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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (April 29, 2004)
M Entertainment The Battalion Page 3A • Thursday, April 29, 2004 $s El llbej a coin buy; iCSPtJ issioo 1 ' I Swing the salsa! \Students celebrate Cinco de Mayo by hitting the stage for fund-raising event By Robert Saucedo THE BATTALION jGenafe L. Martinez, a senior education major, has been dancing since she was 7 years old. Wh ile other children played Nintendo or watched television, Martinez was swept up in a thmic dance of colorful dresses and vibrant music, one of her Mexican culture’s earliest tra- di ions - folkloric dancing. I “I found out about it when I was 7,” Martinez said. “I lived in San Antonio and discovered a local dancing team. I’ve been dancing ever since. I’ye danced with different directors who have taught me about the dance and information about thp styles I dance.” Her most valuable gain from all of her years of mcing is the awareness of her culture’s past, lartinez said. Now, she is passing her knowledge the members of Texas A&M’s first and only kloric organization, Ballet Folklorico Celestial. Ab group choreographer, it is Martinez’s responsi bility to educate her fellow members in the histo- ■ of the dances they perform on a regular basis. ■ On May 1, Ballet Folklorico Celestial will psent its first solo performance in Rudder eater. The dancers will perform several dances m different states across Mexico. I Martinez said the difference between a dance ■Dm south Mexico and north Mexico can make all the difference in execution and performance. I “The different regions of Mexico have different dinces that are each influenced by the different countries that settled them,” Martinez said. PI fertain European countries influence the south- states’ dancing styles. The colorful clothing d dancing is a sign of influence by the Spanish d even the Caribbean. In north Mexico, they the hjive strong Czech influence. Really any European tpyt{Buntry’s influence is going to be found up north.” Martinez said the central part of Mexico ^^^veals some primal influences of dance. “When you move toward central Mexico there iialot of mimicking of animals,” Martinez said, n Guerrero, they like to stomp on wood and imic the sounds of the iguana and bull.” respon itotk id. WWW. TEJCsiSFls4LLe>F'F>*lVfE./\ET O 979-822-2222 Hall n* Frnni Hi Hi HUH Hi Hi HHflP Hi Hi HUH :: HI Hi Hi 25 Years in Bryan-College Station! -mmsL Jessika Perez, the vice president of Ballet Folklorico Celestial and a junior civil engineering major said she has been in the dancing group almost as long as she’s been an Aggie. “I’ve been dancing since I was 8 years old,” Perez said. “Dancing is something I love to do and it’s a big part of my culture.” Perez, who joined Ballet Folklorio as a fresh man said modern takes on Latin music are derived from various regional tunes. “That’s where modern day Tejano music start ed,” Perez said. “Folkloric dancing goes back to the time of the Aztecs and Mayans. It was started before Mexico was settled by other countries and has its roots in rain dances, ceremonies and human sacrifices. This year we have a new region we’re incorporating. It’s from Baja, Calif., and has its roots from 1950s vaqueros - cowboys.” Promoting awareness of Latin culture on the A&M campus is an important motivation for her participation in the club, Perez said. “I feel a need to educate people who don’t know about the Hispanic culture,” Perez said. “We have a wonderful culture and so few Hispanics at A&M. Maybe in the future we can bring more Hispanics to A&M with the help of our organization.” Going on its 13th year. Ballet Folklorico Celestial was started in 1991 by a former student. “Our mission statement is to promote the Hispanic culture through performance and music,” Perez said. As opposed to Martinez and Perez who have been dancing since they were young, Ballet Folklorico Celestial President Christina Delgado, a junior Spanish major, joined the club with mini mal experience in folkloric dancing. “I came in as a beginner,” Delgado said. “It’s a hobby.” While the majority of the group is Hispanic, it does not exclude other races. “We’ve had people out of our culture join,” Delgado said. “We’re hoping to help A&M expand and do something different.” As part of Ballet Folklorico Celestial, Perez looks forward to her group’s first solo perform ance, entitled “Fiesta Mexicana.” “Since I’ve been in the group, we’ve always been asked to perfonn at someone else’s event,” ril 30th Hayden ♦ Ordrink specials til 10 p.tn. $2.50pitchers, $1.50 chuggers, $1.50 u-call-it$, $1.50 longnecks, and 75$ bar drinks! ♦ All tickets $6 at the door o 5- 1 : Earl Thomas Conley ♦ Tickets $12 in advance at Cavenders, Baskins, and the Hall ($15 at the door) ♦ “Holding Her and Loving You" ’sssssBfpad/m Coming Friday, May 7th: MARK DAVID MANDERS! Coming Wednesday, May 12th: AARON WATSON! — — The Texas Hall of Fame encourages you to drink responsibly and always designate a driver. Free soft drinks to designated drivers over 21. Photo Courtesy of • BALLLET FOLKLORIO CELESTIAL The Ballet Folklorio Celestial will perform traditional dance routines from regions across Mexico during its Cinco de Mayo celebration event, titled “Fiesta Mexicana.” Perez said. “One of our goals has always been to have our own showcase. This year we have the resources we needed, and as a group we made the decision to finally have our own performance.” Perez said the rest of the money will be used to buy new costumes and advance the group. “We use it to purchase shoes and dresses and take workshops to learn new dances,” she said. Delgado believes Ballet Folklorico Celestial and similar clubs are a great way for Hispanics to get in touch with the heritage they sometimes feel is so far away. “All the songs we play are from Mexico, and I think that definitely it is a great way to connect with your culture and your community,” Delgado said. “It’s always good to get a more diverse population at A&M because the majori ty of people are Anglo. ‘Fiesta Mexicana’ hap pens around Cinco de Mayo and what better way to celebrate Mexico and its culture? If you don’t know anything about folkloric dancing, you should go take a friend and go. It’s an enter taining experience. It would be really entertain ing to take a date too.” Perez said she agrees with Delgado. “It’s going to be really exciting, really enter taining, even for children of all ages,” Perez said. “It’s a great way to celebrate Cinco de Mayo and cheaper then going to the movies.” Tickets for Fiesta Mexicana are $3 presale and $5 at the door. They are available at The Jockey Lot, Mi Cocina Restaurant and Los Cucos Mexican Restaurant or from any member of Ballet Folklorico Celestial. The show starts at 6 p.m. May 1 in Rudder Theater. l hiver sity aS« Community Living! Individual Leases Fully Furnished FREE cable & HBO FREE Ethernet FREE Video Library Full Size Washer & On A&M Bus Route No Trains CAll TOPAV, limited number available. 979'76fS999 950 Cofeaft Pr, College Station, TX 77M0 *0 MOVC IN! §i in 24 hra of looWno. limited time only