Bailan Folklorico

My parents had danced Baile Folklórico when they had just immigrated to the States as they felt isolated from their Mexican culture. For the kid I was, Folklórico was just something I did after school, it was a series of steps and sequence I was praised for following. Eventually, things got a bit too hard at home, money got a little too tight and I let Folklórico go as just another hobby lost. After that I focused on school, and my dad and I worked very hard towards college. I went to community college and high school simultaneously to improve my chances of getting into a good university. I put 100% effort into any piece of paper I wrote my last name on with the understanding that Ahumada does not refer to just me but to my bloodline. Getting into UC San Diego was the achievement I had worked my whole life towards. With that acceptance letter, I knew I was accepting that the next four years were going even harder than getting in. But my parents didn't get the chance to go to college like I did. They didn't have the luxury of being stressed over exams, nor did they get their chance to live the life they've been working towards this whole time. I'm grateful for every single second I have on this campus, but still I felt lonely and disconnected from everything during my first year. Despite being next to the border, it was hard to find and connect someone who looked like me, someone who I didn't have to find the right English translation for. That was until, there was an event for Hispanic heritage month, where Ballet Folklórico La Joya De México performed. Seeing them dance and hearing the same music I performed at fairs when I was younger, it all made me realize just how important Folklórico really was to me. In this piece, I paint the dresses from different regions that correspond to a generation of Folklórico I have experienced. Starting with the dress that my mother took pictures of me in, to the Jalisco attire that my parents wore for their performances. For the final pair, I worked with Ballet Folklórico La Joya De México to use their dancers as reference to represent the most recent generation of Folklórico that inspired me for the piece in the first place. There are other elements in the piece that tie themes of the culture together with my personal experience being first gen, such as the acceptance letter behind the dancers and the use of orchids to symbolize the importance my father had in my journey towards college. Being first generation more than anything, is accepting that you are an amalgamation of people and tradition of generations before you. It's knowing that the same songs have been danced to by relatives you never knew the name of, but still take every step, no matter how heavy, with pride and confidence.