DANSA DE LA MISTICA

Centro Cultural Hispano to host ballet folklorico and contemporary dance performance at SMHS

Centro Cultural Hispano de San Marcos in partnership with San Marcos Consolidated Independent School District has an upcoming event that will highlight Hispanic Heritage Month, which is recognized from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15. There will be a free performance, Mistica, by Ballet Nepantla of New York at 3 p.m. on Oct. 5 at the San Marcos High School Performing Arts Auditorium, located at 2601 Rattler Road. 'Mistica honors our ancestors by celebrating the creative and spiritual energies of our Indigenous, Afro and Hispanic roots,” Ballet Nepantla’s website said. “It commemorates traditions of Dia De Muertos and transports the audience into the afterlife through the use of blacklight and Ballet Nepantla's unique fusion of ballet folklorico and contemporary dance.'

Gloria Salazar, Centro Cultural Hispano de San Marcos office coordinator, said this event is special because normally one would have to go to a big city like New York to see a performance of this caliber.

“They have performed at Texas State, and we have had them perform in the community before. Their performance is top notch,” Salazar said. “When they get to the part where they’re in the afterlife, it's just incredible. It is amazing.”

Monica Valadez, SMCISD Director of Elementary C&I and Bilingual/ ESL Education, said SMCISD is grateful to all the community partners who sponsored Ballet Nepantla’s performance.

“The event is one of several in the local area that highlight the significance of the 2024 National Hispanic Heritage Month and bring attention to the power of the Hispanic and Latino experience,” Valadez said. “The Company fuses both traditional ballet and ballet folklorico, and brings to life the rich, diverse and beautiful culture of our community. Moreover, it provides a mirror that reflects back to our students and families the strength and resiliency of their stories.”

This Ballet Nepantla event is also sponsored by Mano Amiga SMTX, Texas State University Bilingual/ Biliteracy Elementary Education program, Rattler Athletics, Texas State Teacher Association (affiliated with the National Education Association), San Marcos Education Foundation, 360 Athletics, Patrick Price Trucking, Center for the Study of the Southwest (Texas State University), La Sociedad Mutualista Cuauhtémoc, Texas State College of Education and League of United Latin American Citizens.

Get free tickets at smcisd. hometownticketing. com/embed/event/1214.

Centro Cultural Hispano has many more upcoming events in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month. There will be a Hays Youth Poet Laureate workshop for those aged 13 to 19 held from Oct. 2 to Nov. 3 on Mondays and Wednesdays. There will be a creative writing workshop called, ¿A Donde Vas, Dreamer? from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. on Mondays and Tuesdays from Oct. 21 to Nov. 30. On Oct. 5 at Centro, there will be an event where they will be scanning family photos of those buried at San Pedro Cemetery for a Dia De Los Muertos event that will be occurring at the cemetery on Nov. 2. Also on Oct. 5 at 10 a.m. there will be a Dia De Los Muertos workshop at Centro in which they will be creating small altars from cigar boxes to remember and celebrate their deceased family member's life. On Oct. 9 at 6:30 p.m. at Centro, there will be a book presentation by Tim Z. Hernandez. On Oct. 19 at 6 p.m. at the San Marcos Conference Center, Centro will be having their annual Noche de Gala. For more information call Centro at (512) 878-0640 or email centro@sanmarcoscentro. org.

Photo courtesy of Ballet Nepantla