Ballet Folklórico de México de Amalia Hernàndez November 9, 2012

Celebrating the rich tradition and folklore of Mexico, Ballet Folklórico de México de Amalia Hernàndez combines artists’ talents with the traditional music, elaborate dance and decorative costumes of Mexican culture. The result is a stunning performance that the New York Times calls, “a fast-paced, entertaining show that can make viewers want to rush right off to Mexico.”

Ballet Folklórico de México was founded in 1952 by choreographer Amalia Hernández. The company started out with only eight members and performed Amalia’s modern dance ballets in different venues around Mexico City. Soon after, the company was offered a weekly television program where Amalia had to create, choreograph, and dance new ballets with her company every week. This allowed Amalia the opportunity to show the public her knowledge of the music and folkloric dances of her country. The television show gained the attention of the director of the Tourism Department of Mexico and the company, which by then had grown to be a fifty member ensemble, was asked to take their show to other countries as official representatives for Mexico. These cultural visits were a great success and after a triumphal presentation at Chicago’s Pan-American Games in 1959, president Lopez Mateos offered the company all the support that was necessary to create "one of the best ballets of the world".

Today, the dance company has eighty members, performs three shows weekly at the Palace of Fine Arts in Mexico City, and continues to perform around the world. To date they have performed over 15,000 shows, in front of more than 22 million people, in over 80 other countries.

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Official Website: http://www.marincenter.org