Mexican Folk Dance

Laura Espinoza and Los Laurales

FIrst, go here:

McRae Park, 2221 SW 11th St, Des Moines, IA 50315

41.56641676580059, -93.6287270379086

Find your spot, face north and View Video

Meet the Artist:

Laura Espinoza runs Los Laurales dance, a community dance company for all ages. They perform throughout Iowa.

About baile folklorio / Mexican FolK Dance.

Mexican dance is a blend of Indigenous, European, and African influences. Its roots can be traced back to a time when dance was used as a way to appease the Mayan and Aztec gods. In fact, the Concheros, also known as Aztecas or Mexicas, is the oldest dance in the history of the country. It dates back to the Spanish conquest of the Aztecs during the 16th century, and it is still widely known today.

During the Spanish Colonial Period, Mexicans incorporated other styles from dances like ballet and polka into their own. The most well known Mexican dance, Jarabe Tapatio, which is more widely known as the Mexican Hat Dance, was declared the national dance of Mexico almost a century ago, in the year 1924.