Show at Chadron State to have 'old Mexico' flavor

Ballet Folklorico's authentic dance and music is accentuated by colorful costumes.
Ballet Folklorico's authentic dance and music is accentuated by colorful costumes.

Published:

Traditional music and dance of Mexico will be on display Thursday when a group from Mexico takes the stage at Chadron State College’s Memorial Hall. Ballet Folklorico “Quetzalli” de Veracruz will perform at 7:30 p.m.

The company has entertained audiences around the globe, and recently completed its first tour of Alaska.

Ballet Folklorico was established in 1985 by dancer Hugo Betancourt, a native of the Mexico state of Veracruz. Since then, it has grown from eight members to more than 45 dancers and 10 musicians.

The company features a group of young entertainers that uses stringed instruments to punctuate the movement, colorful costumes and pulse of its dance. The brightly colored costumes of the performers earned the group its Aztec nickname, “Quetzalli,” after the treasured multicolored bird, the quetzal.

The group makes its home in Xalapa, the state capital of Veracruz, where it operates a school and training program for young dancers. It has served as the official representatives for the Secretary of Tourism and Economic Development for the State of Veracruz since 1986.

Quetzalli has toured across Mexico, the United States, Canada, South America, Asia, Europe, and the Caribbean. It has performed at the Carnaval of Veracruz every year since 1991 and have taken their famous comparsa xalapena to the Carnaval of Havana in Cuba.

Tickets for the performance are available by contacting the CSC Box Office at (308) 432-6360 5-6 p.m. each weekday, or by e-mail, boxoffice@csc.edu.

Pronunciation: Quetzalli: kets-AH-lee

-College Relations

Category: Campus Events, Campus News