The first district-wide Mariachi and Folklorico Extravaganza, Nuestro Mexico, took place April 19 at Round Rock High School. This event featured traditional Mexican dances and mariachi bands from six schools in Round Rock ISD. From the live music and colorful costumes to the rhythmic dancing and energetic audience, this reporter found the event entertaining.

Nuestro Mexico had a program of 38 different dance performances, and each one succeeded in entertaining me. The dancers, dressed in traditional Mexican dance attire, performed well, especially for high school students. Each performer was graceful, skilled, and looked happy to be on stage. The foot technique and flexibility of the students, especially of the male performers, blew me away. The great level of energy and skill on the stage at Nuestro Mexico was so high it didn’t even feel like a high school event.

The costumes worn on the night of the extravaganza proved to be important to the performances.The dancers’ shoes were similar to tap shoes which contain metal on the bottom so that every step that we see dancers take also makes a sound. This factor of the performance was interesting to me because the additional rhythms that the dancers created added to the fun mood of the performance. Also, the skirts of the females’ costumes were a large part of almost all of the dances. Each dancer was always holding onto the end of their skirt, waving it beside them to create a fascinating visual effect. How those dancers managed to have good foot technique, remember all of their moves, and smile while keeping their arms up the entire time is a mystery to me.

Additional to the folklorico dances, the extravaganza contained mariachi performances from middle schools and high schools. The bands played traditional mariachi songs as well as popular tunes including ‘La Cucaracha.’ I was impressed by the middle school performers’ ability to play music from memory without a conductor all in front of a huge crowd. The bands performed with a strong amount of energy that kept the audience clapping and engaged in the event between dances.

One part Nuestro Mexico that I was not expecting to see or enjoy was the audience’s attitude and response to the performances. At the beginning of many dances, supporting friends of family members would shout something, usually in Spanish, that would make the performers smile even more than they already were. The tendency of the crowd to clap along to mariachi songs and shout out in excitement during dances showed just how fascinating the Mexican culture can be.

The Mariachi and Folklorico Extravaganza was a huge success in my eyes, especially for the first one ever. The dances and music performed by high school and middle school students were full of Mexican culture. I thought Nuestro Mexico was a great experience and would recommend for people to attend it next year. The first district-wide Mariachi and Folklorico Extravaganza, Nuestro Mexico, took place April 19 at Round Rock High School. This event featured traditional Mexican dances and mariachi bands from six schools in Round Rock ISD. From the live music and colorful costumes to the rhythmic dancing and energetic audience, this reporter found the event entertaining.

Nuestro Mexico had a program of 38 different dance performances, and each one succeeded in entertaining me. The dancers, dressed in traditional Mexican dance attire, performed well, especially for high school students. Each performer was graceful, skilled, and looked happy to be on stage. The foot technique and flexibility of the students, especially of the male performers, blew me away. The great level of energy and skill on the stage at Nuestro Mexico was so high it didn’t even feel like a high school event.

The costumes worn on the night of the extravaganza proved to be important to the performances.The dancers’ shoes were similar to tap shoes which contain metal on the bottom so that every step that we see dancers take also makes a sound. This factor of the performance was interesting to me because the additional rhythms that the dancers created added to the fun mood of the performance. Also, the skirts of the females’ costumes were a large part of almost all of the dances. Each dancer was always holding onto the end of their skirt, waving it beside them to create a fascinating visual effect. How those dancers managed to have good foot technique, remember all of their moves, and smile while keeping their arms up the entire time is a mystery to me.

Additional to the folklorico dances, the extravaganza contained mariachi performances from middle schools and high schools. The bands played traditional mariachi songs as well as popular tunes including ‘La Cucaracha.’ I was impressed by the middle school performers’ ability to play music from memory without a conductor all in front of a huge crowd. The bands performed with a strong amount of energy that kept the audience clapping and engaged in the event between dances.

One part Nuestro Mexico that I was not expecting to see or enjoy was the audience’s attitude and response to the performances. At the beginning of many dances, supporting friends of family members would shout something, usually in Spanish, that would make the performers smile even more than they already were. The tendency of the crowd to clap along to mariachi songs and shout out in excitement during dances showed just how fascinating the Mexican culture can be.

The Mariachi and Folklorico Extravaganza was a huge success in my eyes, especially for the first one ever. The dances and music performed by high school and middle school students were full of Mexican culture. I thought Nuestro Mexico was a great experience and would recommend for people to attend it next year.