Photos by Samantha Bengtson
Local youth use their folkloric skirts as part of their dancing at the Greenfield Cultural Arts Center. Free dance classes are held every Thursday and Friday at the center.
Below, two younger students follow instructor Pilar Mendoza as she demonstrates a routine; and a student fans out her skirt for one of the dances.
GREENFIELD — Greenfield youth are learning about their culture while participating in Arcoiris Cultural, a children’s dance group, at the Greenfield Cultural Arts Center every Thursday and Friday evening.
The students, ages 3 to 13, learn about folklorico, Mexican dances, flamenco and ballet. According to Dance Instructor Pilar Mendoza, there are about 40 students in the group.
“I teach them skills so they can create their own choreography with songs that they like,” Mendoza said.
The dance group recently performed during the Fourth of July celebration and other events in Greenfield as well as for senior citizens in Salinas and at hospitals in King City.
“I have been dancing since I was a little kid,” said Mendoza, whose mother was a dance teacher in Mexico.
Mendoza began teaching and formed her first dance group when she was 17 years old. She didn’t have the financial resources to attend dancing school and is trying to fulfill her dream here in America.
Mendoza is currently taking dance classes at Monterey Peninsula College.
The Greenfield class is free for participants, and Mendoza added another day of teaching in the summer to extend from just Fridays to Thursdays as well. She also wanted the class to be accessible to the community with the no cost for the class.
“I love doing this for the children of Greenfield,” Mendoza said. “I know there’s not a lot programs for the kids in the summer and that’s why I added another day.”
The classes usually begin with stretching and then transition into different dances. Female students practice with colorful folkloric or Mexican tradition skirts, and male students use sombreros. Traditional Mexican costume is more on the conservative side and serves dual purposes as sun protection as well as being elegant and made of natural materials.
