Art In This Present Moment
Juana Garcia: Celebrating Cultural Traditions Through Dance
Dance can often be about getting lost in the music, but it also can be part of cultural traditions. For Juana (Jaynie) Garcia, dance is a way for her to connect to her Mexican heritage, introducing it to others in the city of Willmar.
When Jaynie moved to Willmar with her family as a child, she knew very little English but used the traditional folk dance of Ballet Folklorico to make friends. While in high school she created Ballet Folklorico de Willmar.
In 2023, she relaunched her high school group to make sure her children, the children of the original group and the children of the community have the opportunity to learn this traditional dance. Students currently include kids from ages three to 15 who can be found twirling bright colored skirts to classic mariachi music.
Funding from Art in This Present Moment has allowed Jaynie to purchase a generator for parades along with speakers and costumes for her students.
In the future Jaynie hopes to expand the dance group to more cities in the area, continuing the legacy she and her friends started.
“I was able to connect and expand with my culture within the community because the people here were open to see other cultures.”
Juana (Jaynie) Garcia
About the Organization
Little Theatre Auditorium is an artist-led nonprofit organization working to amplify the storytelling of artists from immigrant communities and those who identify as BIPOC and LGBTQIA+. Based in New London, Minnesota, Little Theatre is part of a rural cultural movement to welcome and support growing diversity in the community.
Art In This Present Moment
This project is part of Art in This Present Moment, an initiative of the Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation. We provided grants to three Minnesota-based nonprofit organizations to fund work by BIPOC artists who are changing and challenging dominant narratives through their craft.
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