Several clubs and groups through out Tucson represent Mexico’s culture. Ballet Folklorico meets twice a week in a studio on Tucson’s south side.

Guerrero Ballesteros, a 16-year-old folklorico dancer, sees his friends and classmates losing touch with their culture. But he isn’t letting that happen to him.

“Every time, when they see kids dancing, next day I receive a lot of calls, hey, my daughter wants to dance, where can I go?” says Baca.

Sometimes all it takes is a little influence and an extra push from parents to start up a new hobby. That is how Marisa Gallegos, another dancer from Ballet Folklorico, began her dancing career.

Gallegos says that at first, her mother had to force her to sign up. But once she got started, she fell in love with the dance known as folklorico. She says that by dancing, she and her classmates learn about their culture.

“It builds a lot of self confidence in them selves, and it builds a lot of community and family because they have something that they share.”

Music is another way to keep cultural traditions a live. If you are passing by Armory Park and see a group of young mariachis playing their instruments, it might be Mariachi Tesoro.

The group’s co-director, Jaime Valenzuela, is proud of the talent his students have. “I feel that it’s up to me to bring that talent in them. Because all kids have talent, there’s no question about that.”

Most of his students start the program when they are in kindergarten and continue until the age of fifteen.

Both Mariachi Tesoro and Ballet Folklorico win top place in competitions in Arizona and all over the U.S.

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