¡Cuando estas estudiando pero estas bailando!

Seventy-five Gonzales ISD students from grades pre-K through fourth showed off their new dancing skills during the inaugural GISD Ballet Folklórico performance Friday, Oct. 18, at Apache Field.

The students had been taking instruction in dance for nine weeks from Yvonne M. De La Rosa,  executive director for Teatro De Artes De Juan Seguin and artistic director in residency for Gonzales ISD.

“It was incredibly rewarding to see the students' hard work pay off during the performance, especially with such enthusiastic participation from everyone involved,” said Brandi Bell, GISD executive director of recruitment, leadership and professional development, who serves as GISD’s administrative liaison and program coordinator for the Ballet Folklórico.

“I'm truly grateful for the opportunity to support the program and witness the dedication and effort from all stakeholders. Seeing it all come together was an amazing experience for the students.”

“Teatro De Artes De Juan Seguin is proud of have been part of the inaugural Ballet Folklórico Artistic Director in Residency program and looks forward to returning,” added Dr. De La Rosa. “This group of dancers puts Gonzales, Texas, on the map for their willingness to engage their youth using the performing arts through Folklórico.

“Right now there is a movement towards making Ballet Folklórico a UIL event and this young group is showing the state how vital this form of dance is in Texas.”

The Gonzales ISD Board of Trustees and GISD Superintendent Dr. Elmer Avellaneda initiated the artist in residency program at three campuses — Gonzales Primary Academy, Gonzales Elementary and North Avenue Intermediate — after witnessing what a success it has been at nearby Seguin ISD for nearly 40 years.

The Seguin ISD program was first established in the mid-1980s by Teatro De Artes De Juan Seguin co-founder Vickie De La Rosa, the late mother of Dr. De La Rosa.

Teatro De Artes De Juan Seguin is a 42-year-old non-profit arts organization whose mission is to promote a better understanding of the Mexican American culture and its people through the teaching, study, practice and performance of the arts and humanities.

Dr. De La Rosa knew the enormous impact a Ballet Folklórico program would have on the youth of Gonzales, their families and the community, so she jumped at the opportunity to start a residency program at Gonzales ISD.

“She knew there was great value in youth participating in a program such as what Gonzales ISD students did,” Dr. De La Rosa said of her mother, Vickie. “The artist in residency program showed educators students not only learned how to do footwork and faldeo work, but also learned about the different states and regions in Mexico.

“Also witnessed through this program was seeing the program build self esteem, self awareness, self confidence, along with self and community pride! It also unveiled how it encouraged creativity and innovation. Through this program schools witnessed an increase in school attendance, civic engagement and comprehension in their classes.”

On the Apache Field grass Friday, students from the three school campuses “did a phenomenal job of interpreting dances from Veracruz, Jalisco and Sinaloa,” Dr. De La Rosa said. GPA students demonstrated “La Raspa,” while GE students stepped to “Los Machetes.” GNA Group B took on “El Coyote” and GNA Group A made “La Culebra” look easy.

“Their confidence and smiles were all you needed to see on the field to understand the amount of hard work they put in to provide a toe-tapping performance,”  De La Rosa said. “Their families who filled the stands were beaming with pride and you could feel it all the way into the middle of the Apache football field.”

The vestuario, or wardrobe coordinator, for the program was Sulema Silva. Pre-K students from GPA were under the leadership of principal Dr. Ariana Hernandez and instructional aide Elisa Padilla. Second grade students from GE were under the leadership of principal Shannon Leal and instructional aide Martha Espinoza. The fourth grade — which had the largest number of participants — was broken down into two groups with both under leadership of principal Tamela Baker and instructional aide Mindy Castillo.