An American Steps Into World of Folklorico

For Santa Monica teen-ager Rachael Simmons, 19, joining Ballet Folklorico de Mexico was a dream come true--a bittersweet dream marked by the exciting but unexpectedly hard-edged realities of life in another country. Plunged headlong into the intricacies of the Spanish language, Mexican culture and an unfamiliar dance form, her 14-month Mexican sojourn has been a roller coaster of highs and lows.

Simmons is the only American dancer currently in the Mexico City-based, 65-member company, and the third ever accepted.

Simmons’ dream began a few years ago on a vacation trip to Mexico, when she saw Ballet Folklorico for the first time and “fell in love with it and I don’t know why,” she says. “It was something I wanted so bad I was afraid it wouldn’t work out.”

But it did work out and in July, 1988, the Santa Monica College student left for Mexico City, where a couple of acquaintances from Folklorico helped her enroll first in an intensive dance workshop, then in special classes that offer instruction in Folklorico style and repertory.

It was a confusing time for Simmons, who had studied dance since age 3, but never any foreign languages.

“I didn’t understand what I was doing,” she says. “I couldn’t speak Spanish and I didn’t know anything about Mexican dance. I walked into my first class wearing jazz shoes, and everyone else wore Mexican skirts and shoes. I was so embarrassed.”

Five months later, Folklorico director Amalia Hernandez selected Simmons for her company. Hernandez, who says she felt moved by Simmons’ efforts to get into her company, also found “discipline and a natural-born talent. Most Americans have a lot of technique, but the facility for folkloric dance is difficult for them. She has it.”

After joining the company, life got even more confusing for Simmons. For one thing, she says there was hostility from her Mexican peers: “I think they felt threatened because in Mexico it’s a young girl’s dream to be in Amalia’s company and there was more jealousy than usual because I’m not Mexican.

“I had to not pay attention to their bad vibes, but accept who they were, and eventually they lightened up.”

Then there was the work itself. “Dance is integrated in the culture and Mexicans have that style in their bones. It was really hard for me to learn the different dances; not only didn’t they speak to me in English, but I wasn’t used to their style of teaching.

“There was the footwork and a lot of figure-eight torso work, as well as the finer points, like holding the skirt and spinning the scarf. I was used to the control of jazz and ballet, and they were telling me to arch my back and let it flow.”

Describing Folklorico as an ensemble company, Simmons says her 8 1/2 months with the company (her first professional dance experience) have been crammed with rehearsals and world touring.

“Amalia picks tall, dark, glamorous Mexican women and I’m short and light, but I’m there,” she says. “She puts me up front sometimes, but I’m treated like anyone else. With all the costumes and makeup I look Mexican--people don’t even notice that I’m American.”

She notices, however: “It’s a different culture and way of thinking and functioning, and it can drive you crazy. I was overwhelmed by it 24 hours a days for a long time. I’d get so exhausted and feel so crazy. It took a lot of work for me to adapt to them and fit in, but I have.

“In the company you’re left on your own, mentally and emotionally. I got no emotional support at all. I have friends, but they didn’t comprehend how hard it was for me, they didn’t really try to help me and they didn’t know how I was feeling. I’m a foreigner.”

With such a rocky adjustment, what kept her going? Simmons, whose English now has a slight Spanish accent, sparkles when she says: “I love the dancing so much. It’s so happy and feels right to me.

“Besides that, I like learning Spanish, and the adventure and challenge of the experience. I feel so alive.”