Aztec to Folklorico : Tonantzin Dance Troupe Will Appear Tonight in Anaheim

Like the Aztec goddess that inspired its name, the dance troupe Tonantzin bridges ancient and contemporary Mexican culture.

The 13-member Los Angeles-based group, which has been performing since 1984, establishes that bridge with a blend of colorful Ballet Folklorico and ritualistic Aztec dance. Tonantzin will appear at the Pearson Park Amphitheatre in Anaheim at 8 tonight. The dancers take their name from the earth goddess Tonantzin who, according to legend, appeared to a peasant in 1545 near what is now Mexico City--a story that closely corresponds to a Catholic tenet about a visitation by the Virgin of Guadalupe.

The two episodes represent one bond between Aztec and Spanish Catholic tradition and provide a historical transition between ancient Mexican culture and the arrival of Spanish and other European influences, said Antonio Vazquez, one of the group’s founders.

Though the Aztec empire of Montezuma was overthrown by the Spaniards and the Indian culture decimated, traces of the ancient ways have survived and are still practiced in Mexico, said Vazquez, who traveled to Central Mexico to observe local dance groups.

Margarita Leyva, the group’s director, said that while the troupe cannot accurately re-create the daylong dances once performed by tribal elders, Tonantzin tries to remain faithful to Aztec tradition.

“Maybe the dance isn’t completely accurate but . . . we’re keeping it alive,” Leyva said.

The two-part program begins with eight Aztec dances accompanied by drum, representing ceremonies and rituals that were once performed to please the gods.

The performers do not sing, as the Aztec did. But rattling ankle bracelets, or chachaxotes, once worn to ward off evil spirits, provide rhythmic accompaniment to the drum. Crown-like headdresses called penachos , with four-foot pheasant plumes, top the regalia.

Leyva will introduce each dance and provide brief historical background. The program finale, the Ritual Fire Dance, is considered the most spectacular.

The Aztec believed that the world would end if the gods were not appeased with a human sacrifice every 52 years, Leyva said. In the finale dance, a lone performer lights a fire on stage, and passes his arms and legs through flames to symbolize the solemn ritual in which a human body was used to extinguish the ceremonial fire.

The later influences in Mexican culture are represented by Folklorico, Leyva said.

In the second half of the program, the performers don traditional flowing skirts and charros suits to introduce dances from four regions of Mexico.

Mariachi music, integrating polka rhythms with Spanish and African beats, accompanies such dances as “La Bamba,” in which performers use their feet to deftly tie a “marriage bow,” and “Jarave Tapatio,” which Leyva said is popularly known in the United States as “The Mexican Hat Dance.”

Dancer April Del Toro, whose lineage includes Yaqui Indian and Irish blood, said that performing Folklorico and Aztec dance with Tonantzin has put her in touch with different parts of her heritage.

“This was my history,” Del Toro said. “The history I learned in school was somebody else’s history.”

Tonantzin has performed as part of family-oriented multicultural events at the Hollywood Bowl and the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion of the Los Angeles Music Center, as well as at Native American Pow-wows and festivals across the country.

But Leyva said their most important performances may be for the Mexican-American audiences of Southern California.

“The kids need something so they can look at their culture and feel positive about it,” Leyva said.

“These dances are beautiful and it’s a way for them to understand themselves and their parents.”

Aztec music and dance troupe Tonantzin performs at 8 p.m. at the Pearson Park Amphitheatre, 400 N. Harbor Blvd., Anaheim. Admission: $3 to $4. Information: (714) 999-5191.