Baile Folklorico
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Baile folklórico, literally "folk dance", is a collective term for traditional Latin American dances that emphasize local folk culture.
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[edit] Dances
Each region in Mexico, the southwest United States and other Central American countries is known for a handful of locally characteristic dances. The province of Jalisco, for example, is especially known for its jarabe, son and el baile de los sonajeros. The province of Guerrero is known for its sintesis and tixtla. Michoacán is known for its huetamo and "Historia del Traje de la Mujer Michoacana", a dance which depicts a local folktale (Alegria). Though the dances differ from region to region, the basic steps and style of dance are similar. Traditional bailes are characterized by a basic set of steps called zapateadas which involve percussive heel-stomping.
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[edit] Costumes
Alegria.org, a Mexican folklore organization and baile folklórico dance troupe, maintains a webpage which documents the regional variation in costumes. Costumes in the southwest United States are characterized by denim and western shirts while costumes of the Federal District of Mexico reflect a stronger traditional Spanish influence and those of the Yucatán reflect indigenous traditions. In the folk dances of Northern Mexico, men generally wear black trousers, accented with a red tie and belt and a black wide-brimmed hat. Women wear brightly colored ruffled skirts trimmed with ribbons whose colors are local signifiers, shoes with heavy clog-like heels and ornate hair pieces (Katsumori).
[edit] Popularity
Nopani Hernandez pioneered baile folklorico in the 1950s with her establishment of and leadership of the Ballet Folklorico Mexico. Additionally, she founded a school in Mexico City for the study and practice of classical and folkloric dance techniques. [1]
In the past decade, baile folklórico has exploded in popularity, particularly in the United States, El Salvador and Mexico. Young students and community members have formed a number of baile folklórico organizations dedicated to performing, preserving and teaching about traditional dance and culture. Groups of young students in elementary schools, particularly in the southwest United States, have formed baile folklórico groups to build community pride and inclusiveness for students new to the country.
Prior to the explosion in popularity among student and community groups, bailes folklóricos were (and currently are) performed as a part of large parties or community events. The mariachi musicians generally stand in a line at the back of the performance space and perform without written musical notation, while the dancers perform in couples in front of the mariachis.
[edit] Works Cited
- Alegria. 1995. 5 March 2006 www.alegria.org
- The JVC/Smithsonian Folkways video anthology of music and dance of the Americas: Volume 6 Central and South America. Dir. and Prod. Ohta, Horoaki, Katsumori Ichikawa, Yuji Ichihashi and Nihon Bikuta Kabushiki Kaisha. Videocassette. Multicultural Media, 1995.
- Loeffler, Jack. La Música de los Viejitos: Hispano Folk Music of the Rio Grande del Norte. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, 1999.
