Danzantes Unidos presents a Summer seminar in dance and culture  in Queretaro, Mexico from July 13 to July 19, 2025. FESTIVAL SIN FRONTERAS 2025 – QUERETARO  will include movement sessions, folk handicrafts, evening performances, and a day excursion to La Peña de Bernal. The focal point of the research will be “Danzas y Huapangos” from the State of Queretaro. If you missed it this year, please stay tuned to our website for information for FSF 2026 Puebla.

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Concheros Master Class

Melquisedec Sandoval Sánchez

In the early 1990s, Melquisedec Sandoval Sánchez, a restless young man born in Querétaro to parents whose grandparents were from the Querétaro mountains, deeply influenced by the Huasteca culture of Jalpan de Serra, began his studies at the Josefa Ortiz de Domínguez Industrial and Services High School No. 118, Corregidora Campus, Querétaro, where he had his first exposure to the culture. He joined the institution’s representative dance group, actively participating for over two years in state and national events.

At the end of high school, his passion for folk dance was born, he received an invitation from the Social Security Center for Folk Dance taught by Professor Victor Morelos Ortiz, it did not take long to demonstrate his skills and abilities to become a member of the Representative Group “Sol y Luna” of this institution, participating in multiple events, with the retirement of the director of the teacher and group director, and with the conviction to continue growing culturally, he was given the opportunity to join the Mexican Popular Dance Group “Pueblo Y Fiesta” of Hercules, at the beginning of 1997, his hard work in the group was invited to participate in the XXXIII National Dance Congress in the city of Culiacán, Sinaloa and he discovered the National Association of Teachers of Mexican Popular Dance AC. This association has the common goal of preserving the customs and traditions of the indigenous peoples of Mexico. In such a short time, he was awarded the work of ethnographic research of the Fiestas Grandes del Pueblito de la Villa Corregidora in the city of Querétaro. His effort was rewarded and he was named an active member of the teachers’ association. Years later, he supported the Organization of the XXXIX National Dance Congress in the city of Querétaro. With the organization and research of his work, he was appointed delegate for the State of Querétaro to this Association. Committed to youth, it was not enough for him to take on the task of transmitting his passion to the elderly. In August 1999, he was appointed director and choreographer of the Dance Group “Jóvenes de Corazón”; Two years later, she joined the Social Security Center as a representative group of this institution and due to the great demand, in that same year she founded the second dance group “Fiesta Queretana”, also for senior citizens in a social security center. A year later, she began her activities as a representative dance group of the social security center (IMSS). To this day, she continues to transmit her energy to both groups.

At the same time, full of faith and humility, he joined the Central Chichimeca table of the San Francisquito neighborhood with General Don Margarito Aguilar as a traditional dancer. In 2009, he was invited by the Ministry of Culture of the State of Yucatán to participate in the Province to Province Festival with a program featuring dances from the State of Querétaro, which would be the first complete program that the GDPM “Pueblo y Fiesta” would have in 40 years. In 2010, a children’s workshop was formed at the Rafael Camacho Guzmán Primary School. A children’s group was started. At the age of 5, the children became young people, and the “Mexico Magia” youth folklore ensemble was founded. The tradition of the municipality of Querétaro continued to alternate in 2010 with the director Juan Carlos Sosa Martínez founded what will be the Folkloric Ballet of the Municipality of Querétaro, working with him a representative program of the State of Querétaro with which dances and dances from the region are included with the purpose of promoting and disseminating the Cultural legacy of Querétaro in multiple national festivals such as the International Festival of Zacatecas, Festival End of the Mayan Calendar in Campeche in multiple Congresses at the national level having the opportunity to travel abroad with this repertoire and represent Mexico in countries such as Bolivia, Ecuador, Peru, Costa Rica, Czech Republic, more than 28 international Folklore festivals and 2 years later he founded international events as well as in congresses of dance teachers having.

He has been invited as an ambassador by various groups to carry on Querétaro’s cultural legacy.

2001, Italy, NA-DENE Dance Group, Saltillo, Coahuila. 2011, Spain, GDPM “Pueblo y Fiesta” (People and Festival). 2012, Czech Republic, “Folkloric Ballet of the Municipality of Querétaro.” 2013, Ecuador, “Folkloric Ballet of the Municipality of Querétaro.”
2016, Costa Rica, “Folkloric Ballet of the Municipality of Querétaro.”
2019, Spain, Extremadura, “Mexican Culture and Tradition.”

In 2015, she founded her third group for senior citizens, together with Juan Carlos Sosa, the Adult Folkloric Ballet called “Alma Patria”, integrating her entire folkloric repertoire with them. In the same year, Querétaro was designated the national headquarters of the Congress of Mexican Popular Dance Teachers for 2017. She alternately participated in the steering committee that organized the first Latin American meeting in Querétaro, thus holding five consecutive editions. In 2014, she participated in the steering committee that organized the first Latin American meeting in Querétaro, thus holding five editions. From 2016 to 2017, the National Organization of Folkloric Groups of the United States, the A.N.G.F (USA), participated as an exponent of the Dances of Querétaro. in the city of McAllen Texas in the United States 2016 and 2017 at the Latin Arts Center in Dallas Texas United States, It has Diplomas for Dance Teachers in Tuxtla Gutiérrez and Tapachula, in 2017 it organizes the work of the National Congress of dance teachers thus promoting all the groups in Querétaro in a meeting of folkloric groups in the city theater making an opening program with 5 groups representing all the folklore of Querétaro in the city theater invites Viviana Basanta daughter of Amalia Hernandez to a conference and at that congress is awarded the medal Francisco Javier Sanchez Lopez to the merit for his career of more than 20 years in the diffusion and promotion of the Mexican folk dance his work of diffusion has been tireless since it promotes among the young people the love for the customs and traditions of the peoples of Mexico through the dance where he has received numerous awards and decorations for that work in the older adults for more than 23 years of altruistic work, Winner of Dance Contest at the national level on 2 occasions, with a record of 380 performances as a dancer, 430 as General Director, founder of 5 dance groups, 56 Anniversary functions of organized, 2 Dance Congresses organized, 9 Exchanges with National Groups, , 25 Countries Visited, 9 Folklore Festivals Organized, 25 Courses Taught on Folklore in the State of Querétaro in the Mexican Republic and abroad, 3 Ethnographic works, jury of dance competitions in various Disciplines, on 7 Occasions, with a deep sense of responsibility to spread the love and passion of the ancient culture of Mexico throughout the world, among children, young people, and adults who should never forget it, cultivating it to keep it alive is a responsibility for future generations of Queretaro and Mexico FOR THE DANCE AND CULTURAL GREATNESS OF MEXICO

ENGINEER MELQUISEDEC SANDOVAL SANCHEZ
Soldier of Culture for the Cultural Greatness of Mexico

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