Pete Mendoza | Vaquero Radio
UTRGV Ballet Folklorico will present “Alegria,” a show that intends to express Mexican culture through dance and music. The performance will begin at 7:30 p.m. March 9 at the Texas Southmost College Performing Arts Center.
Dance Assistant Professor and Director for the UTRGV Ballet Folklorico Miguel Angel Peña Caballero said Folklorico is an ancient art form from Mexico.
“I will say in the top two, top three, strongest art forms in Mexico,” Peña Caballero said. “Of course, we have music, mariachi and the Mexican folklore is all over Mexico and around the world.”
“Alegria” focuses mainly on Mexican dance folklore compared to other events Ballet Folklorico hosts throughout the year.
Marketing freshman Evelyn Garcia said folklórico is a great form of expression for Mexican culture.
“It’s a way to show Mexican culture and appreciate it,” Garcia said.
Four to five months in advance, the preparations for “Alegria” began with practices twice a week.
“They’re super committed to the practices, to all the shows,” he said. “Even though they are not professional dancers, of course, they act as they were almost professional. Always on time and we have a very good discipline.”
According to the UTRGV Dance department website, Ballet Folklórico has performed at the state and national level and is recognized by the American College Dance Association.
Peña said Ballet Folklórico presents different pieces every show to give the audience something new and unique.
“We always present six to seven sections, different sections in ‘Alegria,’” he said. “From ‘Alegria’ 2023 to ‘Alegria’ 2024, we repeated three of those six pieces and then almost two or three pieces are new every year.”
He said “Alegria” 2024 in Edinburg had about 5,000 attendees while the 2023 show in Brownsville was completely sold out.
Marine biology junior Jasmin Canas said she loved the previous folklórico experiences.
“I used to go to the concerts for it and it was just something that I really enjoyed,” Canas said. “And it was just exciting to see everybody and everybody’s just so excited. Just a very happy place.”
For more information about the Alegria, visit utrgv.edu/dance
