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Mixmaster presents “100 Creatives,” in which we feature cultural entrepreneurs of Dallas in random order.
Much has been said this year about the influx of progressive arts and theater into Dallas, but there is still a very strong dedication to the classics in our fair city. Despite these leaps and bounds forward, Mexican folkloric ballet is one of those mediums that is eternally fresh, and always seems to resonate with its audiences.
Whether it’s a lust for nostalgia or simply a testament to the enduring nature of folk dancing, ballet folklorico is extremely popular with Dallas audiences, probably because the The Anita N. Martinez Ballet Folklorico is widely considered to be one of the best in the country. Outside of professional performances, the company also provides dance instruction to students, the majority of whom attend the Ballet Folklorico on scholarship.
Under the direction of Lisa Mesa Rogers, Ballet Folklorico is expanding their efforts both in providing dance education to students across the metroplex, but also in curating a program of performances that showcases multiple facets of Mexican culture. We talked to Rogers about how the Anita N. Martinez Ballet Folklorico keeps a centuries-old art form fresh, the expansion of their education programs, and what moving forward into 2015 will look like.
What do you ultimately hope to communicate to Dallas about Mexican traditional dance? How does the programming at Anita N. Martinez Ballet Folklorico achieve those goals?
We strive to increase the awareness of Folklorico as an educational art form that reflects history, geography, physical fitness and culture. The organization helps young people and adults of all ethnic backgrounds achieve awareness of the Hispanic heritage. Our company has both professional adult performers and amateur youth programming that performed to 250,000 audience members in 2014.
In addition to that, the organization provides educational and cultural programs to twenty-two residencies in the Dallas Independent School District while also expanding into the Richardson ISD. During the summer, we offer a cultural camp that explores folk arts and dance theater. These summer programs showcase at local venues, like Klyde Warren Park and the Latino Cultural Center.
This kind of dance is important both because it is an important cultural institution and adds diversity to the Dallas arts scene. Can you think of any programming in particular that has been able to show a new angle to this kind of dance?
I feel our associations with different art entities in the city of Dallas have impacted the variety we bring to the community. We have had ongoing relationships or formal partnerships with AT&T Performing Arts Center, the Latino Cultural Center, Rhythmic Souls’ Rhythm in Fusion Festival in January 2015, and the multitude of artists and dancers the city of Dallas has to offer. With the influence of this aggregate collection of art in the setting of the metropolitan city of Dallas, ANMBF’s greatest level of artistic impression has been exemplified in our annual performances at the Winspear Opera House in the Arts District of Dallas.
How do you keep traditional dance moving forward?
ANMBF has always maintained a multi-disciplinary approach to its artistic focus by concentrating on several different geographical and time periods that characterize the fine arts of Mexico. At the same time, we insert other areas of dance with influences from the community of Dallas, ballet, and urban music and dance. This progressive approach and variety of expression was on full display in our 2014 Winspear Opera House performance, “A Tale of Two Quinces”, which was filled with songs and dances of many generations, and included costumes, international music, and a fashion show of exquisite Quinceanera gowns designed by one of Dallas’ finest young designers.
What can we expect in 2015 from ANMBF?
We have been most proud of our yearly performances at the Winspear Opera House where ANMBF is the sole Hispanic arts member organization at the AT&T Arts District. This year the performances will focus on the life of our founder, Anita N. Martinez, and will mark the 40th anniversary of the organization. Mrs. Martinez was born in 1925 and is a fifth generation Mexican-American. She was raised in the Dallas Mexican Community known as Little Mexico, El Barrio. Her career in community service began at age 14 in driving for improvements in Little Mexico. Her efforts continued in roles as the first Hispanic woman elected to the City Council of a major US city in 1969 and focused on improvements in social, health, and infrastructure equalities in depressed communities of West Dallas and “Little Mexico.”
What do you think you bring from your diverse background in the arts to the Ballet Folklorico? How does that translate to what the audience sees on stage?
I am excited to be able to lay the foundation for a sustainable operational infrastructure based on various programs including our ANMBF Academy, our amateur youth dancers, professional dancers, Independent School District partnerships, recurring fund-raising efforts, and most noticeably our over 150 public performances held across the Dallas-Fort Worth area. The most exciting aspect of programming comes from an audience member enthusiastically proclaiming “I had no idea ANMBF was doing this kind of programming.”
100 Creatives:
100. Theater Mastermind Matt Posey
99. Comedy Queen Amanda Austin
98. Deep Ellum Enterpriser Brandon Castillo
97. Humanitarian Artist Willie Baronet
96. Funny Man Paul Varghese
95. Painting Provocateur Art Peña
94. Magic Man Trigg Watson
93. Enigmatic Musician George Quartz
92. Artistic Luminary Joshua King
91. Inventive Director Rene Moreno
90. Color Mavens Marianne Newsom and Sunny Sliger
89. Literary Lion Thea Temple
88. Movie Maestro Eric Steele
87. Storytelling Dynamo Nicole Stewart
86. Collaborative Artist Ryder Richards
85. Party Planning Print maker Raymond Butler
84. Avant-gardist Publisher Javier Valadez
83. Movie Nerd James Wallace
82. Artistic Tastemakers Elissa & Erin Stafford
81. Pioneering Arts Advocates Mark Lowry & Michael Warner
80. Imaginative Director Jeremy Bartel
79. Behind-the-Scenes Teacher Rachel Hull
78. Kaleidoscopic Artist Taylor “Effin” Cleveland
77. Filmmaker & Environmentalist Michael Cain
76. Music Activist Salim Nourallah
75. Underground Entrepreneur Daniel Yanez
74. Original Talent Celia Eberle
73. Comic Artist Aaron Aryanpur
72. Classical Thespian Raphael Parry
71. Dance Captain Valerie Shelton Tabor
70. Underground Culture Mainstay Karen X. Minzer
69. Effervescent Gallerist Brandy Michele Adams
68. Birthday Party Enthusiast Paige Chenault
67. Community Architect Monica Diodati
66. Intrepid Publisher Will Evans
65. Writerly Wit Noa Gavin
64. Maverick Artist Roberto Munguia
63. Fresh Perspective Kelsey Leigh Ervi
62. Virtuosic Violinist Nathan Olson
61. Open Classical’s Dynamic Duo Mark Landson & Patricia Yakesch
60. Rising Talent Michelle Rawlings
59. Adventurous Filmmaker Toby Halbrooks
58. Man of Mystery Edward Ruiz
57. Inquisitive Sculptor Val Curry
56. Offbeat Intellect Thomas Riccio
55. Doers and Makers Shannon Driscoll & Kayli House Cusick
54. Performance Pioneer Katherine Owens
53. Experimental Filmmaker and Video Artist Mike Morris
52. Flowering Fashioner Lucy Dang
51. Insightful Artist Stephen Lapthisophon
50. Dallas Arts District
49. Farmer’s Market Localvore Sarah Perry
48. Technological Painter John Pomara
47. Progressive Playmakers Christopher Carlos & Tina Parker
46. Purposive Chef Chad Houser
45. Absorbing Artist Jeff Gibbons
44. Artistic Integrator Erica Felicella
43. Multi-talented Director Tre Garrett
42. Anachronistic Musician Matt Tolentino
41. Emerging Veteran Actor Van Quattro
40. Festival Orchestrator Anna Sophia van Zweden
39. Literary Framer Karen Weiner
38. Man Behind the Music Gavin Mulloy
37. The Godfather of Dallas Art Frank Campagna
36. Rising Star Adam A. Anderson
35. Artist Organizer Heyd Fontenot
34. Music Innovator Stefan Gonzalez
33. Triple Threat Giovanni Valderas
32. Cultural Connector Lauren Cross
31. Critical Artist Thor Johnson
30. Delicate Touch Margaret Meehan
29. Fashion Forward Charles Smith II
28. Dedicated Artist Carolyn Sortor
27. Political Cyber Banksy Wylie H Dallas
