Mexican Folk Dancing Connects Community and Culture

For some, Mexican Folk dancing is a way to engage in and appreciate their culture. Mother, Angela Kingsawan and Daughter Sabrina Lombardo came to Jiménez’s class to express their identity.

Kingsawan started Mexican Folk dancing as a child and, now, at 45, is still continuing to do it and share her experience with her daughter.

“I feel like it connects us to culture and who we’re supposed to be in this world,” says Kingsawan.

The Riverview Urban Ecology Center hosted a free Mexican Folk dancing class for community members in the Milwaukee area on Wednesday, Dec. 18. The class was taught by Alejandra Jiménez, a life-long Mexican folk dancer, and is open to the public once a month to all ages, levels, and cultures.  This is more your nut graph. I’d start with a scene or human character and make this paragraph 2 or 3.

Each class has a different dance based off the level of the student and the needs to of the class, according to Jiménez. If you’re a beginner, or you’ve had years of experience, you will learn something from Jiménez craft. Jiménez class starts out with an easy going stretch and warm up. But don’t be fooled. By the end of the class, you will have learned a full dance that teaches you about Mexican traditions and culturesLombardo mentioned that she is also learning other dances from cultures different from her own. She thinks it’s important to celebrate all cultures, even if it isn’t your own. Most recently, she has picked up Greek dancing to expand her knowledge and learn something new.

“It doesn’t matter what culture or background you’re from and It’s always great to learn something new,” says Lombardo, “I do dances that are not a part of my culture, but, having a different perspective and learning with different people is always an amazing opportunity.”

Traditionally, Mexican Folk dancing tells a story. Jiménez says that each country in Mexico has their own style and interpretation of dance and that there are over 300 different folk styles to learn and understand. Jiménez mentions that there is even a specific dance that tells the story of making Tortillas.

“The lady’s carry baskets and pretend they are rolling down with a rock, and it shows how Mexicans traditionally make Tortillas,” says Jiménez.

 Jiménez got her start in dancing at a young age after taking a class in her middle school. However, she didn’t always have the love for Mexican folk dancing that she has now.

“My mom was pushing me to take Mexican Folk dance, and I said, okay; I will do it just for you,” says Jiménez.

After taking her first class, Jiménez fell in love for the movement of the dance. She became infatuated by all the different dances and things to learn that she started to dance professionally in college. Even now, she tours around the country to learn different styles of Mexican Folk dancing with other dancers and teachers. 

“it is really amazing how we keep learning and learning and learning and I am even still learning more dances and every time I do, I just love it,” says Jiménez.

Apart from teaching the class at the Urban Ecology Center, Jiménez has taught Kindergarten and Primary school classes and practices with other Mexican Folk dancers in the Milwaukee area.

Jiménez started teaching this class after working at the Urban Ecology Center and having a child. She says that it is important to de-stress and exercise, and dancing are a great way to do that. She also says that Mexican Folk dancing, like any dance, takes time and practice.

“it takes days, weeks, months, even years to dance and like me in my case, I wasn’t sure about if I would like it or not,” says Jiménez, “but, I just fell in love with this tradition.”

The Riverside Urban Ecology Center provides a space for classes like Mexican Folk Dancing in their community center almost every day. For more information on their events, look at the Urban Ecology website. The next Mexican Folk dance class will be in January, but the date is not announced.

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