Artistic Director Gregory Amato
TICKET INFORMATION
General: $35-$65
Discounts available for:
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Seniors (ages 65+)
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Children (ages 12 and younger)
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Groups (10 or more)
service fees will be added at time of purchase
July 16 7:00pm
July 17 2:00pm
San Mateo Performing Arts Center
800 North Delaware Street
San Mateo, CA 94402
Ballet Folklorico Mexicano
Chitresh Das Youth Company
Eddie Madril
Ensambles Ballet Folklórico de San Francisco
Gurus of Dance
Jaranon y Bochinche
Maxi Copello & Raquel Makow
Melissa Cruz
Parangal Dance Company
Peninsula Ballet Theatre
TRIBE & Poise’n
This inaugural Peninsula International Dance Festival will feature the extraordinary and exuberant artistry of over 160 dancers and musicians from nine Bay Area companies.
Peninsula Ballet Theatre Executive Director, Christine Leslie, said, “The launch of the Peninsula International Dance Festival is a very exciting new initiative as part of our expanded mission to connect with more community residents on the greater Peninsula. Five years ago, we began exploring the addition of hip-hop to our classical ballet offerings and it has been a huge success, attracting a new audience to our theater. Presenting an international dance festival is an extension of the many diverse dance classes that are offered weekly in our five ballet studios at the Peninsula Ballet Theatre center. This is also our way of connecting with and proudly showcasing the extraordinary world dance and music talent in the Bay Area. We are very enthusiastic about the future and look forward to sharing this new festival with the public.”
Carlos Carvajal, Peninsula Ballet Theatre’s Artistic Director Emeritus and revered Bay Area dance leader said: “The Bay Area is unique in the entire world because of the racial and cultural diversity that has enabled us to produce an international festival of such high quality in which all of the participants, including the very best teachers and dancers, live in the immediate area. This is truly a cultural jewel which expresses in dance and song exactly what our society is desiring so intensely at this time – equity, diversity and inclusion. It makes me so happy to see the Peninsula International Dance Festival being held in San Mateo which is even more convenient and central to these groups. I know that it will continue in the future with great success.”
Ballet Folklorico Mexicano
Carlos Moreno-Samaniego
General Director
Carlos Moreno-Samaniego learned about the performing arts at an early age. His father Marcos Moreno directed and performed in a group that presented ceremonial dances throughout the region of Nazas, Durango, Mexico; while his mother designed the costumes, sets, and props for these performances. His formal dance instruction began at the age of 7, at age 11 he enrolled in a government-sponsored dance and culture program. During his five years of training in the program, he performed with a local dance company that presented shows in schools throughout the Nazas region. After completing high school, Mr. Moreno’s artistic ambitions led him to study folkloric dance in Guadalajara, under the instruction of Maestro Rafael Zamarripa. There after he continued his dance education with the renown Ballet Folklorico de Mexico de Amalia Hernandez’ dance school.
Founded in 1967 by Carlos Moreno-Samaniego, the Ballet Folklorico Mexicano has achieved recognition both in the United States and in Mexico. In 1980, the Mexican consulate in San Francisco named the company the official ambassador for ongoing cultural activities with Mexico. It has held that distinction for over forty years during which time it regularly conducts tours in Mexican cities such as Guadalajara, Oaxaca, Aguascalientes, and Durango.
Drawing on the artistic variety of Mexico’s different regions, the Ballet Folklorico Mexicano has a dance repertory of 120 pieces. Many of these are presented in their traditional form while others have been restaged to include artistic elements from more contemporary choreography. In this way, the indigenous rhythms of Tarascan Indian dances from central Mexico stand in sharp contrast to the Spanish military and courtship dances from that region. Similarly the African influences that characterize dances from the Gulf of Mexico are juxtaposed by Mexican polkas that mark the influence of eastern European from the north. In her review of the company, Jennifer Fisher, the celebrated dance critic for the Los Angeles Times, noted that the Ballet “has much appeal. They are tightly rehearsed and (their) choreography is inventive.”
