Flashes of color

Ballet Folklorico will bring the rhythm and colors of Mexico to the stage on April 2 at 7 p.m. in their third annual spring show, "Si nos dejan."

In addition to traditional music and swirling skirts, Ballet Folklorico will incorporate a hat dance into their lineup. The dancers will also use props, such as knives and candles.

Ballet Folklorico's 12 dancers make up "the biggest group since our beginning" in 1991, Juan Gonzalez '06 said.

The group will be joined by Yale University's Ballet Folklorico, which will perform five dances from other regions of Mexico — including an Aztec dance. Pilar Escontrias '08, a trained Mariachi singer, will also perform.

The show will feature dances from three regions of Mexico, including the Mariachis of Jalisco, the polka-style Norteno de Baja California Sur, and the technical footwork of Veracruz. "Most of the dances we're doing, our instructor taught the group a few years ago," Joseph Ramirez, '07 said. "These are traditional dances; we don't make them up."

But the group also draws from the cultural traditions of other regions in Mexico to expand their repertoire.

"We are adding a dance from a new state to our repertoire, so we had to learn that recently," Ramirez said.

The group plans to learn and perform dances from Chihuahua, Chiapas and Guerrero, among others, in the near future, their website said.

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Prior to joining Ballet Folklorico, none of the group's members had dance training, Ramirez said.

But they make up for their lack of experience by training intensively with an instructor.

"Our instructor comes once a week. She's hardcore. We then drill during the week, and she critiques our style and tells us what to improve," Kathleen Molnar '04 said.

Though Molnar graduated from the University last year, she still returns to campus to dance with the group. Molnar also helped put the final touches on costumes for this weekend's show.

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"It takes dedication," she said. "We want it to be authentic. It's not modern dance, it's not very hip, it's not Disiac. We need to be authentic, or it will get lost."

Ballet Folklorico also performs throughout the year at cultural events at schools and folk festivals in the Princeton area.

Last year, the group competed in the First Annual Mexican Folkloric Dance Competition in New York City, sharing the stage with groups from across the United States and Mexico.

"We were all brought together by a love of Mexico," Becky Quintal '07 said. "And dance," Gonzalez added.