In the back of a dance studio in the Third Street Center in Carbondale, traditional Mexican folk music plays.
Students are learning a Folklórico dance — bringing back the tradition to the Roaring Fork Valley for the first time in months.
Aspen Santa Fe Ballet shuttered its Folklórico program earlier this year after its longtime director retired.
Now, three former students, along with Dance Initiative — a Carbondale-based nonprofit — reinvigorated the program this month.
The students, who took dance classes for about a dozen years with the Aspen Santa Fe Ballet, now lead. 17-year-old Lizbeth Horta is one of them.
Dance Initiative approached her earlier this year. She said she could not turn down the opportunity to teach a new generation of Folklórico dancers.
“We’re just trying to pass it down to them and just have them remember it, bring it back and learn it,” she said. “I feel like it was a big opportunity, and I did not want to let it go.”
18-year-old Juan Lemus is another former student who is stepping up in the next generation of teachers. He said that after being a student for over a decade, becoming a teacher has been a new challenge.
“Teaching is not easy. None of us have ever done it. So, it’s definitely a new experience,” he said. “Going from learning to teaching has taught us to see everyone’s perspective.”
The class meets once a week at the Third Street Center, where about a dozen local elementary school students learn the steps of the Mexican folk dance.
The class meets once a week at the Third Street Center, where about a dozen local elementary school students learn the steps of the Mexican folk dance.
“Overall, it’s a beautiful thing, getting to pass on this culture to the future generation,” said 20-year-old Angel Romero, another student-turned-teacher. “It’s not just for Latinos, Mexicans. Anyone can participate in it.”
The dance class will continue to meet throughout this month and next, and all three teachers hope to perform in a community event later this summer.
