Performing in one of the 150+ Cinco de Mayo celebrations each year in the U.S. is the Peruvian dance group Asi es mi Peru, whose members are dedicated to spreading the word about their country's rich traditions. Also featured is Los Alegres Balladores (see below and back cover), whose members start dancing as young as two years old, sharing the color, beauty, and elegance of their Mexican traditions. These celebrations go beyond their original commemoration of Mexico's 1862 Battle of Puebla. Gatherings today are broader celebrations of Hispanic/Latino culture.
Preserving culture through dance
Photographed by Tom Wallace
Cinco de Mayo commemorates the Mexican army's unlikely victory over French forces at the Battle of Puebla in 1862, under the leadership of General Ignacio Zaragoza Seguín. While celebrations of this event are not significant in Mexico, the date is widely marked in the United States and in other areas of the world as a celebration of Mexican heritage and pride.
Rebecca Moran Cusick, director of Los Alegres Balladores, represents one of the many dance groups that perform at such celebrations. Rebecca grew up dancing. Her grandparents, who came to the United States two generations ago, and her parents instilled music and dance into her early family life. Now, she carries the tradition forward, learning both from them and from her many trips south of the border to study the various costumes and dance styles particular to each Mexican state. Her group's performances at festivals and gatherings throughout the region share with others the color, beauty, and elegance of her rich cultural tradition. Asi es mi Peru also travels in an effort to inform people about their country and its rich history of folkloric dance.
