Ballet Folklorico
Ballet Folklorico is a comprehensive term that describes the traditional Mexican dances. These dances typically highlight local folk culture and express ballet characteristics with pointed toes, exaggerated movements, and heavy choreography.
Ballet Folklorico is widely known and recognized not only for its captivating dance moves, but also for its beautiful costumes. These costumes include vivid colors, ornate designs, and tedious embroidery. The women’s costumes also include a large, full skirt. The costumes are meant to be celebratory, beautiful, and allow dancers a full range of movement.
The Metz Ballet Folklorico team emulated many of the professional, traditional Ballet Folklorico characteristics as possible with their choreography and ornate costumes. Parents often helped sew and embroider costumes for their children and for other Metz students participating in the ballet. Their costumes, pictured here, are fondly remembered by teachers, students, and other members of the Metz community for their beauty.
Parents’ involvement and willingness to help sew the Metz Ballet Folklorico dresses is just one example of the many ways in which parents lovingly supported the Metz community and helped facilitate many events and activities for the school. Many Metz teachers were also instrumental in developing and supporting the Metz Ballet Folklorico program.
“I think the best thing is that Metz was the community where I learned a lot, you know, from parents, they were very giving… When I was at Metz, the parents would help us all…they would help me make the costumes for the Ballet Folklorico. They were so giving. It was a giving community.” -Lupe Ramos
The Ballet Folklorico was just one of the ways in which Metz Elementary attempted to educate students through immersive cultural experiences. Students were invited to join the Ballet Folklorico dance team that performed at several events at Metz Elementary including the Cinco de Mayo festival. The Metz Ballet Folklorico team even traveled to perform at other locations like the STEM festival or several local half time shows. The Metz Ballet Folklorico was extremely well known and celebrated in the Austin community.
A group of Metz Ballet Folklorico dancers gather together before their performance at the STEM Festival in 2014.
The Metz Ballet Folklorico team of 2019.
Attached are some external links to videos of the Metz Elementary Ballet Folklorico team. These videos were originally shared to the Metz Elementary School Facebook Page.