Ballet Folklorico Tapatio Company of Northwest Indiana

I began dancing at the age of 3 in the Ballet Folklorico Fiesta Mexicana, under the direction of Daniel Martinez. In 1977, at the age of 8, I moved to Portage from the Lake County, Indiana area. When we moved to Portage, my dad could no longer drive me to practices because he worked at the mill (in East Chicago), and it was hard for him to drive back to EC. In 1995 my mother met Dr. Jose Arredondo

, and he was looking for someone to assist his group while the regular instructor was away. I never realized how much I missed being a part of the Ballet Folklorico, and by connecting with this group I also realized how much of my culture I was missing. To make a long story short, I told myself that if a Ballet Folklorico did not exist in Porter County by the time I had a daughter, I would form my own. Well, my daughter was born in 2007, and after 33 years of waiting, there was still no group based out of Porter County, so in 2009 I formed this group. The group began with some students from Willowcreek Middle School and some neighborhood girls. It has now expanded to approximately 25 dancers from all over Northwest Indiana. We are always accepting new dancers. if you would like more information, please call or text
219-265-5050.