“Folk & traditional artists are tradition bearers: people who transmit what they believe, know, do, and create with others who share a common heritage, language, religion, occupation, or region.  These expressions are deeply rooted in and reflective of a community’s shared standards of beauty, values, or life experiences.  Folk and traditional arts are, ultimately, passed on from one generation to the next and express a collective wisdom, rather than a unique personal aesthetic”. The Alliance of California Traditional Art.

(Sacramento, CA) La Raza Galería Posada’s new exhibition: “BALLET FOLKLORICO-LACE AND RIBBONS: The Making of Cultural Affirmation-Costumes from the Instituto Mazatlan Bellas Artes” opens on Saturday, August 20 and runs through October 1. The Galería is located at 1022 22nd St. (between J&K Sts.) in Midtown Sacramento.

The exhibition focus, according to Executive Director, Maria Acosta, is to “address the role of Ballet Folklorico, as a Mexican traditional art form in the United States, and why it is important in a region where homogenization strips our culture away from our community.”  The exhibition is also part of the Galería’s celebration of Mexican Independence Day Friday, September 16th.

The costumes on exhibit are handmade by IMBA’s founder and Executive Director Yolanda Colusio and by her students under her supervision. While growing up in Calexico, a small town on the boarder of Mexico and California,  Colosio developed a love and appreciation for the Mexican traditional art form Ballet Folklorico.  To assure authenticy many costumes are created from fabrics and notions hand picked by Colosio on her trips to Mexico.

Costumes on display from will be from Nayarit, Veracruz (Huasteca and Sotavento..ie Jarocha) Chihuahua (Gala and traditional) Tabasco, Guerrero (Costa Chica and Chilena) Sinaloa (Costa) Jalisco (Ranchera) Michoacán (Tarascena).  Detailed descriptions of each dance, the design and the specific state or region of Mexico will be include in the exhibtion. A DVD of the costumes in performance will form part of the informational material available to the public.

In addition to the exhibition, a talk by IMBA Artistic Director Steven Valencia "ALL ABOUT BALLET FOLKLÓRICO", will be held on Thursday, August 25 at 7:30 pm at La Raza Galería Posada.