Ballet by the Lake

The annual Day of the Dead Parade was held on November 1st.  We have been to four of the parades in the past, and we really did feel like being a part of the massive crowd of spectators, estimated to have been 1.5 million people this year.  Instead, we had tickets to attend a special performance of the Ballet Folklórico held by the lake in Chapultepec Park.

Seats were not assigned, but we had the more expensive tickets for seats at the front rather than the bleachers to the rear.  As luck would have it, we found seats in the front row.  The area where the dancers would perform was just a short distance across the lake.  The stage was decorated with candles and marigolds.

Fortunately, there was no rain in the forecast.  It was quite chilly, however, but we were dressed appropriately.

The first portion of the performance was devoted to the pre-Hispanic cultures of Mexico.  At different times throughout the show, rowboats glided across the lake.

Dances from the state of Michoacán

The best known dance of Michoacán is the Dance of the Little Old Men.

From the state of Veracruz...

In "La Bamba", a dance from Veracruz, the dancers tie a sash into a bow with their feet.

"La Llorona" (The Weeping Woman) from the state of Oaxaca is associated with the Day of the Dead.  (It was even featured in the movie "Coco".)

The state of Jalisco is the home of mariachi music, and the mariachi band came out and played right in front of us.

From Jalisco comes the "Jarabe Tapatío", the dance which "gringos" know as the "Mexican Hat Dance".

A reprise of "La Llorona"

As always, the show was superb.

I kept thinking throughout the performance... when I was a college student and I first saw the Ballet Folklórico on tour in Ohio, would I ever have imagined that decades later, as a senior citizen, I would be watching the ballet in Chapultepec Park?