ÃÛÌÒµ¼º½

‘I’m excited to see my fellow dancers shine’

I grew up in the Mission District in San Francisco, where Día de los Muertos was everywhere. My family always built an altar together—we actually keep ours up all year to celebrate the people who shaped us. In fourth grade, my elementary school had a celebration, and that was the first time I danced folklórico. When I came to ÃÛÌÒµ¼º½ and saw the club, I thought, maybe it’s time to start again, and it’s been such a really cool experience.

There are so many regional dances from Mexico, and generally, our club focuses on beginner-friendly dances that still carry a lot of meaning. For our Día de los Muertos performances, we always do machetes, which is simple, having only three or four steps, but still powerful. We do viejitos, a dance from Michoacán, which has dancers wearing the mask of an old man. We perform bruja, where we wear battery-powered candles on headbands, bringing this beautiful light and a spooky vibe into the dance. This year, we’re adding negra, which I’ve never done before, so I’m excited to learn alongside everyone else. It looks like we’ll have around 25 dancers this year.

Camino de los Muertos is so special to our community. It’s a time to honor those we’ve lost while also celebrating life together. My family is finally able to come this year—my parents, my grandma, my aunt and uncle—so it will feel like a big reunion. I’ll be honoring my grandpa and my aunt, who always brought our family together for gatherings and celebrations. More than anything, I’m excited to see my fellow dancers shine in their first big performance of the year and to share our culture with everyone who comes. Come see us perform at the SCDI courtyard—we’ll be the first performance of the night!