Arts & Entertainment
Ballet Folklórico de James Logan Puts Mexican Folk Dance Center Stage
The James Logan High School dance group celebrated Mexican culture with its 21st annual Concierto Primavera.
For the 21st year, the Ballet Folklórico de James Logan performed its annual Concierto de Primavera on Sunday afternoon.
Founded in 1990, the Ballet Folklórico de James Logan dance group has performed at many festivals, statewide conferences, schools and numerous public and private functions. The high school group has also appeared at the Danzantes Unidos Festivals and the San Francisco Ethnic Dance Festivals. Similar to many community-based “Folklórico” companies, the group showcases traditional Latin American dance complete with vibrant costumes, from large sombreros to colorful ruffled skirts.
Veteran folkloristas have given the high school company high praise.
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“Many people associate Mexican dance with the big sombrero,” said Folklorico founder Jaime Huertas as the dance company performers finished donning their costumes and putting on their makeup. “Mexico has 31 states and each has its own constitution and culture. They also have their own music and dance.”
The annual Concierto Primavera features dances from nine areas of Mexico, each with its own traditional costumes and music. The annual event featured an evening showcase on Saturday, with a matinee performance Sunday afternoon.
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It all started with Huertas, whose “day job” is as a guidance counselor at James Logan High School. Students who knew he was a professional dancer asked him to show them some dance numbers.
“One dance turned into another and into another,” Huertas said backstage on Sunday. “And we have been doing this now for 21 years.”
Jaime Huertas began dancing in 1976, starting with El Ballet Folklórico Méxicano de Carlos Moreno. His professional credits include dancing with Aztlán de San Francisco under Elisa Duarte; El Ballet Folklórico Tepatitlán, under Monica Zuniga-Martín; and Compania Mexico Danza under Rene González and Martín Romero. Huertas joined Logan in 1990.
The dance company itself is unlike other after-school activities at Logan in that it makes its own money by performing at weddings and civic events. Its directorship is not a high school staff position, such as band director. Of course, as with other activities at Logan, Ballet Folklórico de James Logan emphasizes academic excellence. Performers are required to have a 3.0 average with no F’s.
“Sometimes a student will let that slip,” Assistant Director Lisa Reynoso-Moreno said. “And it’s too bad, but they cannot perform until they catch that up.”
All of the performers in the Saturday and Sunday shows are local students, including children from Our Lady of the Rosary in Union City, who hope to go to Logan and dance when they get older.
Logan senior Pablo Mota, Jr., danced in the Saturday evening performance.
“Last night was phenomenal,” Mota said. “The energy of the audience comes back to you. It’s not like standing in front of a mirror.”
The Ballet Folklórico de James Logan performs to a professional level. Stage presence includes expecting the unexpected and, when something unexpected comes up, dealing with it and making a mishap look like just another part of the show. Watch the attached videos and you will see examples of professional stage presence.
For more information on Ballet Folklórico de James Logan, visit their website here.
