LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Music and dance are a critical part of Latino culture. This Hispanic Heritage Month, anchor Abel Garcia has a closer look at what one local dance group is doing to bring back the traditions of their Mexican ancestors.
DANZA AZTECA
"This is a dance that originally came from our ancestors, a way that they would thank the gods," says Leonardo Hernandez, Founder of the local dance group Danza Azteca Quetzaltzin.
From their beautiful feathered outfits to the sounds of their sonajas and rattles around their ankles, the group follows the same rituals and traditions of their Mexican ancestors, performing at events throughout Las Vegas.
"Dancing makes you feel good because you are connecting with everything, and you are bringing back your roots," says Hernandez.
He says each dance tells a story, helping keep a part of Mexican culture alive.
"We want to teach kids to keep going with our roots, what our ancestors, what our grandparents, what our parents used to do," says Hernandez.
He goes on to say, "So they can keep it going, and we can continue to do it for generations."
FOR GENERATIONS
Hernandez says that is why he started the dance group made up of more than two dozen dancers, ages ranging from as young as 8 to 55 years old.
"What I have been trying to do is show my kids, my daughters, where I was raised. Where we come from," says Hernandez.
One of his daughters, Melissa Hernandez, has been performing Aztec dances for nearly 17 years.
She says she has a passion for exposing the Las Vegas community to her Mexican roots.
"Does this make you proud to be Mexican when you are out there dancing and doing what our ancestors did?" asks Abel.
"Oh definitely, 100%. A lot of Mexicans or Hispanic culture gets a bad rep sometimes. But never in my life have I been ashamed," says Melissa.
Many of these dances are popular during holiday celebrations. Melissa says the dances express appreciation for nature and for life.
SHARING HERITAGE
"When you are dancing Cumbia or Salsa, you are following the music. You're enjoying it. But when you are dancing this, it comes from inside," says Melissa.
She says as a descendant, she hopes to share her heritage with many more generations to come.
"In the Hispanic culture, I see dancing as just a way of life; the colors, the feathers, the music, the drums. Everything is expressing how fortunate we are," says Melissa.
