Through powerful traditional folkloric dances, storytelling and bright costumes, the heart of Mexican culture was shown to Lake County residents during the Corazón de Mexico Dance performance on Friday at the Lady Lake Library.
Aly Herman, Lady Lake Library director, said program coordinators invited the México Danza Orlando dance group to perform for the community in honor of National Hispanic Heritage Month, celebrated from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15 to recognize contributions and influence of Hispanic culture in the nation’s achievements.
Herman said Karina Hernandez, a new library assistant hired in June, introduced the idea of bringing in the dance group.
“In the past, we mainly celebrated Hispanic Heritage Month with a book display, but with Karina joining our staff, we have been able to expand that celebration and offer our patrons a more meaningful cultural experience,” Herman said. “During her interview, Karina shared how important it was to her to bring Hispanic culture into the library and introduced me to the group. The program gives our community a chance to experience and learn about Mexican culture through music, dance and traditions.”
Hernandez introduced the Orlando-based dance group to the audience as a nonprofit that has been sharing the beauty of Mexican culture for 10 years and dances “not only with their feet but with their heart.”
“It’s important that we don’t lose the original Mexican culture that started with our ancestors and we go back to our roots,” Hernandez said.
The México Danza Orlando dancers, which includes a youth group called “Los Pequeninos,” brought the spirit of México to the audience through traditional music such as mariachi, norteño and son jarocho and traditional dances from the states of Jalisco, Sinaloa and Veracruz.
Irene Arreola, who has two children in the Los Pequeninos group, assisted during the performance by introducing each dance and its backstory before dancers began.
“I think it’s important to represent not only Mexican culture, but all cultures, as a driving force for hope and diversity,” she said. “As a parent and first generation Mexican-American, I feel it’s important to teach our kids where we come from. Similar to the United States, Mexico has such a wide range of cultures from one coast to another.”
After the youth dancers performed to “Un Poco Loco” by Anthony Gonzalez, five women performed to “La Culebra” by Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlan while wearing vibrant colored dresses known as a folklórico. The dance told the story of workers finding a snake in a field.
Next, the group performed “El Toro Mambo,” also known as “The Lovers Mambo,” that originated from the coastal region of Mexico in Sinaloa, followed by “Jarabe Tapatío,” also known as “The Hat Dance.”
The Hat Dance, the official national dance of Mexico, tells of a traditional courtship between a man and a woman.
The boys within the Los Pequeninos group then performed “Los Machetes,” also known as “The Machete Dance,” imitating workers using machetes in the fields.
“Our boys have been dancing for a little over a year,” Arreola said. “We like to embrace our youth because we believe that anyone can dance and express themselves. We are very proud of them.”
For the final performance, the boys performed a dance that dates to pre-Hispanic times called “La Danza de los Viejitos,” or “The Dance of the Old Men.”
“This dance was known to be a ritual dance — before Christianity took over the region — when people performed dances to Gods. The dancers use masks and props to perform to the God of the Sun to ask for a good harvest,” Arreola said.
Hernandez said she hopes those who attended left with a greater appreciation and understanding of Mexican culture and are able to share what they learned with their community.
“I always say that you can learn a little bit about anyone,” she said, adding that in addition to the Friday performance, the library has reading material on display featuring Hispanic authors and books in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month.
Sarah Yarbrough, of Lady Lake, thoroughly enjoyed the energetic experience and said she was grateful for the opportunity to educate her daughters, Caroline and Lily, about other cultures.
“I have had the wonderful opportunity to see Mexican folklore dance before and I wanted to give that experience to my girls,” she said. “Finding the good in anything is easy and dance is a global communicator. Even if you don’t speak the language, you can still feel and understand the dance.”
For more information about programs hosted by the Lady Lake Library, visit mylakelibrary.libcal.com.
Staff writer Brea Jones can be reached at 352-753-1119, ext. 5414, or brea.jones@thevillagesmedia.com.
