Corning Ballet Folklorico – Dancing For Culture, Family And Community

A free, fun, flexible, physical, educational activity that all your children can do together? This sounds like the dream of any busy parent. Tehama County is fortunate to have that dream come true, as a rich, cultural experience for the whole family, in Corning’s Ballet Folklorico. “Who doesn’t like to stomp and dance and dress up in colorful costumes?” asks Angel Montoya, director of the program.

“Dance of the People” creates community

“Folklorico dance, like the English term ‘folk dance’, means dances of the people,” according to Vanderbilt Center for Latin American, Caribbean, and Latinx Studies. Angel agrees that the dance is for the people and for the community: “I took over Corning Ballet Folklorico from Abuelita Ester in 2009 with the main intent to bless individuals living in senior facilities. Over the years it has been very rewarding to also dance for free at local community events. Right now, we do about 12 performances per year.”

Children and adults of all ages enjoy dressing in colorful costumes, learning fun traditional folk dances and performing with Corning Folklorico Ballet. Photos provided by Corning Folklorico Ballet.

Representing many cultures, Folklorico encourages unique interpretations

“We have 49 active dancers from several counties, ages of two to 25,” Angel says. “We meet Mondays for 30 minutes at Olive Park on South Street in Corning or, when the weather is bad, St. Andrew’s invites our group to use their space. Our wide age range means that parents can participate with their children. Something else that people might not know is that we have many different nationalities represented in our group, not only Hispanic and Latino. This is what is nice about folk dancing – it can take on its own unique flair from its local region.”

Folklorico dance celebrates powerful stories of life

Originally a combination of Aztec and Spanish influences, folklorico dance embodies a rich history of religious traditions and times of celebration or sorrow by telling stories of victory, defeat, death, birth, sowing and harvest. The combination of the Aztec and Spanish cultures, through many years, has developed into what we know today as the Hispanic and Latino culture. “Our biggest annual celebrations are for the Day of the Dead,” Angel says. “This is a very important season for our culture—we are remembering our loved ones who have passed, including beloved animals, and our dancers dance with their whole hearts.”

Gissel Montoya (left) started dancing when she was 9 and is now a valued Folklorico Ballet teacher. Gissel’s brother DeAngelo (center) started dancing at age 3, her sister DayVany (right) started dancing at age 2 and both her siblings have been part of Folklorico ballet since 2009.

Folklorico dance engages the whole family

Gisel Montoya, Angel’s daughter, has helped fuel the passion of Corning Ballet Folklorico by choreographing many of their dances—including the very somber “La Llorona” and the more upbeat “El Guaco.” Gisel, a dancer, as well as the main dance teacher, says all the dancers “work hard to tell these stories, common to our culture, with deep emotion for a powerful experience.” Gisel serves as a full-time Behavioral Health counselor in Chico and she says there is a crossover with her role at Corning Ballet Folklorico when it comes to the importance of family involvement. “It is wonderful to see the whole family get involved, whether in the dancing or simply coming to watch practices and performances. We have grandparents, aunts and uncles, cousins—everybody shows up to watch and they are so proud of their dancers. Kids gain confidence when their loved ones come to performances and it makes them feel loved.”

Folklorico Ballet spreads the joy of dance throughout the Corning community.

Montoya family carries on Corning Folklorico tradition

Angel is so thankful for her daughter Gisel’s involvement, especially after suffering a heart attack recently. Angel explains, “This would not be possible without my family and the donations of our community.” Araceli Guitterez, with Latino Outreach of Tehama, is a huge supporter of the Folklorico and she says, “We love helping Gisel and Angel with their free community events. They are donating their time so everything our organization gives goes toward the cost of skirts, shirts, hair accessories, snacks and whatever else they need for their group. Corning is a small town with a big percentage being Hispanic and/or Latino. By contributions, children have an opportunity to participate in an activity where they feel accepted and comfortable. The Corning Ballet Folklorico is so valuable in their efforts to educate the community about our Hispanic and/or Latino heritage.”

Angel and Gisel invite the public to watch practices or events or even join in. “We have room for new people and we welcome those with all abilities and challenges,” Angel says. “In this day and age, it is nice to have a free activity that doesn’t divide or exhaust families. We hope Corning Ballet Folklorico can, instead, enrich family life.”

Check the Corning Ballet Folklorico Facebook page for more information or call Angel (530) 356-9739.