Ballet Folklorico de Mexico-1963 program

Ballet Folklórico de México is a Mexican folkloric ensemble in

Mexico City Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital and largest city of Mexico, and the most populous city in North America. One of the world's alpha cities, it is located in the Valley o ...

. For six decades it has presented dances in costumes that reflect the traditional

culture of Mexico Mexican culture is primarily influenced by its Indigenous inhabitants and the culture of Spanish culture, Spain. Mexican culture is described as the 'child' of both western and native American civilizations. Other minor influences include those ...

. The ensemble has appeared under the name ''Ballet Folklórico de México de Amalia Hernández.''

History

Ballet Folklórico de México (1970) - 001

From the group's founding by Amalia Hernández in 1952, the group grew from eight performers to a fifty piece ensemble by the end of the decade. In 1959 the group officially represented Mexico at the

Pan American Games The Pan American Games (also known colloquially as the Pan Am Games) is a continental multi-sport event in the Americas featuring summer sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The competition is held ...

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. In 1963 Guillermo Keys-Arenas was the Assistant to the Director of Ballet Folklórico de México, while in 1969 he was its Artistic Coordinator.

Performances

The music and dances reflect various regions of Mexico. Many of the ensemble's works reflect the traditions of indigenous

Mesoamerican Mesoamerica is a historical region and cultural area in southern North America and most of Central America. It extends from approximately central Mexico through Belize, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, and northern Costa Rica. Withi ...

culture. Numbers of performers in individual dance numbers range from two to over thirty-five. Under Amalia Hernández the group was a pioneer of

folk dance of Mexico Folk dance of Mexico, commonly known as baile folklorico or Mexican ballet folk dance, is a term used to collectively describe traditional Mexican folk dances. Ballet folklórico is not just one type of dance, it encompasses each region's traditio ...

. It is practiced by many people in America as well as Mexico. The ensemble performs three times weekly at the

Palace of Fine Arts The Palace of Fine Arts is a monumental structure located in the Marina District of San Francisco, California, originally constructed for the 1915 Panama–Pacific International Exposition to exhibit works of art. Completely rebuilt from 1964 to ...

in Mexico City. Additionally, it has toured widely in the

and has appeared in over 80 other countries. There are three types of Ballet Folklorico: , , and (Regional dances).

Recording

In 1963 the ensemble issued a 'Living Stereo'

LP record The LP (from "long playing" or "long play") is an analog sound storage medium, a phonograph record format characterized by: a speed of rpm; a 12- or 10-inch (30- or 25-cm) diameter; use of the "microgroove" groove specification; and a ...

, ''Ballet Folklórico de México,'' on

RCA Records RCA Records is an American record label currently owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside RCA's former long-time rival Columbia Records; also A ...

of Mexico. Songs on LP record include: Flor De Piña, El Sapo, and El Patito.Discogs entry, ' Ballet Folklorico De Mexico' https://www.discogs.com/Ballet-Folklorico-De-Mexico-Ballet-Folklorico-De-Mexico/master/193257

Similar ensembles

Ballet Folklórico Mexicano Ollimpaxqui and Ballet Folklórico Puro México (based in

Toronto, Ontario Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

) also present performances of traditional Mexican dances. Some alumni from Ballet Folklórico México are members of these ensembles.

References

External links