Grandeza Mexicana Folk Ballet Company (GMFBC) had premiered “Tierra y Libertad” in 2010, a full 100 years after the drawn-out Mexican Revolution of 1910-1920. I say drawn-out, because it was actually a sequence of armed conflicts much like a Civil War that rocked the country from 20th of November 1910 to the 1st of December 1920. The Northern Constitutionalist Faction won through and drafted the present-day Constitution of Mexico. Although GMFBC’s “Tierra y Libertad” highlighted some of the conflicts’ great figures, the Artistic Directors, Jose Vences and Miguel Marron felt that the events leading up to the Revolution also needed to be portrayed. The show had been planned for 2020 but Covid-19 caused a postponement, enabling the GMFBC to delve deeper into the underlying causes which were present long before the regime of Porfirio Diaz. This back story was much appreciated but not necessary as the show clearly developed along the historical lines just mentioned.
Grandeza Mexicana Folk Ballet at The Ford – Farah Sosa, courtesy of the LA Philharmonic.
The GMFBC knows how to put on a show! I appreciate their criteria for entertainment as well as their goal to enlighten and so ably produce dances with a historical context. Particularly with the underlying mandate to bring certain historical figures to life within the context of the show. This was done throughout the evening and very well. We see the key figures such as Porfirio Diaz, Victoriano Huerta, Francisco Maderos, Emiliano Zapata, and Pancho Villa as they play their part in the Revolution and its causes. We see high society parties where political decisions and assassinations take place. We see weddings and celebrations of everyday folks living their lives among the tumult. We hear Waltzes, a Polonaise, a Can-Can, the music as complex as the events transpiring in the country.
Grandeza Mexicana Folk Ballet at The Ford – Farah Sosa, courtesy of the LA Philharmonic.
This show was a tour-de-force of orchestrated costumes and props. The costume department should get an honorary award for the elaborate designs and textures and colors of all of the costumes. The Costume designers: Elias Roldan, Guadalupe Onofre, Jose Vences. Costume construction: Catalina Villamil. The women’s full dresses with voluminous skirts are phenomenal to watch and move so beautifully with their port-de-bras and other choreography. The men’s costumes are elegant and streamlined creating fantastic silhouettes and straight lines through the lengthened pant leg to the heal of their boots. The hats! Every hat and sombrero, every scarf and shawl was perfectly placed and added to the overall symphony of movement being played out onstage. The shoes! From period boots to healed character shoes, from sandals to high heels, each number had its own theme and period costume from head to toe nothing was out of place or left to chance. The evening wear of the high society patrons to the uniforms of the soldiers was realized to the last detail. I have recently seen Ballet companies that can only wish they were this specific, accomplished, rehearsed and effective. Wardrobe and Props: Benny Vasquez, Graciela Pantoja, Efrain Orozco, Ubaldo Lazarin. The organization of the costumes and props for fast changes was nothing short of heroic. From one scene to another where entire outfits as well as hair and shoes must be changed was smooth and quick. Kudos to whomever was facilitating that!
Grandeza Mexicana Folk Ballet at The Ford – Farah Sosa, courtesy of the LA Philharmonic.
It occurred to me that this company is heir to Busby Berkeley and shares his fascination with many performers onstage doing unison movement in ever more difficult patterns. All they need is a steadicam to be running through the middle of their show and they would have an Emmy winning special on their hands. From the first piece to the last, the pace of the show was kept up and no energy was flagging or wasted. The commitment of the dancers was impressive and some were standouts among a very cohesive group. Vanessa Viana, Ana Trujillo and Josue Silva, Max Rodriguez, Miguel Marron, and Isaac Villarreal were all technically excellent and character driven. There was an excitement to the dancers and therefore the show that was palpable from the stage. We, as the audience were caught up in their enthusiasm to portray this material, to tell their story, and to have us appreciate it. And we did!
Grandeza Mexicana Folk Ballet at The Ford – Mariachi Tesoro de San Fernando – Farah Sosa, courtesy of the LA Philharmonic.
The music by Mariachi Tesoro de San Fernando was fantastic and was a performance worth seeing in its own right. Coupled with the GMFBC it was spectacular. There was also the vocal ensemble of Cencamatl with Dalia Rosibel/Soprano, Delia Rios/Soprano, José J. Delgadillo/Tenor, and Maya Barajas-Tavera/Violin, Alberto La Torre/Guitar, Julio Espinoza/Piano. This group filled out the rest of the program and was brilliant, the voices and arrangements strong and powerful, equal to the dancing onstage. This was an entirely entertaining evening of theatrical dancing and singing with live music. What else could anyone want? Apparently nothing, as the finale came to a close and the bows proceeded with a standing ovation. I cannot wait to see what is next for the Grandeza Mexicana Folk Ballet Company.
Grandeza Mexicana Folk Ballet at The Ford – Farah Sosa, courtesy of the LA Philharmonic.
For more information about the Grandeza Mexicana Folk Ballet Company, please visit their website.
To find out more about what is appearing at The Ford, please visit their website.
Written by Brian Fretté for LA Dance Chronicle.
Featured image: Grandeza Mexicana Folk Ballet at The Ford – Farah Sosa, courtesy of the LA Philharmonic.
