Danzantes Unidos Festival 2023 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 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 2022 will take place on April 8, 9 & 10, 2022 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 DUF 2023 includes:

• Participation in a DUF 2023 workshop
• DUF 2023 Festival T-shirt, if you register by February 14, 2023
• Access to SUPER discounted Showcase Bundle (but ONLY during the registration process*, and only until 2/14/23)
• 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.

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:

• Proof of COVID Vaccination OR proof of negative COVID test results taken within 72-hour window.
• Appropriately sized and perfectly fitted FACE MASK
• 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…

To get onto the ‘wait-list’ for any CLOSED class; first register for any OPEN class.  When you receive your confirmation email, hit ‘reply’ and request to be wait-listed for that particular class.  We will do our best to accommodate your request as soon as there is a vacancy.  The deadline for class change requests is February 14, 2023.

Showcase Concert Tickets are available at a deep discount for all registrants during Early and Regular Registration periods through February 14, 2023 and ONLY at time of purchase. Chaperones who are accompanying minors at the theater and folklorico fans may purchase a Showcase Bundle for $40 at the DUF Tienda. The Showcase Bundle includes one ticket for every night of the DUF Showcase Concert series. Each ticket is limited to one person per show. Sales of the Showcase Bundle will end on February 14, 2023. Individual night ticket sales will be available on February 15, 2023, 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 DUF 2023 Pachanga may be purchased:

• Online for $20.00 until March 22, 2023 at 11:59 PM PST
• Onsite at DUF 2023 for $25 on April 1st until 1:30 PM
• Space-permitting; at the door at DUF 2023 Pachanga for $30. (Ages 60+ FREE, must show canas)

Extra T-shirts for Parents & Chaperones or for LATE Registrants may be ordered online until March 22nd. There may be a limited supply available onsite.

DUF adheres to a strict NO REFUNDS policy for Registration. DUF 2023 registration fees are committed immediately to the event and are non-refundable. Please view our DUF 2023 Policies Page to learn more about our refund and/or cancellation policies.

Transfer of registration to another group member MUST be solicited via [email protected] by February 15, 2023.

Class changes are highly discouraged and there will be a $5 fee applied per class change. Up until February 14, 2023, class changes may be requested via email by replying to the original class confirmation email from [email protected] 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.

Yes–during the Early Registration period. For school groups enrolling 10 or more students, please contact [email protected] and request a PO code for use at checkout.  Be sure to include the number of students that you are enrolling and payment contact information for your institution (name, address, email & phone number).  Please use the header: Purchase Order Request. Deadline for PO orders to be submitted is December 27, 2022.

Yes–during the Early Registration period. Payment Plan eligibility is determined by household income.  If you believe that you qualify for a payment plan, please contact [email protected] and request a PP code for use at checkout. Be sure to include your household size (number of persons) and your maximum yearly household income. Please use the subject header: Payment Plan Request. Deadline for PP orders to be submitted is December 27, 2022.

No, but there does exist reciprocity during the Early Registration period.  Groups registering 15 or more students qualify for a spot in one of the classes that does not require previous folklorico dance experience. To redeem your free spot, please contact [email protected] to request a code for use at checkout. Be sure to include a copy of your group registration confirmation. Please use the subject header: Reciprocity Request. Deadline for Reciprocity orders to be submitted is December 27, 2022.

At this time NO.  But YOU might be able to make a difference if this is an area that you would like to volunteer your time and skill set toward.  Danzantes Unidos is an organization that relies heavily on its volunteer work force.  We currently do not have a volunteer offering the time and commitment that a Scholarship Program would require. If you are interested in developing a Scholarship Program, please contact [email protected] to find out more about what this position would entail.

If you are interested in being a sponsor and/or advertiser of Danzantes Unidos Festival, please email [email protected].
If you are interested in being a vendor at Danzantes Unidos Festival, please email [email protected].

If you are interested in volunteering at Danzantes Unidos Festival, please email [email protected].

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:

• 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.