hundreds of years ago who were plagued by the harsh climate
and infertile land. They responded to these hardships by imitating
the movements of the animals around them. It was their belief that
since animals were especially lively in the spring, they must be
asking the gods for rain. And since springtime usually brought its
share of April showers, the gods must be listening. The Tarahumuras
followed the animals’ lead in hopes that nature would be kind to
them as well.

"Most of the rituals of pre-Hispanic tribes didn’t survive, but
there are traces of them in popular art," Hernandez explains.

Batres adds that art and history are deeply intertwined.
"Mexico’s rich history has affected the evolution of dance. There
are African, American, Carribean, Jewish and Muslim
influences."

Even far away Poland left its mark on Mexico. The second segment
of "Chihuahua" is the "Nortena Polka". Spaniards brought the
Poland-based polka to Mexico and it became a local favorite,
especially during revolutionary times when the music inspired the
Mexican militia.

During some polka dances, the men still wear the uniforms of the
Mexican army, while the women dress in swirling multicolored
skirts. In other types of Mexican folk dancing, people leap
barefoot across the stage like the deer that they imitate. Either
way, dance has great significance, both to those who perform it and
to those who watch it.

"Folk dance helps establish an identity and a presence both
musically and artistically," Batres says. "Ballet and jazz are less
collective because those who aren’t exposed to them can’t do the
steps. But everyone can learn folk dance. People identify with it.
It is what makes people tick."

Hernandez emphasizes, "I think people will like seeing Ballet
Folklorico because they can relate it to something in their own
field, in their own lives. There is something for everyone."

DANCE: Ballet Folklorico de Mexico at the
Dorothy Chandler Pavilion Sep. 26 to 29. TIX:
Range from $15 to $55, available at all Ticketmaster Outlets.

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