Three young Holbrook dancers with the Desierto de Colores Ballet Folklorico dance group, Mia Iguado, Regina Aguilar and Alexa Quezada, along with their dance instructor, Sydney Pierce, were invited to be a part of the dance group at the 19th Annual Mariachi and Folklorico Festival at the Chandler Center for the Arts on Oct. 6.
Excitement was in the air when the girls first received the invitation to attend. Pierce said, “It is a huge group performance with approximately 55 dancers coming from Tucson, Phoenix and now Holbrook. We are the only ones north of the valley.”
Mia’s mother, Christen Iguado said she was so happy to see the girls dancing at a level where they are being recognized by the larger groups in the state. “That our three girls got to go is amazing.” With the swirling of dresses made for the regions represented and the complexity of dance steps, the girls all agreed that dance has become the best part of their lives.
Mia, now 13, said that she has been learning the dances since she was nine years old. “I love dance because it lets me move past all the things that are stopping me from moving ahead. It also gives me a chance meet new people.”
Alexa, who is 12, said when she first started working with Sydney, learning to dance was hard for her. “I would get frustrated, but now it’s not so hard and it’s a lot of fun. I am so grateful for the opportunity to have the experience of this festival.”
“Dancing brings my happiness up,” said Regina, another 12-year-old with a huge smile. “I love the dresses and the fun the dance brings to me.”
While learning the dances, the girls are also learning the history, culture and dress of the various states of Mexico where the dances originate. At the festival, the music and dances from the Mexico States of Jalisco and Veracruz dominated the stage. Jalisco, whose land is featured by forests and plains as well as the beaches along the Pacific Ocean, is often called Jalisco es Mexico, due to so much of the Mexican culture being born within the state, including Mariachi music. Veracruz is on the east side of Mexico with a large portion of its land encompassing the beaches of the Gulf coast, and with that, the many cultural influences brought through the port cities. Paty Pierce, mother to Sydney and director of the Desierto dance group, said, “The dance of Jalisco is bouncy and uplifting. The arm movement along with the footwork creates a vibrant and flirtatious dance. It gets people excited. Whereas the dances from Veracruz are mostly elegance on top combined with fast foot work.”
The dresses, which range from brightly colored skirts and tops to white ones edged with colors, have been obtained through dedicated fund-raising and the work of Betty Peck, a Holbrook seamstress, who has made numerous costumes for the group. Two weeks before the performance, the girls travelled to Chandler for a practice session. “It is such a large collaboration of dancers and musicians, that we had to have preset of what we are doing ahead of time,” shared Sydney. “It’s a different feeling dancing to live music and this is the first time our girls have been involved in such a large venue.” As an added bonus, Sydney had a chance to participate with the other Arizona directors in a dance medley. For the moms sitting in the audience, watching their daughters perform, it was a day to remember. “It was a wonderful experience to see my daughter, Regina, and her companions dance,” said Tania Aguilar. “Sydney and Paty are great teachers; always giving the girls the support they need.”
“I loved that the girls got a chance to do this. It was really neat watching the mariachis and the dancers perform together. As a parent, it was a proud moment,” said Christen Iguado.
Maria Quezada, mother of Alexa, shared, “It was an amazing experience watching my daughter dance in front of such a big audience and the first time dancing with live Mariachis.”
With thrill of the performance still racing through their blood, the dancers returned home to continue honing their skills and learning new dances under the patient tutelage of their teacher, Sydney.
The Desierto de Colores meets at 5 p.m. every Monday and Friday at the Holbrook Community Center next to the Holbrook Library. The cost is $25 per month per student and new dancers are always welcome. For more information about the dance class, call or text Paty at (928) 587-2582.
