Danzantes Unidos DUF 2026 “Nurturing the Light” welcomes Cindy Padilla teaching Folklorico High: Tamaulipas & Yucatan for ages 13-17.

Cindy Padilla is a faculty lecturer in the Department of Chicana/o Studies at CSU Northridge, where she teaches Chicana/o in the Arts and Dance of Mexico courses. She holds B.A. degrees in Journalism and Chicana/o Studies, a Master of Arts in Chicana/o Studies with an emphasis in Music, Dance, and Folklore, and a Master of Science in Dance/Kinesiology from CSU Northridge. She is the director of Ballet Folklórico Joyas Divinas del Valle in Pacoima, California, and an alumna of Ballet Folklórico Aztlan de CSUN. Padilla has also served as faculty in the East Los Angeles College Dance Department, where she taught Latin American dance culture and Folklórico specialty courses. Her most recent written works include her master’s theses A Mexicana/Chicana Testimonio Addressing Tradition and Authenticity in Folklórico Dance, Folklórico Performativity Project: Transferring Cultural Embodiment from Stage to Community Performance Space, as well as “Mexican Dance Origins,” in the Encyclopedia of Latino Popular Culture and Chicana Poblana, a forthcoming book chapter in Folklórico in the United States: Unwritten Histories, edited by Dr. Olga Nájera-Ramírez and Dr. Norma E. Cantú.
-Cindy Padilla, M.A., M.S.

This course explores two regional dance traditions of Mexico—Jarana from Yucatán and danza de Picotas from Tamaulipas. The Jarana, a fusion of Maya and Spanish influences, is performed at community festivals with lively 6/8 or 3/4 rhythms played by a live Orquestra Jarana Yucateca. Dancers in traditional ternos and guayaberas showcase intricate footwork that celebrates Yucatecan identity and pride. The Picotas, a Mestizo ceremonial dance blending Indigenous and European roots, dates back to early Mayan settlements and the Spanish arrival. Accompanied by tambora and clarinet, dancers in embroidered cotton garments perform rhythmic leaps and swirls reminiscent of chotis, expressing spiritual joy, heritage, and community celebration—often barefoot or in huaraches during weddings and blessings of space.

Cultura illuminates LIFE . . . nurture the light.

Danzantes Unidos Festival DUF 2026 “Nurturing the Light” will take place March 27, 28 & 29 in Fresno, CA.
Registration is OPEN at www.danzantes.org.  Early Registration ends on January 23, 2026.
Click here to register for this class: Folklorico High: Tamaulipas & Yucatan for ages 13-17