page_title: Folk dance of Mexico
section_title: Veracruz
hierarchical_section_title: Folk dance of Mexico / Dances in Southern Mexico / Veracruz
caption_attribution_description: English: Student performers of Folk Dance at "Semana de la cutura" in ITESM CCM. Español: Estudiantes bailando Folclor en la " Semana de la cultura" en ITESM CCM.
context_page_description: Folk dance of Mexico, commonly known as baile folklorico, is a term used to collectively describe traditional Mexican dances. Ballet folklórico is not just one type of dance, it encompasses each region's traditional dance that has been influenced by their local folklore and has been entwined with ballet characteristics to be made into a theatrical production. Each dance represents a different region in Mexico illustrated through their different zapateado, footwork, having differing stomps or heel toe points, and choreography that imitates animals from their region such as horses, iguanas, and vultures.
context_section_description: Danza de los Voladores, Dance of the Flyers, is a dance/ceremony/ritual still performed in Mexico today, best known in the Totonicapán area of northern Veracruz and northern Puebla states. It is believed to have originated with the Nahua, Huastec and Otomi peoples in central Mexico, and then spread throughout most of Mesoamerica.  The ritual consists of dance and the climbing of a 30-meter pole from which four of the five participants then launch themselves tied with ropes to descend to the ground. The fifth remains on top of the pole, dancing and playing a flute and drum.  The ceremony was named an Intangible Cultural Heritage by UNESCO in order to help the ritual survive in the modern world.Veracruz region has influenced their folkloric dance by instilling the musical instruments that originated from the region into the performances like cunjunto jaracho (jarocho ensemble), requito (a guitar-like instrument), pandero (tambourine), and quijada (jawbone of donkey for percussion). As well as having the choreography be influenced by Veracruz animals in the region imitating the moves of iguanas. The costumes reflect the environment of Veracruz illustrated by the performers wearing lacy skirts and blouse to represent the state's humid tropical weather.
caption: Veracruz Dance performed at the Monterrey Institute of Technology, Mexico City Campus.
exif: {"Image ImageDescription": "SONY DSC", "Image Make": "SONY", "Image Model": "SLT-A55V", "Image Orientation": "Horizontal (normal)", "Image XResolution": "72", "Image YResolution": "72", "Image ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Image Software": "Adobe Photoshop CS4 Macintosh", "Image DateTime": "2012:11:12 17:13:51", "Image YCbCrPositioning": "Co-sited", "Image PrintIM": "[80, 114, 105, 110, 116, 73, 77, 0, 48, 51, 48, 48, 0, 0, 6, 0, 1, 0, 22, 0, ... ]", "Image ExifOffset": "408", "GPS GPSVersionID": "[2, 3, 0, 0]", "GPS GPSLatitudeRef": "N", "GPS GPSLatitude": "[19, 17, 1671/250]", "GPS GPSLongitudeRef": "W", "GPS GPSLongitude": "[99, 8, 10247/1000]", "GPS GPSAltitudeRef": "0", "GPS GPSAltitude": "11294/5", "GPS GPSTimeStamp": "[20, 38, 14533/500]", "GPS GPSStatus": "V", "GPS GPSMeasureMode": "3", "GPS GPSSpeedRef": "K", "GPS GPSSpeed": "1/5", "GPS GPSTrackRef": "T", "GPS GPSTrack": "0", "GPS GPSMapDatum": "WGS-84", "GPS GPSDate": "2012:11:05", "GPS GPSDifferential": "0", "Image GPSInfo": "1096", "Thumbnail Compression": "JPEG (old-style)", "Thumbnail XResolution": "72", "Thumbnail YResolution": "72", "Thumbnail ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Thumbnail JPEGInterchangeFormat": "1514", "Thumbnail JPEGInterchangeFormatLength": "0", "EXIF ExposureTime": "1/40", "EXIF FNumber": "4", "EXIF ExposureProgram": "Program Normal", "EXIF ISOSpeedRatings": "125", "EXIF SensitivityType": "Recommended Exposure Index", "EXIF RecommendedExposureIndex": "125", "EXIF ExifVersion": "0230", "EXIF DateTimeOriginal": "2012:11:12 15:23:54", "EXIF DateTimeDigitized": "2012:11:12 15:23:54", "EXIF ComponentsConfiguration": "YCbCr", "EXIF CompressedBitsPerPixel": "2", "EXIF BrightnessValue": "287/100", "EXIF ExposureBiasValue": "0", "EXIF MaxApertureValue": "4", "EXIF MeteringMode": "Pattern", "EXIF LightSource": "Unknown", "EXIF Flash": "Flash did not fire, compulsory flash mode", "EXIF FocalLength": "24", "EXIF FlashPixVersion": "0100", "EXIF ColorSpace": "sRGB", "EXIF ExifImageWidth": "1500", "EXIF ExifImageLength": "843", "Interoperability InteroperabilityIndex": "R98", "Interoperability InteroperabilityVersion": "[48, 49, 48, 48]", "EXIF InteroperabilityOffset": "1064", "EXIF FileSource": "Digital Camera", "EXIF SceneType": "Directly Photographed", "EXIF CustomRendered": "Normal", "EXIF ExposureMode": "Auto Exposure", "EXIF WhiteBalance": "Auto", "EXIF FocalLengthIn35mmFilm": "36", "EXIF SceneCaptureType": "Standard", "EXIF Contrast": "Normal", "EXIF Saturation": "Normal", "EXIF Sharpness": "Normal", "EXIF LensSpecification": "[18, 55, 7/2, 28/5]", "EXIF LensModel": "DT 18-55mm F3.5-5.6 SAM"}