Off the Streets and Onto the Dance Floor

Maria de la Luz Ruiz Milan, or Lucy Ruiz as she is known around town, mixes lessons on heritage with foot-stomping moves and mariachi music at her Mexican folkloric dance classes.

The free classes are her contribution to the fight against street gangs, violence and drugs faced by young students in their neighborhoods.

“Dancing gives these kids, most of whom come from families who cannot afford to pay to enroll their children in after-school sports leagues or other activities, a chance to stay away from the streets and drugs,” said Ruiz, 43.

Ruiz, her husband, Roberto, and their two young children came to the U.S. from Mexico in 1989. In Mexico, she was a schoolteacher and dance instructor.

In Fullerton, she said she noticed many Mexican American children she encountered knew little or nothing about their heritage. Three years ago, she rounded up some kids and began teaching Mexican folkloric dance classes.

Each dance she teaches is accompanied by a history lesson about the region it comes from and the people who live there. “I don’t want these kids to be embarrassed of being Mexican,” Ruiz said. “Their heritage shows in their faces. It’s something you cannot deny, and we should be proud of our roots.”

Her group, Xochipitzahuatl, which means “newborn flower” in the ancient Aztec Indian language of Nahuatl, performs for free at charitable functions, museums and schools. Last month the group marked its third anniversary with an elaborate show at Nicolas Junior High, where Ruiz teaches class after school.

The performance included all 16 pupils dressed in traditional performance attire presenting dances from the Mexican states of Michoacan, Oaxaca, Jalisco, Veracruz and Tamaulipas. The dances ranged from the fast-paced jarabe tapatio of Jalisco to the danza de los viejitos of Michoacan, in which the dancers portray old people who shed their canes and begin intricate moves.

Ruiz’s students received thunderous applause for the production. But more importantly, they said, they felt a great dose of self-worth and pride.

“I feel so happy when I dance,” said Edith Torres, 10. “Lucy teaches us the dances and why we do them, so I’m learning a lot about my own background.”

Ruiz raises money to buy material for her students’ ornate costumes by having their parents make and sell tamales, hot chocolate and paper flowers. Some parents also donate $15 a month to help Ruiz pay the annual $1,600 in insurance she is required to provide for renting the school.

Emma King, a social worker at the Maple Community Center, called Ruiz a “wonderful and committed woman who is not only teaching dance but values of the Hispanic culture.”

“Everything that Lucy does is for the children,” King said.