Keeping tradition alive through dance 

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Alegría 2023, an annual performance of the UTRGV Ballet Folklórico, take the audience through a crash course of Mexican folk dance from Pre-Hispanic Aztec dances to several different regions and states in Mexico. 

Miguel Angel Peña-Caballero, director of the Ballet Folklórico since 2015 and an assistant professor in the UTRGV dance department, told The Rider the group started in 1970 and will showcase its 53rd rendition of Alegría. 

“It’s our biggest show of the year and it’s a journey through Mexico,” he said. “We present several regions and several states in Mexico. 

“We start with a Pre-Hispanic dance, more [specifically] the Mexica or Aztec dance. Then, from there we go to the state of Tabasco then to the Huasteca region, and more specific, Huasteca Veracruzana. … Then we do a section from the other side of Veracruz, Veracruz Jarocho. From there we go to Baja California Norte. The name of the dance is Calabaceados. Then we go to Colima, then the state of Sinaloa.” 

The first Alegría performance is at 7:30 p.m. Friday in the UTRGV Performing Arts Complex on the Edinburg campus. The final performance will be at 7:30 p.m. March 26 in the Texas Southmost College Performing Arts Center in Brownsville. For more information, visit utrgvarts.universitytickets.com. 

Peña said with rehearsals starting in mid-August, at least 50% of the show is changed every year with new dance styles, regions and music. 

Alegría 2023 collaborates Ballet Folklórico’s 45 members with choreographers, scene designers and musicians, such as UTRGV’s own Mariachi Aztlan. 

“It’s a really important role for all of us … because we are like ambassadors of the Mexican culture and traditions here in the United States through dance,” said Peña, who has a master’s in dance from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and experience dancing throughout the U.S. and Mexico. “We travel quite a lot during the year and we are very well-received everywhere we go because there’s always Hispanics and Mexicans all over the United States.” 

Ticket prices are $5 for children, $10 for UTRGV students with ID and senior citizens and $15 for adults. Tickets can be purchased only at the box office upon entering the Performing Arts Complex on the Edinburg campus. 

Peña said with around 85% of the Folklórico’s members being from the Rio Grande Valley, the company is a mixture of all types of majors. Almost all of the members have a minimum of three years’ experience with some dancing from the time they were children. 

Ezra Alcocer, a dance sophomore with a concentration in Mexican Folklórico, told The Rider he has been dancing since he was 10 and took part in the Folklórico program at Edinburg North High School. 

Born in Fort Worth but raised in Nuevo Leon, Alcocer said he wanted to join UTRGV’s program since he was little. 

“To continue studying [Folklórico] and also being able to dance at the university level is what I feel made me want to come to UTRGV,” Alcocer said. 

He said the audience will experience something majestic due to all the behind-the-scenes work that has been put into the show. 

“From all the choreography that we have, the stories we have and also all the enthusiasm that we put, I think the public will enjoy it a lot,” Alcocer said. 

With most of the UTRGV population being Hispanic, he encourages students to attend since it showcases Mexican traditions. 

“Some Hispanics don’t have the opportunity to go to Mexico to see their heritage or enjoy a show,” Alcocer said. “To me, it’s very important to carry on those traditions even though they are changing, but I feel this will always help grow the community and remind us of where we come from.” 

Maria Garcia, a dance senior with a concentration in Mexican Folklórico, began dancing seven years ago at Hidalgo Early College High School. 

Born in McAllen but raised in Reynosa, Garcia aspired to join Ballet Folklórico ever since she attended shows as a child. Also participating in all seven parts, Garcia’s favorite will be the dance styles from Veracruz. 

“From the first time I saw the dance, I loved it, especially the persistence it has,” she said. “My favorite from the section is ‘El Agua Nieve.’ I feel that there is a lot of connection between the partners and I love it. I’m actually dancing it with [Alcocer].” 

Garcia said the performance will be something beautiful that people can enjoy and hopes the audience can feel the amount of rehearsing and preparation that has been put into the show.  

“To me, it’s something very sentimental to be in the Folklórico,” she said. “Like how I said I’m from Reynosa, and my mom has been there and has never seen me dance. So, for me to be dancing Folklórico … it makes me feel connected to my mom.” 

For more information and updates on the scheduled performances, visit the company’s Facebook page
@balletfolkloricoutrgv. 

“I think what we are doing here at the UTRGV dance department and what the students are doing, it’s very unique in the nation,” Peña said. “I don’t think there’s any other group or department like us in the United States. I think it’s worth [coming to] and see what we are doing and what the students are practicing so much for.”