Valeria Zacarias Montejano, center, and other students from Gisella Ferrer’s dance class at Cesar Chavez Middle School in Watsonville learn some folklórico dance steps Friday when dancers Zuri Ortiz and José Luis Uribe of El Ballet Folklórico del Puerto de Veracruz visited the Watsonville school. Twenty-four dancers from the troupe and four musicians from Universidad Veracruzana, all from Veracruz, Mexico, have been at Cabrillo College in Santa Cruz County since Aug. 15 as part of a conference on “Strengthening Cultural Identity” hosted by local folklorico dance group Esperanza del Valle. As part of the conference, which included classes, talks and performances, guest artists have visited Pajaro Valley Unified School District campuses this week, including Pajaro Valley and Watsonville high schools, Starlight, Calabasas and Freedom elementary schools, Hall District School and Cesar Chavez. The conference will culminate in a performance of “Raíces del Pueblo,” a commemoration of the customs, festivals and traditions of Veracruz, taking place at 8 p.m. on Saturday and 3 p.m. on Sunday in the Crocker Theater on the campus of Cabrillo College. (Shmuel Thaler – Santa Cruz Sentinel)
José Luis Uribe and Zuri Ortiz demonstrate their craft to the delight of students at Cesar Chavez Middle School on Friday morning. (Shmuel Thaler – Santa Cruz Sentinel)
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Valeria Zacarias Montejano, center, and other students from Gisella Ferrer’s dance class at Cesar Chavez Middle School in Watsonville learn some folklórico dance steps Friday when dancers Zuri Ortiz and José Luis Uribe of El Ballet Folklórico del Puerto de Veracruz visited the Watsonville school. Twenty-four dancers from the troupe and four musicians from Universidad Veracruzana, all from Veracruz, Mexico, have been at Cabrillo College in Santa Cruz County since Aug. 15 as part of a conference on “Strengthening Cultural Identity” hosted by local folklorico dance group Esperanza del Valle. As part of the conference, which included classes, talks and performances, guest artists have visited Pajaro Valley Unified School District campuses this week, including Pajaro Valley and Watsonville high schools, Starlight, Calabasas and Freedom elementary schools, Hall District School and Cesar Chavez. The conference will culminate in a performance of “Raíces del Pueblo,” a commemoration of the customs, festivals and traditions of Veracruz, taking place at 8 p.m. on Saturday and 3 p.m. on Sunday in the Crocker Theater on the campus of Cabrillo College. (Shmuel Thaler – Santa Cruz Sentinel)
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WATSONVILLE – Dancers Zuri Ortiz and José Luis Uribe of El Ballet Folklórico del Puerto de Veracruz visited Cesar Chavez Middle School on Friday to teach students how to dance.
Twenty-four troupe dancers and four musicians from Universidad Veracruzana, all from Veracruz, Mexico, have been in Santa Cruz County since August 15 as part of the “Reinforcing Cultural Identity” conference at Cabrillo College, hosted by local folklorico dance troupe Esperanza del Valle. As part of the conference, which included classes, talks and performances, guest artists have visited Pajaro Valley Unified School District campuses this week, including Pajaro Valley and Watsonville high schools, Starlight, Calabasas and Freedom elementary schools, Hall District School and Cesar Chavez Middle School.
The conference will culminate in a performance of “Raíces del Pueblo,” a commemoration of the customs, festivals and traditions of Veracruz, which will take place at 8 p.m. on Saturday and 3 p.m. on Sunday in the Crocker Theater on the campus of Cabrillo College.
