Growing Roots! Tec students take folk music and dance to Washington

The redova, huapangos, and chotises were performed in the United States capital to the rhythm of the Raíces folk company. Raíces is Spanish for “roots.”

Consisting of students from the Monterrey campus, the group performed from February 8 to 12 at a meeting of the International Affairs Commission of the National Governors Association, bringing the state’s cultural richness to Washington during its Nuevo León Week.

The students’ participation came about thanks to an invitation from the Mexican Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Nuevo León state government, which are working on collaborative cultural and tourism promotion activities.

Officials such as Samuel García, Nuevo León state governor, and the Ambassador of Mexico to the United States, Esteban Moctezuma Barragán, were present at the event held at the Mexican Cultural Institute.

Melissa Segura, the state’s Minister of Culture, and Maricarmen Martínez, the state’s Minister of Tourism, were also present.

“It’s been wonderful to have this experience; I’m proud to come here to represent both my country and my state.” - Alexa Leos

A multidisciplinary team

The company currently has a team that is trained in all areas: dance, singing, and acting. 3 dance couples, 4 musicians, 2 singers, and 2 professors from Raíces traveled to the U.S. capital for this event.

The participating artists, by category, are:

• Carolina Alejandra Ávila Cardona (dancer)
• Mariajosé Montes Herrera (dancer)
• Lealye Vanessa Franco Aguilera (dancer)
• Dante Hernán Gutiérrez Mota (dancer)
• Luis Alfredo Pérez Mora (dancer)
• Diego Alejandro Peña Rendón (dancer)
• Bruno Alberto Navéjar Pérez (musician)
• Angel Yahír Pérez Vega (musician)
• Javier Maximiliano Lara Leyva (musician)
• Jesús Carlos Hernández Igualate (musician)
• Edgar Alfonso Mata Ortiz (singer)
• Mirena Alexa Leos Flores (singer)
• Antonio Tanguma (professor)
• Eloísa Hernández Gutiérrez (professor y director)

Some of the pieces that Raíces performed were “El pavido Navido,” “La Evangelina,” “De Ramones a Terán,” and “El Huapango a Antonio Tanguma,” to name just a few.

Doing Monterrey proud

Although they had limited preparation time, the performing students ensured that their participation in the US was a success, said Eloisa Hernández, director of the Raíces folk company:

“Once the tour was confirmed, the students’ motivation increased: their attitude, enthusiasm, and concentration were key to our success,” said Hernández.

Culture for all

In addition to the display of folk culture, there was also a presentation of typical Monterrey food and cocktails.

“It’s enriching. By conveying the culture of your place of origin you can also absorb that of the place you visit.” - Luis Mora

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