Show takes place at the Jo Long Theatre at the Carver Community Cultural Center

BALLET NEPANTLA will perform “Valentina” in San Antonio as part of a 9-city Texas tour that runs February 21 – March 5. Fans and followers of this New York City-based dance company can experience a story ballet that highlights the role of women during Revolutionary Mexico.

“Valentina” delves into themes of wealth and power, hope and despair, and the struggle women embodied during a period of extraordinary tumult. BALLET NEPANTLA’S world-class dancers use innovative choreography and exquisite costume design to tell evocative stories of soldaderas who experienced tremendous loss, and yet fought to maintain family, dignity and honor. The performance fuses traditional ballet folklórico with contemporary ballet that hits at the heartstrings of people from all cultures. “Valentina” embraces experiences on both sides of the borderland and celebrates the culture and history of immigrants and Latinx people.

BALLET NEPANTLA was founded by Texas native Andrea Guajardo and Mexican born Martin Rodriguez.

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Andrea was born and raised in South Texas where she began her training in ballet and folkloric dance at the Dancentre of Edinburg. At 17, she moved to New York City to study at the Ailey School and Fordham University where she earned a BFA in dance. Upon graduating in 2013, she joined Momix and toured across the world until 2017, when she founded Ballet Nepantla. Martin is originally from Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico. As co-founder, choreographer, and dancer, Martin brings in-depth knowledge and vast experiences of the traditional dances of Mexico.

The complete list of dancers include:

Andrea Guajardo from Edinburg, TX
Martin Rodriguez from Guadalajara, Jalisco, MX

Anthony Bocconi from Brooklyn, NY
Maricarmen Betancourt from Los Angeles, CA
Brizaida García from Palmview, TX
Guadalupe Garza from Edinburg, TX 
Maria Gracia Perez from Lima, Peru
Sarah Gresik from Bolingbrook, IL
Francesca Iannelli from McAllen, TX 
Jorge Naranjo born in Guadalajara, Mexico and raised in California’s Central Valley

Erick Perales from Pharr, TX
Dan Westfield from McAllen, TX

BALLET NEPANTLA’S performance of “Valentina” in San Antonio takes place March 5 at the Jo Long Theatre for the Performing Arts at the Carver Community Cultural Center. Tickets are on sale now at ticketmaster.com, the Alamodome and the Carver Community Cultural Center Box Office M-F, 8 am – 4 pm at 226 N. Hackberry. For information call 210-207-2234.

BALLET NEPANTLA’S “Valentina” is presented by the Latino Foundation of the San Antonio Area Foundation. The Latino Foundation’s mission is to enhance Latino economic, cultural, civic and philanthropic leadership. Additional support is provided by the Esperanza Peace and Justice Center, the Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center, the Instituto Cultural de Mexico, Texas Public Radio, Telemundo, KEDA Radio and Westside Sol Newspaper.

BALLET NEPANTLA’S Texas tour includes 13 performances starting February 21 on the following dates:

Mon., Feb. 21 – Granville Arts Center, Garland, TX (Private shows for Garland ISD)

Tues., Feb. 22 – Dallas College Mountain View Campus Theater, Dallas, TX (Public Show)

Wed., Feb. 23 – Dallas College Mountain View Campus Theater, Dallas, TX (Private Student Show)

Fri., Feb. 25 – San Marcos High School Performing Arts Center, San Marcos, TX (Free Public Show at 6 PM)

Sat., Feb. 26 – Austin ISD Performing Arts Center, Austin, TX (Public Show at 6 PM)

Sun., Feb. 27 – WEBB CISD Performing Arts Center, Bruni, TX (Public Show at 5 PM)

Mon., Feb. 28 – Los Fresnos High School, Los Fresnos, TX (Public Show at 7 PM)

Tues., Mar. 1 – University of Texas – Rio Grande Valley Performing Arts Center, Edinburg, TX (Private Show/Gear UP)

Wed., Mar. 2 – University of Texas – Rio Grande Valley Performing Arts Center, Edinburg, TX (Private Show/Gear UP)

Fri., Mar. 4 – Texas A&M Performing Arts Theater, Laredo, TX (Public Show at 7 PM)

Sat., Mar. 5 – Jo Long Theatre for the Performing Arts at the Carver, San Antonio, TX (Public Show at 8 PM)

For those of you who can attend one of the public shows, it’s absolutely worth seeing!!!! This is a phenomenal show spearheaded by award-winning choreographer Andrea Guajardo. This is a show that captures stories of our Mexican heritage and one that represents the very best of our Latino culture.

“This is a very exciting tour for us because it’s the 5th anniversary of Ballet Nepantla and the largest tour in the history of our company,” says Andrea Guajaro, founder and artistic director of Ballet Nepantla. “We’ll be performing for a combined audience of nearly 10,000 people in 13 shows – some that are private and some that are public. The tour will be ending in San Antonio which is like a second home to us because this is where we put together our newest show “Mística” which we’ll be touring with next year. Thanks to the support of the Latino Foundation of San Antonio and to all of the folks who have made this entire tour possible,” she added. 

Mariachi aficionados will especially appreciate the fabulous music selection with recordings of “Valentina,” “Mi Ranchito,” “Coronelas,” “Juana Gallo,” “Michuacan” and other popular Revolutionary songs.

THIS IS HIGHLY RECOMMENDED and a MUST SEE EVENT!!!!!!! Hope to see you in San Antonio or at any one of these shows during the tour! Here’s a direct link to purchase tickets for the San Antonio show: https://www.ticketmaster.com/ballet-nepantla-san-antonio-texas-03-05-2022/event/3A005C3C80AD1CE3

Visit BalletNepantla.com for more information.

CONTACT: Cynthia Muñoz at 210 860-9633 or Grace Smelser at 210 316-5894 for more information.