Tenth International Folklore Festival, This Weekend

The 10th Festival Vallarta Azteca de Folclor Internacional, an event celebrating folkloric dance expressions from all over Mexico and several other countries, begins this week, and continues thru May 8. The event is organized by the CECYTE Jalisco Vallarta Azteca folkloric dance troupe, and features around 100 dancers that are students or alumni of the academic institution. The troupe has represented Mexico at important international festivals in Canada, Argentina, Cuba, Poland and Spain.

This year’s event features dance troupes from 11 Mexican states: Aguascalientes, Coahuila, Guanajuato, Jalisco, Nayarit, Nuevo León, Querétaro, Tabasco, Tamaulipas, Veracruz and Zacatecas. Each state has their own representative dances. In addition, groups from six countries have been invited to take part in the festival: Israel, Colombia, El Salvador, Bolivia, Chile and Costa Rica.

There will be several free performances taking place throughout Puerto Vallarta and surrounding communities, including Pitillal, Las Juntas, Ixtapa and Mojoneras. An 8:30 pm free performance at Teatro Vallarta on Saturday, April 30, will feature the Folkloric Ballet from the Tamaulipas University, and Israel’s Hora Reim Holon Ballet. The following day at 7 pm, will feature the Atradanza Folkloric Ballet from Colombia, and the Guanajuato University Folkloric Ballet.

A complete schedule of events can be found on the festival’s Facebook Page.