Mexican Folk dances

The Mexican folk dances, their styles, costumes, mannerisms, etc vary from one geographical region to another. For example, dances belonging to the Jalisco region, depict courtship, while dances belonging to Veracruz region are a mix of the Spanish, Carribean and African regions. Out of all the Mexican dances, there are two dance forms which are revered and most widely performed throughout Mexico, irrespective of the region. Lets know a bit about these dances.

List of Mexican Dances

La Danza del Venado
Also commonly known as the deer dance, this dance form depicts a confrontation between the evil forces and the good. In this dance form the dancers play the dying deer as well as the hunters. The dancer who plays a deer wears a very elaborate headdress. The performers who play hunters wear masks and bells made from wood. This dance is performed on various instruments such as flute, rattle and drum. La Danza del Venado, is one of the few dance forms of Mexico which has still not lost its authenticity. The Yaqui Indians belonging to the regions "Sinaloa" and "Sonora" still perform this dance in its original form.

The Jarabe Tapatio
Also known as the Mexican hat dance, Jarabe Tapatio is the Mexican national dance and always finds the first place among the Mexican dance names. This dance depicts how a man tries to woo a woman and after many struggles is finally successful in his romantic endeavor. This dance form is not very old and was created in the last century, especially to be performed at a party which was thrown to mark the end of the Mexican revolution. Till today, Mexicans perform this dance at any of their special events or parties to express their joy. The music that accompanies this dance is the Mexican folk music from the nineteenth century.

Although the dancing styles may be different in different geographical regions, still one thing is common to all Mexican dances and that is their colorful costumes and the flamboyance of the dancers. Participating in these Mexican folk dances or even watching them as an audience is a good way to truly understand Mexican customs and traditions and to experience the Mexican spirit