UTRGV alumna Jennifer Lozano has been accepted to the world-renowned professional dance company, Ballet Folklórico de México, which has won more than 200 awards for artistic achievement since its founding in 1952.
The Ballet Folklórico de México is a dance company in Mexico City. The company performs dances that represent the traditional culture of Mexico.
“It is known all across the world, all across the nation,” Lozano said. “It’s very prestigious.”
Lozano has been dancing for about 16 years. She first began when she was in middle school. Since then, she has been a part of dance companies, such as South Texas College Ballet Folklórico and UTRGV’s Ballet Folklórico.
She applied to join the Ballet Folklórico de México in October 2018.
They required her to provide pictures of her dancing and a résumé to provide information on her background.
“The process was pretty short,” Lozano said. “They have you next to other dancers in the company, I think, to compare you. [Then] they give you a piece that mostly everyone dances and they make you perform it one-by-one in front of the company members.”
Lozano was one of two people accepted into the company, out of about 400 who auditioned.
“[While auditioning,] I was nervous, but also prepared at the same time,” she said.
According to Lozano, her UTRGV professors gave her a good foundation to prepare for the audition process. They also helped give her the confidence needed to carry herself on stage.
UTRGV Dance Program Lecturer Miguel Peña began teaching Lozano three and a half years ago. According to Peña, since the beginning of his teachings, he could tell she would accomplish great things in her dance career.
Peña, along with the rest of the dance program staff and students, wish her the best in her future endeavors.
“[Her acceptance] is an honor for her and the whole company,” he said. “It’s not only her achievement, it’s a group achievement because she grew with the whole group and is also a wonderful dancer. I’m very proud of her. The director, the dance program and her teammates—everyone is very proud of her. We all wish her the best.”
Peña’s background includes ballet and modern dance, but he specializes in Mexican folk dance. He advises aspiring dancers to explore and master other styles of dance in order to become well-rounded individuals and to stand out from the competition.
“Right now, in the dance world, specifically in the Mexican folkloric dance world, if you make it professionally, these dance companies are not looking for just Mexican folklórico dancers, they are looking for a well-rounded dancer,” he said. “They have to be trained in jazz, ballet … and other [styles] to be able to make it professionally.”
Additionally, Peña encourages Lozano to stay motivated and keep striving for more greatness.
“I’m sure she is going to move up,” he said. “My advice would be to never give up and to always move forward and keep learning from everyone–directors, dancers, teachers–just don’t stop trying.”
Sara Sanchez, a folklórico director at Pharr-San Juan-Alamo Southwest Early College High School and at the Jaime Escalante and Kennedy middle schools, also taught Lozano.
“I met her in 2006, she was my first student, actually,” Sanchez said. “We went to a summer camp workshop together the summer before the semester began. She was an incoming freshman at Valley View High School.”
Sanchez recalls Lozano’s upbeat attitude and energy she carried through her dance.
“She was always just very positive about life and anything going on with anybody,” she said. “She always had a positive outlook and was always self-motivated to perform, learn and want to be in school.”
Lozano also considers herself to be self-driven.
“Something that inspires me is the [ability] to inspire others,” she said.
Sanchez commends Lozano for her achievement and all the growth she has experienced.
“I feel like a proud mom, I’m so excited for her,” Sanchez said. “I don’t have any children of my own, so my students are my children. What gives me joy [as a teacher] is seeing my students succeed, especially after being with me [from ninth to 12th grades].”
She wishes the best for Lozano in her upcoming projects and values being able to share the journey with her.
“I’m very proud to see her growth from when she was 14 years old,” Sanchez said. “It’s something very impressionable to see, not only the talent, but the person grow and still have the same motivation and drive to do what they love to do.”
