Carlos Ramirez-Araujo

DanzTrad looks forward to International Festival performance

“When you learn about other cultures, you gain a better understanding of the people who live in Madison.”

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If you haven’t had a chance to get away yet this year, Overture Center’s International Festival may be your ticket to global adventure. On Saturday, March 19 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Overture Center will showcase the music, dances, artwork and cuisines of more than 30 cultures. While watching free performances, sampling tasty cuisines and shopping the international market, you may forget you’re actually in Madison.

“The festival environment and vibe are amazing,” said Carlos Ramirez-Araujo, artistic director of DanzTrad. “Interacting with the various groups is like getting to know another country and culture. There’s music, food, performances, everything under one roof.”

Ramirez-Araujo and DanzTrad will be performing traditional Mexican dances at the festival.

DanzTrad, formed in September 2013, aims to promote Mexican culture, music and traditions. The idea to create the dance group stemmed from a conversation between Ramirez-Araujo and a few fellow dancers at Kanopy Dance Company.

“We dreamed of a cultural center where kids could learn traditional Mexican dance,” said Ramirez-Araujo.

Passionate about dancing, Ramirez-Araujo invited his friends to dance to Mexican music with him. They began creating programs and costumes, and soon they were presenting their Mexican dances at local events.

In 2014, DanzTrad was invited to perform at Overture’s International Festival for the first time.

“Being invited to International Festival was really great,” said Ramirez-Araujo. “It gave our group recognition and exposure, helped us connect with others and build our network, and led to more presentations throughout the community,”

For this year’s festival performance, DanzTrad will present three dances―an Aztec dance with drums; an ethnic dance from North Mexico, “The Deer Dance,” a ceremonial dance representing good and evil; and a Central Mexico dance with machetes. About 15 dancers, both kids and adults, will perform.

Ramirez-Araujo, who used to work in Mexican theater, builds many of the costumes himself, such as the head dresses, and the rest of the costumes are purchased from Mexico.

DanzTrad has been practicing in space provided by the Madison Youth Arts Center, where the group also offers dance classes for kids and adults.

“The dances take a lot of practice, depending on the elements,” said Ramirez-Araujo. “We present a song where the dancers balance trays with bottles on their head while standing on a 20-inch square platform. Such a dance takes six months of practice to master.”

After two years of “unknowns and uncertainties” caused by the pandemic, Ramirez-Araujo is excited for DanzTrad to start performing again, especially at International Festival.

“I like the people at International Festival, backstage and in the audience, who get close and learn about the culture,” said Ramirez-Araujo. “Seeing that brings me happiness.”

Overall, DanzTrad’s primary goal is to share the Mexican culture through dance, not just to the Mexican community but to all communities.

“When you learn about other cultures, you gain a better understanding of the people who live in Madison,” said Ramirez-Araujo. “Our goal is to get a little bit closer to the community, using Mexican dance as an element to do so.”

Ramirez-Araujo noted he is grateful to Overture Center for the opportunity to perform at International Festival and to the sponsors who make this event possible.

“Everybody in Madison and surrounding communities should come to International Festival,” he said. “It’s a unique experience, fun for everybody!”

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