DENVER — Most of us are familiar with Christmas traditions like stringing the lights and decorating the tree. But a unique dance performance in Denver hopes to show how heritage can influence the ways we celebrate.
Fiestas Navideñas “adds a Mexican-inspired twist to The Nutcracker,” said José Rosales, the co-founder and CEO of the ArtistiCO dance company.
“The main reason for celebrating Christmas is the love,” Rosales said. “This show is about family, it's about culture, and it's about love.”
Rosales and his partner Alfonso Meraza created the show to honor Mexican traditions like pastorelas (traditional Mexican folklore plays), las posadas (a religious festival) and Los Reyes Magos (the Three Kings).
“Los Reyes Magos is kind of like the Santa Claus here in the United States,” Rosales said. In Mexico and other parts of Latin America, the Three Kings bring gifts for children on January 6 instead of on Christmas Eve.
In the Fiestas Navideñas show, the Three Kings act as narrators, bringing the audience to different regions of Mexico.
On stage, a giant piñata and paintings of poinsettias add to the Mexican charm.
Rosales’ parents immigrated to Colorado from Mexico when he was a child. Growing up, he would go every Christmas to see shows like The Nutcracker and the Christmas Carol. He felt the need to quickly assimilate and was discouraged from speaking Spanish.
But through his dance company, Rosales is creating opportunities for the next generation to embrace their heritage and celebrate their ancestors’ traditions.
“The songs that are sung in the show and the dances that are done, it brings it back to when my grandma would sing,” he said. “It brings back the memories of those that have passed and those traditions that they left to us.”
Rosales said this show, and the others put on by his company, also encourage dancers to learn styles that haven’t previously been offered at American dance studios.
“ArtistiCO was born to establish a pipeline to professional dance within Mexican folklore in the United States,” said Rosales, who trained in Mexico City alongside his partner Meraza, with the world-famous Ballet Folklórico de México de Amalia Hernandez.
“We decided to bring it here because there's a need here,” among Mexican Americans, also known as Chicanos, to connect with their traditions, he said.
“They feel at home when they're at our studio,” Rosales said, and he hopes Coloradans from all backgrounds will feel welcome watching the show.
“There's not only one way to celebrate Christmas,” he said.
Tickets are still available for the Fiestas Navideñas performances on December 2 and 3 at the Newman Center for the Performing Arts on the University of Denver campus. You can buy tickets online or by phone at 303-871-7720. Use the promo code NCPHOLIDAY! for a Cyber Monday offer of two tickets for $40.
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