For her Capstone project, Roaring Fork graduating senior Jacqueline Flores Alvarez reflected on her time with Aspen Santa Fe Ballet’s Folklórico program from the time she was in kindergarten. 

The skirts flow with our movements, our shoes rhythmically stomp the floor and our steps coordinate beautifully with the music. There is grace and beauty in the way we all work together to present the dance. Most of us have known each other since kindergarten, when we all started dancing together. We have laughed, cried and traveled together. We have all become family — una familia de bailarines folklóricos.

Aspen Santa Fe Ballet Folklórico is an after school and summer program for students in grades K-12. It teaches students the culture, history and technique of traditional Mexican folk dances. This program holds yearly performances where all ages and skills are represented. Additionally, the advanced dancers give performances throughout the entire year including special shows for the Fourth of July, Cinco de Mayo and “The Nutcracker.” 

I have been part of Folklórico since I was 5 years old. I am now 18 and about to graduate high school. It has been a huge part of my life, as I know it has also been for so many other students. Young people get many opportunities in this program, such as traveling and making new connections that will last a lifetime. 

During my time in the program, I have seen so many friendships form. We hang out outside of the program, go to school together and get to share in one another’s most grand moments outside of dance — like being included in each other’s quinceañeras and graduations. We learn from each other and help each other fix our mistakes. 

Being part of this group has taught me a lot, such as discipline, time management and so much more. Our teacher, Paco Nevarez-Burgueño, shows us that it is important to have discipline to develop proper technique, have a sense of responsibility within the group and be able to improve our performances. We start learning discipline from the moment we start the program. This becomes very helpful not just for our dancing, but in our personal lives, too.

When I dance, it feels like nothing else matters. I forget about everything else that goes on in the world. When I dance, I feel like I’m floating. I feel like I am in a safe space. During all of my years of dance, it has given me such a huge boost of confidence. When I first started dancing, I was a very introverted kid — scared to talk to people, make new friends and ask for help when I wasn’t able to nail down a step or part of a dance. But with time I gained experience and confidence. Every presentation and dance I was in made me more and more confident. 

Dance has helped me become more comfortable in my body. It has helped me express myself in new ways through rhythm and movement. Through this, I have gained a sense of accomplishment and self-assurance that has helped me so much outside the world of dance as well.

While working on my Capstone project for school, I got the chance to interview former Folklórico students about what their time and experience was like in the program. I noticed while interviewing the former students that there were some things we certainly had in common. Here are a couple of excerpts from those interviews that stuck with me. 

“Feeling that energy of us doing this form of dance in this little town [when] there’s so many other people that are practicing the same dance that we are,” is amazing, said Margarita Alvarez. “That dance has a whole history.” 

“The part that stuck with me the most was just how welcoming the whole community was and how it does just feel like a family,” said Solana Teitler. “Paco brings everybody together.” 

Being part of a group or doing something you are passionate about can really shape who you are as a person over the years. I did not notice how much of an impact Folklórico had on me until I started writing this down. This group has helped me through so much, has brought me out of my shell and helped me learn so much more about my Mexican heritage. The beauty of being part of this group is not only the dancing or learning about my culture, it’s the bonds and friendships. I am beyond grateful to be part of this group. I know I will always have these special people by my side.