With Cinco de Mayo around the corner, watching a Mexican folkloric
ballet performance might be the perfect pre-fiesta event with its
detailed costumes, complex dances and loud mariachi music -- all on
one stage.

The group Raices de mi Tierra has been around since 1995, and performs
traditional Mexican folk dance. This year is their 14th annual show.
The focus of the show is migration stories.

Highlighted in this show will be stories of migration journeys told
through a variety of dances. Although all the dancers originate from
the country of Mexico, each group involved is from a different Mexican
state and will showcase the vast amount of diversity in their songs,
style of dance, and wardrobe.

The group interprets how dance has always been involved
in Mexico's history. Many regions are influenced by other countries,
like Germany and Poland, whose people have settled in Mexico. The
Mexican people have adopted the cultures and incorporated them into
things like dancing. One of the dances has a polka
influence and another has a Caribbean influence.

Raices de mi Tierra puts on this event every year to celebrate the
culture and history of Mexico. A two-year member of the group, Laurie
Perry-McCord, is of European heritage but enjoys learning about the
culture and thinks it is important to learn about other arts in the world.

"It’s about keeping the heritage and culture alive through all the
unique dance styles that are available," she said.

There will be a special performance from movemento ballet latino which
fuses classical dancing and traditional Latino dance music. A champion
trick roper Esteban Escobedo will be included in this show and will
use a lasso in dynamic ways, making acrobatic moves with his body
and lasso.

If you catch the matinee performance you will get to see a very
special folkloric ballet performance by the Sacramento Language
Academy, a two-way Spanish immersion charter school located in south
Sacramento. Raices has provided dance instructors for them in the past
and works closely with them. A portion of the proceeds for the ticket
sales of the matinee will go to the school.

There will also be a V.I.P gala show at 6 p.m. where people can get a
glimpse of what the performers do outside of dance, as some of
them will showcase artwork and sing live. The gala will have
different dance costumes on display from different regions and they
are going to have a member of the Latino caucus to speak about
immigration issues as well.

This event takes place on May 2 at the Benvenuti Performing Arts
Center at 7:30 p.m. and the matinee is at 3:00 p.m.

To purchase tickets visit raicesdemitierra.com