Folklórico in the United States
Unwritten Histories
The ongoing vitality of a dance tradition among Mexican Americans
Paper – $35
978-0-252-08974-9
Publication Date
Paperback: 01/26/2027
About the Book
Often seen as a static dance form, folklórico is in fact a living, dynamic practice. Norma E. Cantú and Olga Nájera-Ramírez edit a collection that illuminates the passing down of folklórico traditions and show how the dance has changed and grown in Mexican American communities across the U.S. A roster of leading scholars, dancers, teachers, and librarians discuss how Mexican Americans use folklórico to resist cultural erasure and stereotypes, honor their heritage, and express themselves. Artists, meanwhile, push the boundaries of folklórico by adding new stories and perspectives that include Chicane, queer, and local experiences. Together, the contributors highlight folklórico’s importance to the people who teach it, perform it, and sustain it.Multidimensional and enlightening, Folklórico in the United States expands our knowledge of a powerful and creative dance tradition central to Mexican Americans’ sense of self and community.
Contributors: Erica Acevedo-Ontiveros, Jenna Cortez-Aguirre, Manuel R. Cuellar, Alma Ixchel Flores-Pérez, Guadalupe Friaz, Ennio García-Miera, Javier Sepúlveda Garibay, Jacquelyn Y. Guzmán, Aida Hurtado, Cándida F. Jácquez, Gabriela Mendoza-García, Mona Lisa Montgomery, Cassondra Montoya, Felisa Patiño-Longoria, Cindy Padilla, Russell C. Rodriguez, Gema Sandoval, Sarahí Lay Trigo
* Publication of this book was supported by a grant from the L. J. and Mary C. Skaggs Folklore Fund.
About the Author
Norma E. Cantú is the Norine R. and T. Frank Murchison Distinguished Professor of the Humanities in Modern Languages and Literature at Trinity University. She is the author of Fiestas in Laredo: Matachines, Quinceañeras, and George Washington’s Birthday and the coeditor of meXicana Fashions: Politics, Self Adornment and Identity Construction. Olga Nájera-Ramírez is a professor of anthropology at the University of California, Santa Cruz. She is the author of La Fiesta de los Tastoanes: Critical Encounters in a Mexican Festival Performance and the writer, director, and producer of the award-winning documentary La Charreada: Rodeo a la Mexicana.Reviews
“Folklórico in the United States is an invaluable and intimate autoethnographic anthology that brings together practitioners, group founders, artistic directors and leading scholars that have shaped the vibrant ballet folklorico artform as it pertains to its practice in the United States. . . . It is an absolute gem! And a must read for any student interested in dance, performance studies, Chicanx / Latinx studies, American Studies, social justice, and the history of Mexico!”—Martha Gonzalez, author of Chican@ Artivistas: Music, Community and Transborder Tactics in East Los Angeles
Related Titles
