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Entertainment
The Battalion
Page 3A • Thursday, April 29, 2004
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\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.”
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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,”
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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.
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