CLACKAMAS COUNTY, Ore. – Twenty-five young Latinas in Clackamas County built confidence and learned about Mexican and Latin culture through a folk-dance project called Raices y Alas (Roots To Wings).
Oregon State University Extension Service’s 4-H Youth Development Program organized the Baile Folklórico project this spring and fall. Dancers, ages four to 15, spent weeks learning the traditional Mexican dance steps under the direction of Karin Ramirez Velazquez.
Baile Folklórico emphasizes local folk culture with ballet characteristics and honors Mexico’s rich history of Indigenous, African and Spanish roots. After a series of classes, the girls performed zapateo (footwork) and skirt work in a stage performance for family and friends – in Molalla in the spring and Milwaukie in the fall.
“The classes provided a safe place to learn about Mexican and Latin culture and built a strong community with peers through music and dance,” said Janet Nagele, associate professor and 4-H educator in Clackamas County. “The program was designed to be inclusive of Latinx youth in 4-H by consulting with Latinx parent advisory groups, hiring a bilingual dance instructor, offering the program at multiple sites in Latinx communities, removing barriers to participation and focusing on family involvement.”
The goals of the project were to:
- Develop self-esteem through awareness and appreciation of one’s culture.
- Inspire appreciation of the arts with an underserved audience.
- Provide access to the arts for low-income communities.
- Build community and strengthen family bonds through self-expression and shared interest.
A survey of the dancers showed that they enjoyed learning Baile Folklórico and want to continue learning and dancing and although some were nervous about performing, they were all enthusiastic and felt confident afterword, according to Nagele. They also responded that they succeeded in learning something new.
Parents attended the classes with students and often joined in the dance lessons with their children. Both the parents and the students made new friends from their communities and participated in a potluck celebration after the performances.
Parents who responded to a survey said that Extension 4-H was the only organization in their communities that offered culturally relevant projects for young people. They said it was important for their children to be able to explore their Latin roots and take pride in their cultural heritage.
Parents also shared that the project:
- Gave youths a greater sense of security, self-discipline and independence.
- Helped them face their fear of performing in public.
- Helped to trust in themselves.
- Developed a sense of pride, community and culture.
- Offered new opportunity for their children’s development.
“All the parents were extremely pleased with the project and asked that this project be continued, and they committed that they would also like to have other 4-H Latin cultural project opportunities for youth,” Nagele said.
The project was supported in part by a grant from the Clackamas County Cultural Coalition, which is managed by the Clackamas County Arts Alliance, and made possible by funding from the Oregon Cultural Trust. The purpose of the grant was to remove barriers to participation in performance arts, especially for underserved audiences and facilitate appreciation of cultural assets.
Additional support came from community partners who provided free facilities for classes and helped promote the project: Hacienda CDC (Community Development Corp.), Molalla Elementary School, St. Paul’s United Methodist Church and the Clackamas School District.
