Folklorico After School Program

What is Folklorico?

Culture and color mesh in the pageantry that is ballet folklorico – a dance art intended to develop a cultural understanding that incorporates the diversity of Mexico and its art forms and its people.

Ballet Folklorico is embedded in the Mexican culture and emphasizes local folk culture with many of the basic fundamentals of ballet. The dances vary by region and were developed and inspired by the villages they originated from.

Each region in Mexico, the Southwestern United States and Central American countries carries a tradition of the variety of locally characteristic dances.

Though the dances vary from region to region, the basic steps and style of dance are similar. Traditional bailes (dances) in Veracruz are characterized by a basic set of steps called zapateados which involve percussive heel-stomping.

Costuming plays a key role in the national dance. The colors and patterns vary from state to state, and the men dress accordingly to the traditions of their region.