MILWAUKEE — Going to a dance class, you may not expect a history or geography lesson. But at the Dance Academy of Mexico that's exactly what you get between every step as the mariachi music plays.
Marina Croft opened the academy in 2010 and teaches dances from around her home country of Mexico.
"Mexico has many states and we do perform dances from all of the states," she said of the variety of she teaches.
She said the most well-know dance internationally is "Son de la Negra," a dance from the state of Jalisco. Her dancers also learn dances from Veracruz, and old port city heavily influenced by the Spanish.
In the northern part of the country, Marina explained, there was a lot of migration from people in Poland. That culture influenced the Norteña genre which is similar to Polka.
Aztecas are "pre-Hispanic dances that we usually do at the beginning of our performances to show our indigenous heritage," Croft explained.
For Croft, it's more than just about following the steps, it's a connection to her culture and heritage.
"I was five years old when I started dancing and I was dancing Mexican Folklorico dances. I've always felt that dancing Folklorico has always been a very important part of my life," Croft shared.
But when she moved to Wisconsin from Mexico in 1999 after marrying her husband, there wasn't much opportunity for her to express herself in dance. Thirteen years ago, she changed that.
"When I said out loud that I as going to start an academy, start a business teaching students to dance Folklorico dances, I had a lot of people laugh in my face. They're like 'you're crazy. You're never going to make it work. You're going to go broke.' Thirteen years later and that's not the case," she said.
But the success didn't come easily. She's also a practicing attorney.
"It's a lot of work, but I really think it has an impact on people's lives. I see how they go from children to young adults, the way they develop, the opportunities that they get. It's priceless," she said about her students.
Several of her students have been with her since she started academy, starting at age 5 or 6 and are now in college.
Alexa Valadez started dancing with the Academy when she was five years old. She's now a student at Marquette University.
"I think besides just the pretty dresses and how great it looks on stage, people don't always know the meaning behind it or what each dance is. I think just being able to know that myself, being able to explain to other people when they ask always makes me feel proud," Valadez said. "It means to stay connected to my culture, to my roots and be able to share it with other people."
As part of UNESCO's International Council of Organizations of Folklore Festivals and Folk Arts,Croft has been able to take her students around the world to perform, from Canada to Japan and a yearly trip to Walt Disney World. Next year, the plan on traveling to the Czech Republic to perform and share their Mexican heritage.
"I feel that knowing your heritage and knowing about your culture and appreciating the good things about your culture really shows you who you are and gives you that identity that you need," Croft said.
Croft also emphasized that you don't have to be Mexican to be part of the dance academy. She welcomes everyone to come and learn about Mexican Folklorico dances, starting at age five. Beginner lessons are offered on Tuesdays and Thursdays. You can learn more about classes by clicking here.
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