Vibrant or Serene, Honesty Is the Dance Policy : Culture: A touring company of Ballet Folclorico Nacional de Mexico, which will perform at the Irvine Barclay Theatre, emphasizes authenticity.

It’s more than just a slight difference in name and spelling.

The Ballet Folklorico de Mexico--which performed in Costa Mesa two months ago, courtesy of the Orange County Philharmonic Society--has a reputation for flash and dazzle: The capacity audience whooped and cheered as the dancers hurled streamers from the stage.

The Ballet Folclorico Nacional de Mexico, on the other hand, seems intent on placing authenticity above all.

“I have a great respect for Mexican tradition and for Mexico’s people, and for me to transform it into something not real” is unthinkable, said Silvia Lozano, head of the troupe that spells its name with a C instead of a K . “I have to be honest with it.”

Lozano’s touring company of 50 dancers and musicians (its full contingent, based in Mexico City, is about 200) will perform today at 2 and 8 p.m. at the Irvine Barclay Theatre.

Dances evoking Yaqui Indian ritual or ancient Aztec legend, dances based on myriad regional styles from throughout Mexico and dances reflecting European influence are among a dozen or so on the program. “Guerrero,” choreographed after the troupe last came to Southern California in 1990, has its origins in Chile.

Expect mariachi and marimba music, Indian percussion and colorful, handmade costumes.

To be or not to be authentic is not a black and white issue. Lozano, as does Ballet Folklorico de Mexico director Amalia Hernandez, seeks to entertain as well as to edify. And Hernandez, as is Lozano, is no stranger to ethnographic research.

Also, both assert that cloning is impossible and impractical. “Some of the village dances last three days, maybe, or others use fireworks,” Lozano, the 33-year-old company’s founder, director and choreographer, said through an interpreter during a recent phone interview from Mexico City.

Still, particularly as the troupe is an official representative of the Mexican government, its work “has to be genuine,” Lozano said, “as close as possible to the original thing.”

Lozano’s first exposure to the original thing came as a child.

“My father was a great lover of Mexican culture,” she said, “and I traveled a lot with the family and got the taste and love for its folk dances and activities.”

Later--after studying ballet, modern and Mexican folk dance at the State University of Mexico--she went back on the road “to be with the people and investigate what they do and why they do it and how they do it.”

But does doing the right thing mean sacrificing foot-stomping vitality? Lozano’s troupe, which tours internationally and has visited the United States 25 times, has been praised by one Times critic for its “valuable insights on Mexican regional style. The variety and integrity of Mexican traditions became not just the structure but the primary focus of the performance,” Lewis Segal wrote in 1990.

But the company “usually inspires no deep feeling,” Segal added, describing its work as “sedate . . . folklorico without salsa.”

Lozano rebutted the criticism with a reminder of the intentional “serenity” or “sense of ritual” in certain Mexican dances. “People sometimes forget about this,” she said. She flatly denied that lively dances meant to stir the blood, such as those from the state of Jalisco, come across as anything less than exhilarating.

“If somebody can stay cold (or unmoved) when they see Jalisco, they must be dead,” she said with a laugh.

B allet Folclorico Nacional de Mexico performs today at 2 and 8 p.m. at the Irvine Barclay Theatre, 4242 Campus Drive, Irvine. Tickets: $14 to $20. Information: (714) 854-4646.