A Mexican dance and music troupe is coming to Olds.
Danzas FolklÛrico Manzanillo Viva Mexico! will be performing at the TransCanada Theatre this Sunday, Sept. 17, at 3 p.m.
The performance, provided via Ballet FolklÛrico Los Angelitos, is sponsored by the Olds Kiwanis Performing Arts Society via the Kiwanis Club of Olds. Tickets are available through the oldskiwanis.org website.
The group consists of 32 youth living in an orphanage in Manzanillo, Mexico as well as some residents of that community ñ reportedly even some kids from the orphanage who have graduated from university.
Established in 1996, the home takes in children who are orphaned, living on the street or from high-risk families or families living in poverty. Manzanillo is a city located roughly 750 kilometres west of Mexico City.
Also touring and performing with them is Mariana Vargas, a well-known Mexican singer who has performed in several American cities such as Las Vegas and Los Angeles, as well as in Mexico.
Joe Gustafson of the Olds Kiwanis Performing Arts Society and the Olds Kiwanis Club, says the tour is "very much a cultural trip and reward to kids who have worked so hard not only with the dance but school and good behaviour" etc. "If they break even and pick up a couple of sponsors for kids then they will be successful," he adds.
The troupe was last scheduled to perform in Olds in July 2014.
Ballet FolklÛrico Los Angelitos is a way for youth in the program to "develop life-changing values, cultural and social skills, self-discipline, confidence and help to overcome the traumas of their past," background material says. "It has become an incentive for scholastic excellence and a vehicle for learning through world travel."
According to material provided by founder Nancy Nystrom, program rules require that members "attend school, maintain a positive image in the community, no smoking, alcohol or drugs and participate in 10-15 hours per week of rehearsals."
"In order for students to participate in the tour, they have to be faithful in rehearsals, excel in their performance ability and be in good standing in their school."
