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 In People Like Me 2000, Ensambles Ballet Folklórico de San Francisco
performed dances from
the warm and tropical region of Michoacán called
Apatzingan, where the folk songs and
dances ideally celebrate their
happiness, and a deep connection to
life and nature.
The dances and songs they presented are "Sonajas" (rattle dances),
Jarabes or Jarabillos, and Diana, which are all known as Sones antiguos
de
Michoacán, (Old traditional songs of Michoacán). The
scenes that we see in
these sones antiguos are based on the celebration
of the harvest, joy and
thanksgiving for the work that has been completed.
This explains the
dancers' motives for their movements expressing gladness
and freedom.
These dances and music could be witnessed during the celebration
to the
"Virgin de Acahuato," the patron saint, celebrated on February
2, or during
the feria de Apatzingán. Sones antiguos de Michoacán
have sounds and
footwork called zapateo influenced by the jota and
sarabanda from Spain.
The zapateo is done by stamping the feet in time
with the music. The
jarabes also contain descansos (rests) in the music
and dance, at which
time the music slows down and the zapateo is replaced
by walking gracefully
in time with the music. For stage and choreographic
purposes, the walking
is done by more elaborate movements of the body,
including faldeo (skirt
movements), with barefoot girls in swirling
skirts keeping time to the
lilting melodies.
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