“A México with bundle of tassels. And engraved silver

A México with ears of corn, brown-skinned people.

A México, of fairs, of candy skulls.

Tame, quiet, wild, incongruous, strident, lighthearted.

The México of ancient ruins, churches made of gold and shadows. And gardens of bougainvillea and tropical flowers.

The México from yesterday and today, of beautiful songs and dances, born from ruins created between the black braids of the natives, screams, weeping, silence, songs.

Pure expression of our roots, that convert themselves into reality though the sentiment of a great lady . .”

-Amalia Hernández

Have you ever wondered how the one thing you grew to love, grew itself? As folklórico dancers, this is one thought that may come to mind whenever we appreciate the beauty of what we do. Yes, we love folklórico. Yes, we are dancers.  When we really sit and think about how folklórico has grown to become influenced generation by generation, there are so many ideas to think about in the past that have contributed to its success. Today, I would like to recognize Amalia Hernández and her contribution to folklórico.

Amalia Hernández was born in 1917 in Mexico City. Amalia is certainly a cultural icon to the origin of Ballet Folklórico that we, as dancers, can look back at and be grateful for. Amalia was a Mexican folk dancer and choreographer that utilized her experience in the dance industry and her motivation to achieve her goal of starting her own dance group.

She began composing choreographies with a small group known as Ballet Moderno de México.  Her most famous piece, “Sones de Michoacán,” was debuted and had a tremendous success rate at the end. Seeing her result, she aspired to continue with the passion that she found for dance, and set a new goal for herself.

In 1952, Amalia founded Ballet Folklórico de Mexico de Amalia Hernández which became the largest and most famous dance company all over the world.  This group has evolved internationally because of its success in competitions, and the beautiful dance pieces it showcases. Amalia always had love for her country, which strongly influenced her ideas to express the Mexican culture.  Her goal was to grasp the audience’s attention through symbolic pieces that involved identity, culture, region, and traditions. Ballet Folklórico de Mexico was given the opportunity to participate in many events that helped her achieve exactly what she strived for.

With great success in Chicago at the Pan-American Games, Ballet Folklórico de Mexico was chosen as a Mexican government representative for cultural visits in other countries.  Amalia stopped dancing with the group and focused more on teaching others to bring her ideas to reality. Amalia composed choreography for 30 ballets with 56 dances and is now looked upon as a great role model of someone who chased after her dreams.

For this reason, I am a huge admirer of Amalia Hernández. She is a true example of someone who demonstrated her talent and dedication. Due to her influence, folklórico is now a part of many young peoples lives, including my own.

This blog post was written by Aimee Sosa, UFS PR/Marketing committee member.

Ballet Folklórico De México De Amalia Hernández. (2013, October 20) Ballet Folklórico De México De Amalia Hernández. Retrieved from http://www.balletamalia.com/biography.html