See the stomping of the feet to the rhythm of the music, the swooshing of the beautiful dresses, and the big smiles on the faces of the children dancing to traditional Mexican music. The Quad Cities Ballet Folklorico would like to invite community members to their annual recital Mexican Fiesta XII which will be on August 13, 2022, at 7:00 PM at the Bartlett Performing Arts Center located at 3600 Avenue of the Cities, Moline, IL inside Moline High School. The ticket price is $10 for adults and $5 for kids, children 3 and under free.
The Quad Cities Ballet Folklorico (QCBF), founded in 1984 by Arnulfo Camarillo, “is a non-profit organization that teaches the Mexican culture to the community through the art form of dance,” according to their website. The QCBF director Ray Terronez Jr., explained that the dance group has been growing and now they have about 60 current students of ages between 4 to 18 years old. The Quad Cities Ballet Folklorico is a well-known dance group in the Quad Cities and the surrounding area. They perform at many different events and festivals throughout the year.
“People can expect to be entertained with a variety of traditional dances from Mexico including 10 new dances,” said Terronez. “We have new costumes to showcase as well as some other surprises. This will be very different from our normal performances as we will be on a big stage and under lights. It’s a night that we not only want to make special for our students but also for the audience.” he added enthusiastically.
The QCBF has been part of Maestro Ray Terronez Jr. for most of his life. He started with the group at the young age of 7 and has keen memories of the earlier recital they used to perform at Moline High School before they built the new state-of-the-art Bartlett Performing Arts Center.
“I remember the hard work we all put in as a group, sometimes practicing every day leading up to the recital. Then there is the feeling of accomplishment as a group, once it’s all done. There are some highlights such as an audience member telling me she cried due to the passion I expressed when performing. Another great memory is dancing with my sisters when it was one of our final recitals.” Terronez shared with us some of his favorite memories of the 30 years he has been part of the QCBF. “But the more important memories have been as a Director and seeing these students progress. Especially our Seniors, who say farewell as they move on to another chapter in their lives.” he added.
Since The Quad Cities Ballet Folklorico is a not-for-profit organization, they rely on the support of their community. But director Terronez explained that this dance group does a lot more than just teaching Mexican culture through dance.
“However, we are more than a dance group/ We also have established a mentor program called Pasos Con Amigos as well as an educational program where the students learn about a variety of facts from the states they are dancing,” Director Ray Terronez, Jr. shared.
From a small group of eager kids willing to learn to dance traditional Mexican dances started by Mr. Camarillo, The Quad Cities Ballet Folklorico keeps on evolving and growing. Come out and support this local organization while learning about Mexico through beautiful dances done by children from the community.
The Quad Cities Ballet Folklorico’s Mexican Fiesta XII recital will be on August 13, 2022, at 7:00 PM at the Bartlett Performing Arts Center located at 3600 Avenue of the Cities, Moline, IL inside Moline High School. The ticket price is $10 for adults and $5 for kids, children 3 and under free.
All proceeds from this event will be used to continue the mission of The Quad Cities Ballet Folklorico. For more information about The Quad Cities Ballet Folklorico and to purchase tickets for the recital please visit their Facebook page Quad Cities Ballet Folklorico.
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