Entertainment · Books & Arts · 10 hrs ago
Viviana Álvarez carries on her family’s work at Mexico’s folk ballet
Viviana Álvarez is the third generation of her family at the Ballet Folklórico de México, the company her grandmother founded in 1952.
Her mother, Viviana Basanta, is its artistic director, while Álvarez serves as deputy artistic director and public relations director.
She grew up watching the company’s founder and danced in work choreographed by her grandmother and mother.
Álvarez studied folk dance and arts education, as well as international relations and human rights.
She sees cultural diplomacy as a way for nations to learn about one another, linking her studies to her work with the company.
She also travels to document local celebrations and dances, including this year in Michoacán and Temascalcingo, where she recorded the Dance of the Old Men of Corpus Christi.
Viviana Álvarez is the third generation of her family to help lead the Ballet Folklórico de México.
She is the company’s deputy artistic director and director of public relations.
Her grandmother, Amalia Hernández, founded the ballet in 1952, and her mother, Viviana Basanta, is its artistic director.
Álvarez studied folk dance, arts education, international relations and human rights.
This year, she documented celebrations in Michoacán and Temascalcingo, including the Dance of the Old Men of Corpus Christi.
- Who
- Viviana Álvarez, deputy artistic director and director of public relations of the Ballet Folklórico de México.
- What
- She is continuing her family’s work at the folk ballet and documenting dances and celebrations that inform its repertoire.
- When
- The article was published on October 24, 2026; it says she travelled to celebrations “this year.
- Where
- Mexico, including Michoacán and Temascalcingo.
- Why
- She travels to document the celebrations and dances that contribute to the company’s repertoire.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Amalia Hernández founded the Ballet Folklórico de México.
Álvarez travelled to celebrations in Michoacán and Temascalcingo and documented the Dance of the Old Men of Corpus Christi.
- Founder
- Amalia Hernández
- Founded
- 1952
- Artistic director
- Viviana Basanta
- Álvarez’s roles
- Deputy artistic director and director of public relations
- Places visited this year
- Michoacán and Temascalcingo
- Dance documented
- Dance of the Old Men of Corpus Christi
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