Ballet Folklórico de IU, a student dance group that performs folk dances from several regions in Mexico, hosted “Dance at the Museum” at the IU Museum of Archeology and Anthropology on March 12.
The event consisted of performances from the group, mosaic making and object horoscopes featuring items from the museum. It also taught visitors “El Colás," a dance from the group’s routine.
Ballet Folklórico first performed the “Jarabe Tapatío,” Mexico’s national dance, which originated in the Jalisco region. Performers wore intricate, colorful costumes. The women's braids were woven with ribbons and the men wore suits embroidered with gold or silver thread.
IU freshman Ana Sosa, an arts management major and one of the dancers in Ballet Folklórico, said “Jarabe Tapatío” is one of her favorite dances. She described the dance as incorporating a lot of vibrant, upbeat songs.
“I would say it's my favorite one because it's your typical, what you assume a Mexican song sounds like, but it's so fun because it's like its own story," Sosa said.
Cultural storytelling is one of the group’s main objectives. Sosa said one of the reasons the group hosted the event was to share a part of Mexican culture with the campus community.
We have people from all over, like international students,” Sosa said. “So I guess sharing our culture and heritage towards those people is really nice. And it gets people more interested and more curious.”
Sosa said the group fosters a strong sense of camaraderie among its members. She said she joined Ballet Folklórico to find community within IU and said her favorite part of being a member was finding a group of friends.
Not every member of the group performed at the event, but many still participated to show support for their friends, including IU freshman Sasha Tehozol. This was her first time seeing some of the routines performed.
“We just know that the dance is going to occur, but we don’t know how the end product is going to look,” Tehozol said. “The speed is what really surprised me.”
The traditional Mexican dances take a lot of skill and coordination, but the instructor broke down the steps in an understandable way for the attendees. IU students, families and people from various backgrounds all came together to learn the dance. There were about 150 people in attendance throughout the night.
Those who did not participate in the dance engaged in different ways, including through the artifacts on display, horoscope readings and eating traditional Mexican food from Pili’s Party Taco Truck outside the event.
Christine and Chad Romine watched the dances and participated in the demonstration. They attended the “Love at the Museum” event last year and have attended IUMAA events ever since.
“And just the energy of the people in the room that are kind of like hyping it up,” Christine Romine said. “It was really cool to see.”
They both said it’s important to learn about other cultures in America. Christine Romine emphasized how great it is to have cultures in America that people can celebrate in different ways.
“I just like to actually see things like that. People are still showing their heritage,” Chad Romine said. “And it’s arguably now part of American culture since they’re here.”
Ballet Folklórico's next event is its annual showcase, which will take place from 5-8 p.m. on Saturday, April 18 at the Wilkie Auditorium.
