UTRGV student shares his dance journey

Guadalupe Garza, a dance sophomore from UTRGV, took a folklórico class in middle school. Now, he tours the country performing with UTRGV’s Ballet Folklórico and Ballet Nepantla, a New York ballet folklórico company.

Garza accidentally discovered his artistic talent in seventh grade at Elias Longoria Sr. Middle School. He said he only took folklórico because he did not want to take P.E., but as time passed he realized he was “pretty good at it.”

During his freshman year at Edinburg North High School, he took swimming “for some reason,” but it was not a long time before he tried out for the high school folklórico company.

When he tried out for the group he was recognized by Ismael Villarreal, his former middle school dance director. Villarreal told Garza to join the after-school program, Ritmo Dorado. 

“I think high school was when I really fell in love with it,” Garza told The Rider.

In his sophomore year he joined Dancentre of Edinburg under the direction of his first dance director, Yvonne Guajardo.

Garza continued dancing for his alma mater and for Dancentre, but during his senior year in high school he was recruited to dance for Ballet Nepantla.

Ballet Nepantla was founded in January 2017 by Andrea Guajardo, daughter of Yvonne Guajardo, who was born and raised in the Rio Grande Valley.

“She was looking for strong male folklórico dancers, or male dancers in general, and Miss Yvonne had the idea of putting me in [Andrea Guajardo’s] company,” Garza said.

By the time he graduated from high school, he knew he wanted to pursue his bachelor of fine arts at UTRGV and has been in folklórico since his freshman year.

“I am going to dance for UTRGV, Ma,” Ana Berta Garza said her son told her right after his college application was accepted.

Ana Berta Garza has worked as a custodian at UTRGV for 12 years, and his father Guadalupe A. Garza has worked as a mechanic at the university’s Facilities Planning & Operations for seven years.

“Imagine mija, seeing him in a beautiful theater and everybody applauding,” Ana Berta Garza said in Spanish. “Watching his show fills us with pride.”

Garza’s mother said she is proud of the person her son has become.

“Mostly because he is a great son, very loving, very respectful to us and to everybody around him,” she said.

Garza’s father said he is proud of his son, and that he is “very cheerful” and always dances with a “big smile.”

Guadalupe Garza has visited New York; Washington, D.C.; Colorado; and Arizona, dancing with UTRGV and Ballet Nepantla.

“It’s definitely an amazing experience to travel and experience all the different cultures,” he said.

Asked to describe his first time performing, Garza responded while laughing and reminiscing.

“It was just nerve wracking,” he said. “I was scared, but excited at the same time.”

It was during his high school’s “Burning of the C” that he danced a swing piece to “Rock Around the Clock” choreographed by Villarreal.

Asked to compare his first to his most recent performance, he laughed along with his girlfriend, Brizaida Garcia, a UTRGV dance sophomore who accompanied him to the interview with The Rider.

“Super different, totally different, we performed ‘Mexica’ and ‘Veracruz,’” Garza said.“‘Veracruz’ is like intense footwork, like amazing posture. You think you are the best ‘up here,’ and ‘Mexica’ is like a contemporary [and] traditional mix of modern movements,” Garza said.

Garza, who is described by Garcia as “outgoing, funny, nice and helpful,” advises anybody who is pursuing a career in dance to be persistent.

“Practice and practice and practice, because there is always going to be someone better than you,” he said. “You are never going to be at the top. So if you slack off, there is always going to be someone there who is going to take your place. You need to train, train, train and just do it because you love it. Never do it because, like, you want to prove something–I don’t know. Do it because it’s your passion and that’s what you like. At least that’s why I do it.”

Garza said the most challenging obstacle in his career has been his height.

“I’m 5’3’’. There is a lot of other people who look better on stage simply because they are taller than me,” he said. “It’s hard to be able to stand out. In a group piece, I definitely stand out the most since I am the shortest.”

The 20-year-old dancer aspires to move to New York to dance for Ballet Nepantla and travel around Mexico to experience each state’s folklórico firsthand, in order to one day gain the knowledge to teach the “traditional way” to other companies.

He wants to master Baja California’s “Calabaceado.” Garza said that he wants to perform for as long as his body allows him to. After that, his dream is to have his own folklórico company in Texas.