Driving drum rhythms and dazzling costumes hold participants interest, and through each step the dancer in full regalia gives life to the symbols of the dance. The dancers are rooted in cultural understandings of the environment weaving together the Nahuatl cosmovision and creation stories of the Mexican ancestors. These presentations by Kalpulli KetzalCoatlicue give students a basic understanding of the Nahuatl/Aztec representations of life through dance.
The Kalpulli KetzalCoatlicue (“Precious Mother Earth”) is a Kalpulli (“learning community”) of Indigenous people joined by the desire to learn, share and live the tradition of Aztec dance. KetzalCoatlicue pursues this spiritual, mental, and physical vocation with music from the sacred drum, conch shells, seeds and other instruments gifted by the natural environment. A majority of the members are youth, but participating members ages range from toddlers to elders. KetzalCoatlicue’s cultural learning center is located in South Minneapolis.
More About the Artist
Learn more about Susana De Leon, Kalpulli KetzalCoatlicue’s leader, in her Artist Spotlight interview.
Program Offerings
Performance
Aztec & Nahuatl Dance & Culture
Students will learn symbols of the Meso-American calendar, experience the rhythms of an ancient people, and begin to understand the connections between ritual and daily life. Driving drum rhythms and dazzling costumes hold students’ interest, and through each step the dancer in full regalia gives life to the symbols of the dance. Aztec dance performance creates a connection between contemporary dancers and the elders who have preserved this expression of culture. The Aztec symbols of life are reproduced in the dance steps.
Note: Additional fees apply for locations beyond Minneapolis and Saint Paul.
“Please pass on a huge thank you to Kalpulli KetzalCoatlicue for their amazing performance! It was mesmerizing and truly a highlight of the entire Festival of Giving. I can’t thank them enough for energizing and inspiring our audience like they did. We are truly grateful.”
Jenny Friedman, Founder/Executive Director, Doing Good Together
