Dancers & Gallery
Present and former dancers should submit old, new photos and a short bio and they will be included.
Please inform me of errors and I will correct them.
Click on images to enlarge them
The 1982 Founders
Principal dancers with Alma de Mexico Dance Company of Jose Luis Ovalle.
February 17, 1982, founding principal dancers when Alma de Mexico of Jose Luis Ovalle and Nuevo Ideal of Ofelia Solano merged to form The Mexican Folkloric Dance Company of Chicago (MFDC). www.mexfoldanco.org
Jose Luis Ovalle Ofelia Solano Serafin Vargas Guevara
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Juanita and Henry A. Roa
1979
We began to assist Nuevo Ideal Dance Company of Ofelia Solano when our daughter Nicole joined the troupe.
February 17, 1982,
We were founding members when Nuevo Ideal Dance Company of Ofelia Solano and Alma de Mexico Dance Company of Jose Luis Ovalle merged to form the Mexican Folkloric Dance Company of Chicago (MFDC).
1992 The medallions above were given to founding dancers and founding personnel who completed ten years with the company. I had forgotten that one was issued to us; they were discovered among stored items long forgotten.
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February 17, 1982 Founding Dancers
UNDER CONSTRUCTION
I only remember these :
Jose Luis Ovalle, Ofelia Solano, Serafin Vargas Guevara, Jose M. Vega, Matiana Medrano, Nicole M. Roa, Lourdes Ramirez, Carmela Baeza, Eric Baeza, Rosie de la Torre, David Moreno, Diana Valenzuela, Hector Casas, Patricia Casas. I have other names in old programs but not that far back to verify whether those other names were there on February 17, 1982. Some of the above names may not have been there on February 17, 1982. I will finish this section when I receive confirming information.
I NEED PICTURES FROM 1982 or circa then.
One picture should be a headshot like the ones below.
Click on photo to enlarge it; click on the arrow to start slide show.
Original 1st Company Founding Dancers
Jose Luis Ovalle Ofelia Solano Serafin Vargas Guevara Jose M. Vega Matiana Medrano
Jose L. Ovalle identified the picture as circa
April-May 1982 and the dancers as L - R
Estela Celio, Lourdes Valles, Carmela Baeza, Noemi Salinas (behind Lourdes Ramirez), Lourdes Ramirez, Ana Rosa Gonzalez, Delia Vazquez, Mayela Valles, Chacha (I don't Remember her real name), Mati Medrano.
Original 2nd Company Founding Dancers
Nicole Marie Roa Diana M. Valenzuela Eric Baeza Rosie de la Torre David Moreno
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This is the 1992 tenth anniversary 8 x 11 AD book cover that was designed by Jorge Gonzalez Camarena for Mexican school textbooks, circa 1965 to 1971. It represents Mexico advancing through the impulse of its history with a double incentive given by its people and its culture.
The Mexican Folkloric Dance Company of Chicago adopts the cover to illustrate the same concept of education in its efforts to disseminate the Mexican traditions through music and dance.
This is the back
Click on the PDF of AD Book to view some pages in the book.
To sharpen pictures therein zoom down to 100%
Adobe Acrobat document [3.5 MB]
Her name was Victoria Dorenlas. Indigenous Tlaxcalteca. All of Mexico remembers the most famous and beautiful woman in our country. She was the woman from our textbook. Can you remember the beauty of her bearing?
Victoria Dorenlas was a waitress of a bar where painters and intellectuals like Diego Rivera went.
Jorge González Camarena (brother of Guillermo, the notable inventor of color TV) was a painter and muralist author of already famous work. He narrates that he struggled to convince this beautiful indigenous woman to pose and give life to his work "La Patria" (1962), which we all remember today.
She refused to pose for Camarena because she was afraid of her husband. Her husband was a gunslinger and a bouncer. He threatened her by constantly unloading his gun with bullets near her feet. He warned her that if she posed, he would kill her.
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Founding dancers that received 10-year Founders Award in 1992
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Dancers that received Special Achievement Award in 1992
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<< New text box >>
Dancers that received Intermediate Level Award in 1992
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Dancers that received New Performers / Dancers Award in 1992
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This is the 1997 15th Anniversary 8 x 11 AD book cover.
Click on the PDF to view some of its contents
Rotate group pictures therein three times to view them horizontally.
To sharpen pictures therein zoom down to 100%
Adobe Acrobat document [15.6 MB]
1997 15th Anniversary First Company Dancers
1997 SPECIAL RECOGNITION
The following three dancers have been in the company for fifteen years.
PATRICIA MARLENE CASAS
Patty was born in Tijuana, Mexico.
Graduated from Edwards Elementary and Curie High School in Chicago.
Began dancing in 1980.
Presently 1997, enrolled at Northeastern Illinois University.
Employed as Program Director at The Latino Organization of the Southwest.
She took a Mexican dance workshop in Jalapa Veracruz in the summer of 1992.
She is also taking dance classes with Mr Leopoldo Garcia.
LOURDES del CONSUELO RAMIREZ VILLANUEVA
Lourdes was born in Mexico City.
Graduated from Cooper Upper and Benito Juarez High School and Hines VIII Veteran's Hospital.
She currently, 1992, is working at Mount Sinai Hospital as a radiation Therapist.
Began dancing in 1980 and is a founding dance member of the company.
She is also taking dance classes with Leopoldo Garcia.
DAVID MORENO
David was born in Chicago.
Graduated from Jason Elementary, Farragut High School and Computer Learning Center.
He is currently, 1992, employed by Laramore, Douglas and Popham Consulting Engineers in the Document Control Department.
Began dancing, at age seven, in 1981, and is a founding dance member of the company.
1997 15th Anniversary Second Company Dancers
Top Row L to R Israel Gallardo, Jose G. Zapata, Juan I. Lopez, Noe Arroyo, David Fuentes
Bot Row L to R Elyse Montejano, Sylvia Palacios, Perla Lopez, Cynthia Montejano, Alicia Palacios, Barbara Guerrero
1997 15th Anniversary Third Company Dancers Below :
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This is the 2002 20th Anniversary 8 x 11 AD book cover.
Click on the PDF to view some of its contents
To sharpen pictures therein zoom down to 100%
Adobe Acrobat document [13.3 MB]
2002 20th Anniversary First Company Dancers
Hover over photo to view text; click on photo to enlarge it; click on arrow to start slide show
2002 20th Anniversary Second Company Dancers
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????
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This is the 2007 25th Anniversary 5 1/2 x 8 1/2 AD book cover
Click on the PDF to view some of its contents
To sharpen pictures therein zoom down to 100%
2007 25th Anniversary Company One Dancers
Hover over photo to view text; click on photo to enlarge it; click on arrow to start slide show
2007 25th Anniversary Company Two Dancers
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There was no 30th Anniversary AD Book
There was a small performance program but I cannot locate it
If anyone has it please email it (all pages) and I will include it here.
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Nicole M. Roa Principal Dancer
Danced for 17 years
She was 7 years old when in 1979 she joined Nuevo Ideal children's group of Ofelia Solano.
February 17, 1982, A founding dancer when Nuevo Ideal of Ofelia Solano and Alma de Mexico of Jose Luis Ovalle merged to form the Mexican Folkloric Dance Company of Chicago.
Nicole's first costume with Nuevo Ideal
Nicole visits with Ballet Folklorico de Mexico dancers
Above is the medallion and plaque that was presented to ten founding dancers on the tenth anniversary of the company.
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Ofelia Solano and Jose M. Vega
Ofelia Solano-Guevara, Serafin Guevara
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This is the first company stationary
designed by Serafin Vargas Guevara
circa1983.
This is the first generic poster circa 1980's
Jose M. Vega, a founding dancer, solicited it from his employer
Independent Provision.
Performance information is added at top and bottom of the poster as required.
Dancers are Matiana Medrano and Jose M. Vega.
This banner was painted for me by an artist in Coatzintla Veracruz. Mexico when my wife and I visited Padre Jose de la Luz Silva circa 1998.
Whenever we visited we stayed in rooms behind the church. The church is located on top of the highest hill; a beautiful view.
We did not care to vacation in the tourist cities We did go to tourist cities but we stayed in small hotels outside the tourist areas; not in the tourist hotels.
In Acapulco, we befriended an honest cab driver
and hired him to drive us all day by paying him what he normally earned in a day. If we attended a long event he was free to take other riders, to earn more money, as long as he returned when the event was over. We always gave him clothes and gifts for his toddler son.
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These former dancers returned to participate in the 36th anniversary show on Saturday May 11, 2018
at the Studebaker Theater, 410 S. Michigan Ave. Chicago. Five are founding dancers :
David Moreno, Eric Baeza Diaz, Patty Casas, Diana Valenzuela and Lourdes Ramirez
Arturo Bucio David Moreno Rafael
Reyes Joshua Carlos Adad Ocampo
Osvaldo del Toro
Eric Baeza Díaz Ricardo Lemus Eleazar Landeros Claudio Rabadán
Gerardo Martínez Jr.
Patty Casas Yuvanka Juarez Laura Valenzuela
Diana Valenzuela Carolina Ibarra Marisol Bucio
Amanda Martínez Josie Camarillo Olivia Lares Cristina
Pérez Janet del Toro Elizabeth Cepeda
Gaby García Leila Harb Jessica
Zapata Lourdes Ramírez Blanca Sida Kenia
Lemus
Lorena Barrón Brenda Aguilera Larissa Aranda
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