At mysterious and unspecified times of the year here in San Felipe, Baja, Mexico, often found in the itinerary of some cyclic fiesta, one can find something called folkloric dancing. If you are lucky enough to be in town for such an event, you'll witness the spectacle of young Mexican men and women dressed in wonderfully colorful garb. They'll mount the stage assembled for the occasion, invariably at the foot of Calzada Chetumál, and with lowered heads wait for the first throaty unoiled flourish to leap from the Clydesdale-sized speakers. Instantly the coiled springs of their legs come to life and the stage rattles and thumps to the footloose frenzy of their capers. Dress hems scallop the air and arms reach for the blue vault of the sky. Knees bend and boot heels stamp a tattoo on the wooden deck. Hands rest with thumbs hooked on sun-gleamed belt buckles while hips and legs perform a complex geometry of motion. Paper fans unaccordion at a flick of a wrist and follow the whirling movements at the end of slender arms as a Mexican reel unwinds like a birthday ribbon from the big speakers.

This April 23, 2004, dancing troupes selected from high schools that hailed from all over the state of Baja converged on the Malecón for a festival that spun a bouquet of lively music and color for a gathered audience of hundreds. Below are some pictures of the entertainment. Enjoy.

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