Danza Azteca parishioners join anniversary celebrations with traditional music and dances

Friday, Nov. 11, 2016

 HYDE PARK— As a form of honoring the Virgin of Guadalupe in Utah, a group of around 30 people called Danza Azteca performs at different religious celebrations at Saint Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church in Hyde Park.

“This is kind of a ministry,” said Claudia Corona, organizer of the group.

Macario Islas remembers that everything started when the parishioners asked Father Clarence Sandoval, who was then pastor, if they could do more to celebrate the Virgin Mary.

“”We used to just come and pray, so we asked Fr. Sandoval if we could started singing and dancing and making the celebration bigger,” said Islas.

So with the support and organization of Corona, Danza Azteca was born.

Danza Azteca has a diverse repertoire that includes indigenous music and dance traditions.

“Each step is like praying the rosary,” said Corona, emphasizing that the group performs to honor the Virgin Mary even more than to show ancestral customs. 

The Danza Azteca members are St. Thomas Aquinas parishioners, some as young as 3.

“We offered it as a symbol of our love and devotion to our Mother. … Some of us who have knee or leg problems see the dancing as a sacrifice that we do to praise our faith,” said Corona.

Such dancing is a centuries-old tradition among Mexican-Americans to honor Our Lady of Guadalupe, whose Dec. 12 feast day celebrations fall in the midst of the Advent season, when Catholics prepare to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ.

After practicing year-round, Danza Azteca also performs in festivals and at other places when they are invited, “but we try to stick to our parish community as much as we can,” said Corona.

Every year new people join the group, which welcomes anyone who wants to participate. The only requirement is to love Our Lady and “to want to honor her and give her recognition for all the intercessions that she does for us through dancing,” said Coronado.

With synchronized moves and almost hypnotic rhythm, the dancing’s purpose is spiritual. The Danza Azteca participants are faithful Catholics first and dancers second, said Corona

One of Danza Azteca’s upcoming performances will be during the celebration of the 75th anniversary of Saint Thomas Aquinas Parish. They have been rehearsing hard and inviting more parishioners who wish to join them in celebrating.

“They just need to have lots of faith and want to do it; it’s not a matter of perfection,” said Corona, adding that Hispanics like to profess and express their love to Our Lady. “It is not just a ritual. It is a way of telling her that we love her in a way that everyone can see it.”

This type of dance started back with the Aztec people of ancient Mexico, when they, through dance, worshipped the sun, which was considered a god. The dance starts with the  lighting of incense and offering it to the four cardinal points; after this the dancers start dancing.

Danza Azteca is distinguished from other traditional dance groups because men and women can participate at the same time in the dances.