On Fri., Oct. 19, The world-renowned Mexico City–based company, Ballet Folklórico de Amalia Hernandez returned to Cal State LA’s Luckman Fine Arts Theatre. From Oct. 19 through Oct. 21, Angeleno’s from across Los Angeles filled the seats of the Luckman Theatre for an extraordinary performance. The melodious live music, foot-tapping dances and vibrant-colored clothing lit the Luckman Theatre with plenty of smiles and applauses throughout the evening.

The ensemble is composed of a total of 20 female dancers, 22 male dancers and 21 musicians that took the audience on an incredibly detailed journey of Mexico’s culture, history and traditions that vary by region over 11 different dances

The performance opened with “La Gran Tenochtitlan” or The Great Tenochtitlan, which represented Mexico’s Aztec culture during the pre-Columbian era. La Gran Tenochtitlan focused on the importance of Mexico’s coat of arms, as the attention was drawn to the snake-eating eagle.

After Guerrero’s tap dance performance known as “El Gusto”, the performance was followed by La Revolución or “The Revolution”, which depicted life of men and women during Mexico’s revolutionary period in 1910.

The enthusiasm didn’t stop there, as the Charreada featured a Charro or a Mexican Lasso Dancer on stage, displaying his artistic talents with a rope to the rhythm of Jarabe.

The final captivating performance was the Jalisco Festivity or the Fiesta en Jalisco, which had audience members dancing on the edge of their seats, as they clapped to the rhythm of “La Bamba”. Mariachis played their live instruments including violins, guitars, trumpets, vihuelas, and two Mexican folk harps. The dancers surprised the audience with an unexpected dance towards the end of the performance.

All 42 performers ended their performance by shouting, “¡Viva México!”.

Saul Rodriguez, a former dancer from Mexicali, Baja California, shared his thoughts on Amalia Hernandez’s Ballet Folklórico:

“I loved it! I love the culture, I used to be a dancer for many years so every time I watch it, I love it even more. It never gets old, it’s a really, really nice experience.”

Diana Molina was another audience member who was informed about the Ballet Folklórico through her sister, also a Ballet Folklórico dancer:

“It was wonderful! It’s nice to see the Mexican heritage still kept alive. I liked everything but my favorite was the ending of course, The Jalisco Festivity.”

Amalia Hernandez’s Ballet Folklórico continues to perform throughout Mexico and the world in an effort to preserve Mexico’s history and culture for younger generations.