For this project, I wanted to create an homage to university folklorico groups in California, shedding light particularly on the USC Folklorico group that I’ve been a part of for the last three years and Dahlia Monroy, who has been the teacher for the group for about the last six years. When looking at the history of the group, I found footage of the USC group back in its inception stages participating in the very first iteration of the Danzantes Unidos Festival in 1979. I have actually attended last year’s festival, and know it to be one if not the biggest folklorico festivals; even though both university and non-university groups participate in it, its roots are in university groups. My biggest challenge making this was finding the balance between context and story. I wanted to include just enough clarity for someone who doesn’t know folklorico to be able to appreciate, but not target my audience to people unknown to it, aware that if I turned the video’s objective into an educational one I would be excluding those who have grown up dancing folklorico from my audience. Combining an interview I conducted with Dahlia, old and new practice and performance footage, archival footage from the festival and other archival footage I hunted online of other university groups; my goal was to highlight the importance of oral traditions and celebrate the spaces of cultural resistance that have allowed these dances to survive outside of Mexico and within universities.

References: 

Barragan, Patricia & Hernandez, Benjamin. (1972). Ballet folklorico mexicapan genesis. Dance Heritage Video Archive. University of Southern California. 

Barragan, Patricia & Hernandez, Benjamin. (1998). Santa Monica college folklorico concert. Dance Heritage Video Archive. University of Southern California. 

Estrada, John. (1979). Danzantes unidos festival welcome. Dance Heritage Video Archive. University of Southern California. 

Estrada, John. (1979). Danzantes unidos festival orientation. Dance Heritage Video Archive. University of Southern California. 

Estrada, John. (1979). Danzantes unidos II. Dance Heritage Video Archive. University of Southern California. 

GrupoFolkloricoUCLA (2023, August 25). “El Olotito” - Sinaloa - Fiesta Mexicana 2023 Senior Performance [Video]. Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Us9Syz66t2g&t=1s 

Grupo Folklorico de LMU. (2020, August 3). GFLMU Sueño 2018 - Guerrero [Video]. Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VrvaR3dIgLI&t=293s 

Grupo Folklórico de USC (2019, April 6). GF de USC, Sones de mi Tierra, Spring 2019: Jalisco [Video]. Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=igcWozbKxzw&t=572s 

Rios, Johnavalos. (1996). UC Riverside "Noche de Folklorico". Dance Heritage Video Archive. University of Southern California. 

USC Trojan Marching Band (2018, November 29). USC Trojan Marching Band · El Son de la Negra [Video]. Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3dNqasG43vE