DANCE REVIEW : ‘Quetzali’s’ Fun Is Infectious

One of the nicest things about the Bren Events Center at UC Irvine is that, whether the presentation is a dance concert or a basketball game, the snack-bar menu remains the same.

The edible booty can, moreover, be conveyed directly into the gym-cum-auditorium. And a substantial number of audience members attending Sunday evening’s Bren Center presentation of Ballet Folklorico “Quetzali” de Veracruz arrived at their seats equipped with hot dogs, popcorn and nachos. They were prepared to have fun, and the high-spirited “Quetzali” troupe appeared to more than meet that expectation.

Based in Jalapa, a city in the Mexican coastal state of Veracruz, this is a small troupe composed of 14 dancers and five musicians. Compared to the larger Mexico City-based folk dance companies, “Quetzali’s” means are modest. But whatever dazzle it may lack is offset by the young performers’ considerable technique and the obvious pleasure they take in displaying those skills.

Under the artistic direction of Hugo Betancourt-Morales and Rosalinda Perez-Caiceros, the company purports to present authentic dances from five different Mexican states. While this is undoubtedly the case, for a non-Latin viewer any educational intent or geographical distinctions were most often subsumed by an exuberant blur of swirling skirts and stomping feet.

What “Quetzali”--the term refers to a Central American bird that, unable to survive in captivity, has become a symbol of liberty--does best is entertain.

The company directors appear to understand the power of personality. Their dancers playfully interact with both the audience and each other in ways that had the substantial crowd whooping and whistling. The musicians, unusually prominent in the “Quetzali” presentation, also commanded a share of the general adulation. Featuring the superbly intricate harp work of Jose Manuel Vasquez Dominguez, this quintet of singers and instrumentalists performed with an infectious intensity and pleasure that matched, and at times even exceeded, the brio of their dancing counterparts.

It was only when the troupe attempted to be solemn that it faltered. In the ritualistic “Ceremonial of New Fire in Totonacapan,” the Sun God in his plumed headpiece and gold lame loin cloth seemed miserably uncomfortable as did his courtiers--who sported copper-toned papier--mache shields--and a choir of women in striped tunics who wandered across the stage in intermittent and mystifying processionals.

This detour was, however, soon forgotten. The women re-emerged in lovely billowing skirts and the men followed in a “Day of the Dead” shenanigan that included masks and cross-dressing. “Quetzali” was delightfully back on track.