Quad Cities Ballet Folklorico Celebrates 40 Years of Sharing Mexican Culture Through Dance

By Christina Fernández-Morrow, Hola America

In 1984 Arnulfo Camarillo and his wife, Beatriz gathered their kids, nieces and nephews at the downtown YWCA and taught them traditional dances from their hometown in Mexico. “It was really three or four families coming together to put on a Mother’s Day performance. It was such a success that the families didn’t want to stop, and it continued since then,” says Karina Camarillo, daughter of the founding family of the Quad Cities Ballet Folklorico (QCBF). This year the group celebrates forty years of sharing Mexican culture through music, dance, and traditional costumes.

The organization, a 501(c)(3) since 2008 is still run entirely by volunteers, including a board of directors, assistant instructors, and a lead instructor, Ray Terronez, Jr. who has also served as the director for the last sixteen years. “I was a dancer, I started when I was seven,” shares Terronez. When the opportunity to become director was presented, he was torn. “I was young, I only had two years of being an instructor and assistant instructor under my belt at the time. But I thought it was important because if I didn’t say yes to the position, the QCBF probably would have stopped. We didn’t have anyone who could take over as director.” Since then, the founders have taken on the role of advisors, mentors and board members who help Terronez make decisions and look out for the well-being of the group. 

They’ve come a long way. After years of bouncing from spot to spot for rehearsals, in 2017 they rented a studio they share with a martial arts school. It has changed the morale of the group. “Kids like to hang out before or after practice in the hallways or lobby,” says Terronez. This builds friendships and helps the dancers feel more committed and form bonds. It also gives QCBF a place to store the elaborate, colorful, eye-catching traditional costumes and props they use when performing. 

Changes to the group, like allowing four-year-olds to join and help increase their numbers, have been wonderful but haven’t come without challenges. In 2020 all performances were cancelled as gatherings became health risks. The studio closed and the group couldn’t collect the donations they rely on. The board, parents, and Terronez worked hard to write grants to pay the bills until it was safe to perform again. The demand became stronger than ever, and in 2021 they surpassed one-hundred dancers of all backgrounds, even those with no ties to Mexico. Terronez attributes that to a resurgence of cultural pride among youth. “I currently have students with no Hispanic heritage that want to learn our type of dance. I’ve noticed more youth embracing our traditional dancing. I go to quinceañeras and a lot of the kids are doing steps that are folkloric. They’re dancing to huapangos and doing steps we teach at the studio. They might not know it because they’re dancing in jeans and modern clothes, but they’re doing the traditional Mexican dances we teach.”

Dancing has a lot of advantages and one that the QCBF is proud to share is that their dancers go on to graduate high school. Part of that accomplishment comes from their mentor program, Pasos Con Amigos which means Steps with Friends. “It was designed to bridge the gap between our small and older groups. It incorporates helpful learning opportunities for our small group students through fun activities while further building the leadership skills of our older group students,” explains Terronez. Some dancers who have graduated return to help with choreography. Currently, there are three assistant instructors who volunteer their time as college students, giving back to the group that made such an impact on their lives. 

Enthusiastic parents are also critical to the success of the group. They often carpool dancers to various performances, even out of state, hauling costumes, props and equipment with them. Camarillo and Terronez are especially thankful to them and the community for their support over the years. From the nursing homes that welcome them so the newer dancers can gain experience before dancing in front of larger crowds; to the colleges and universities that invite the group to perform allowing the kids to visit institutions of higher education; and the festivals and fairs that call on the QCBF to share their talents, all have made the forty years possible.

To celebrate, the Quad Cities Ballet Folklorico is hosting two events next month. September 27 is the Mexican Fiesta XIII, a recital at the Galvin Fine Arts Center in Davenport where they have a special presentation planned that includes original costumes from their first performance, and the debut of two new dances that were taught by instructors brought in from Colima and Tabasco, Mexico. “The kids have been working hard and are so excited. It’s going to be a story of history from when it started to the present day,” gushes Camarillo. Terronez is equally excited. “It’s a mixture of our history and our future,” he says of the new dances that bring the representation to over twenty Mexican states showcased through dance. The next day QCBF volunteers, founders, dancers past and present and their families will celebrate with the community at a banquet at the Isle of Capri Grand Ballroom. The formal dinner event will focus on the people who have made their success possible with their on-going support. “We’re going to have dancers and parents speak about what Quad Cities Ballet Folklorico means to them,” says Camarillo. Both events are affordable to encourage families and young children who may grow into future dancers to attend. They hope the celebration will bring people together to highlight the past and look to the future. 

If you are interested in any of the events, please contact Quad Cities Ballet Folklorico’s board president, Karina Camarillo at [email protected] or call 630-526-3558. For more information about the group visit www.theqcbf.com.  

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