Danzantes Unidos Festival 2025 FAQs

Danzantes Unidos Festival (DUF) is the largest celebration of Mexican folk dancers in the United States and Mexico. Participants of every age and skill level are invited to participate in one of over 60 Mexican folk dance workshops offered. Mexican folk dance organizations have the opportunity to perform in its DUF Showcase Concert Series to share their work to the community. DUF attendees can also attend the Friday Social and ¡Pachanga!, and shop in the DUF Mega-Mercado. Parents and chaperones can register for “Sew Much Fun” sewing & costume pattern making OR “Theater Concert Production” to support their group and dancer.

Danzantes Unidos Festival has traveled from site to site throughout the state of California since 1979. The festival occurs every year during Palm Sunday Weekend. DUF 2025 will take place on April 11, 12 & 13 in Fresno, California.

Danzantes Unidos Festival workshops are catered for all ages and skill levels–Folklorico Fun – Parent & Child class, accepts students as young as 3 years old; Students in Grades K-5 may enroll in “Repertorio” classes where they will learn material from THREE different regions; students in Grades 6-12 MUST BRING THEIR ID* to the festival to gain access to the classrooms of Jr. High and Folklorico High classes where they will focus on dances from TWO regions; Adult Classes focus on ONE region and are for students ages 18+ and MUST BRING THEIR ID* to the festival to step into the classroom. Participants ages 17 and under must present a signed parental consent form and have an authorized chaperone to participate.

*school or government issued ID or copy of birth certificate

The registration fee for the Danzantes Unidos Festival includes:

• Participation in a DUF workshop
• DUF Festival T-shirt . . . a gift from us, if you register during the Early & Regular registration periods.
• Access to SUPER discounted Showcase Bundle; but ONLY during the Early & Regular registration periods*
• Ten hours of instruction
• Networking opportunities
• Access to seminars

*This special deal is ONLY available to participants at the time of registration, so please don’t miss clicking that option with the red flame.

The workshops will be taught in English or Spanish–or both– at the discretion of each Maestro. DUF encourages participants to engage in the buddy system with a bilingual peer for DISCREET translation during class.

Workshop participants should bring the following items:

• Dance shoes (with name clearly marked inside or on sole)
• Water bottle or gatorade (Sodas, juices and sugary drinks are not allowed in the classrooms)
• Practice skirt for ladies
• Notebook and pencil (Please ask your instructor for permission to video)
• Dance bag to keep all items together

Maestros may request additional props and items; such as rebozos, sombreros, etc…

Showcase Concert Tickets are available at a deep discount for all registrants through the Early and Regular Registration periods and ONLY at time of registration. Chaperones who are accompanying minors at the theater, as well as, the general public may purchase a Showcase Bundle for $50 at the DUF Tienda. The Showcase Bundle includes one ticket for each night of the DUF Showcase Concert series. Each ticket is limited to one person per show. Sales of the Showcase Bundle will cease at the end of the Regular Registration period. Individual night ticket sales $30, will be available during the Late Registration period, until capacity is reached.

Due to the limited capacity of the theater any child taking a seat will need a ticket. For the sake of clarity, lap children ages 3 and under will not require a ticket.

Debido a el límite de capacidad en el teatro, cualquier niño que necesite asiento tendrá que tener su propio boleto. Para clarificar, niños bajo la edad de tres años no requerirán boleto, pero tendrán que sentarse en las piernas de sus padres.

Tickets for the Pachanga may be purchased:

• Online for $25.00 during Early, Regular or Late Registration periods
• Onsite at the workshop venue for $30 on DUF Saturday, until 1:30 PM
• Space-permitting; at the Pachanga venue for $35. (Ages 60+ FREE, must show canas)

Extra T-shirts for Parents & Chaperones or for LATE Registrants may be ordered online through the Late Registration period via our Tienda. There may be a limited supply available onsite.

DUF adheres to a strict NO REFUNDS policy for Registration. DUF registration fees are committed immediately to the event and are non-refundable. Please view our Policies Page to learn more about our refund and/or cancellation policies.

 Transfer of registration to another dancer MUST be solicited via Registration@danzantes.org by before the Late Registration deadline and there will be a $5 surcharge applied.

Class changes are highly discouraged and there will be a $5 fee applied per class change. They are available only during the Early and Regular Registration periods. Class changes may be requested via email by replying to the original class confirmation email from registration@danzantes.org and changing the subject header to “Class Change Request”. You must be eligible for the class you are requesting and there must be space in the class for the change to take effect.

If you are interested in being a sponsor of or advertiser in the Danzantes Unidos Festival, please email ExecutiveDirector@danzantes.org.
If you are interested in being a vendor at Danzantes Unidos Festival, please email mercado@danzantes.org.

If you are interested in volunteering at Danzantes Unidos Festival, please email Volunteers@danzantes.org.

Please check out this thorough and thoughtful response from our Blog.

Absolutely NOT. Parents & Chaperones MAY be invited by each Maestro into the classroom during the last ten minutes of each movement session. The only exceptions are the Folklorico Fun & Adaptive Folklorico Dance classes where ONE caregiver is required per student.

In the classroom: Cell phones must be off and away. Maestros will let students know when it is appropriate to pull out phones & cameras for note-taking.

In the theater, only Danzantes Unidos holds the rights to photography & videography. Photographers seeking permission to take photos for later sale should contact ExecutiveDirector@danzantes.org

• Tripods are not allowed anywhere but in the very last row of the theater.
• There will be seats in the front of the theater reserved for our DUF Media Team, and two group representatives to take photos (NO flash) and video–during their group performance, ONLY. This seat must be immediately vacated to allow for the next group representative to come forward.
• For the sanity of those sitting behind you, kindly dim your screen to the lowest light and do not hold your device higher than your head. Also, do not playback your video with sound during the performance.
• Please take your personal calls in the lobby.

At the DUF Recital:

• Once again, tripods to the rear and please stay off the stage and staging areas.

Violation of these policies will result in the confiscation of your device for the remainder of the class or performance.

Following are general guidelines for the use of drones. ALL drone use should be cleared with ExecutiveDirector@danzantes.org

• Altitude: Drones can’t be flown above 400 feet above ground level (AGL). If flown higher than 400 feet, they must remain within 400 feet of a structure.
• Weight: Drones must weigh less than 55 lbs (25 kg).
• Visibility: Drones must be kept within visual line of sight (VLOS) of the pilot or a visual observer.
• Location: Drones can’t be flown within controlled airspace around an airport, over certain military bases, or in airspace with Temporary Flight Restrictions. They also can’t be flown over designated national security sensitive facilities or certain national landmarks. Please note that McLane HS is located adjacent to (within three miles) of the Fresno Airport.
• Time of day: Drones can only be flown during the day or during civil twilight, which is 30 minutes before sunrise to 30 minutes after sunset.
• Property: Drones can’t be flown on private property without the owner’s consent. Property owners can ask drone pilots to land and leave the property.
• Other aircraft: Drones must yield to manned aircraft.
• Safety: Drones must be operated safely and not pose a hazard to people or property. Pilots should not drink, take drugs, or take medications that could interfere with their ability to fly safely.