ballet folklorico quetzalcoatl celebrates folk dances from mexico`s

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Press contacts:
Jay Kelly, LCWA
Jim Jarvis, Paramount Theatre
[email protected] or 312.565.4623
[email protected] or 630.723.2474
BALLET FOLKLORICO QUETZALCOATL CELEBRATES
FOLK DANCES FROM MEXICO’S DIFFERENT REGIONS
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 31 AT AURORA’S PARAMOUNT THEATRE
Ballet Folklorico Quetzalcoatl. Click ParamountAurora.com/press kits to download hi-res. AURORA, IL, August 28, 2015 – It’s a fall tradition in the Fox Valley to honor the area’s rich Mexican
culture with an annual performance by Ballet Folklorico Quetzalcoatl on the stage of downtown
Aurora’s majestic Paramount Theatre.
Watch the stage come to life with an amazing pageant of dazzling costumes, infectious music and
energetic traditional folklore dance numbers found in the villages of Mexico’s different regions,
Saturday, October 31 at 7 p.m. Tickets are $25 and $28 for adults, $18 and $20 for children 12 and
under. The Paramount Theatre is located at 23 E. Galena Blvd. in Aurora. For tickets and information,
go to ParamountAurora.com, call the Paramount box office, (630) 896-6666, or visit the box
office Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., or two hours prior to evening performances.
Feel your spirits rise and eyes light up as Ballet Folklorico Quetzalcoatl shares an important piece of
their wonderful culture. Based in Aurora, this celebrated Mexican folk dance troupe has been
delighting audiences for over 30 years throughout Illinois and as far as Mexico with colorful
costumes, wonderful music and electrifying, beautiful choreography.
The troupe is led by director and choreographer Juan Manuel “Nery” Cruz, from San Luis Potosi,
Mexico. According to Nery, the group was originally formed to meet a need – the need to preserve
the most important aspects of the Mexican culture, the folkloric dance. Every year, Nery travels to
San Luis, Mexico to polish his skills by taking lessons to learn new steps and dances from the
country’s different regions. Throughout the year, he teaches his students these steps and dances
that debut during the group's annual fall performance at the Paramount.
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Paramount presents Ballet Folklorico Quetzalcoatl 10.31 – pg 2 of 3
The meaning of “Quetzalcoatl,” originating from the ancient Mexican and northern Central
American civilizations, literally means Quetzal-bird snake or serpent with feathers of Quetzal (which
implies something divine or precious) in Nahuatl Language. Quetzalcoatl was the god of wisdom of
the ancient primitive Mexicans, a god of the air or a sun-god and a benefactor of their race who
instructed them in the use of agriculture and metals. For more about Ballet Folklorico Quetzalcoatl,
visit bfquetzalcoatl.org.
More about Paramount Theatre’s 2015-16 Season
In addition to Ballet Folklorico Quetzalcoatl, Paramount’s 2015-16 season is anchored by its Broadway
musical series: Oklahoma , directed by Jim Corti (Sept. 16-Oct. 18); A Christmas Story – The
Musical (Nov. 25-Jan. 3), directed by Nick Bowling, Hairspray – The Broadway Musical , directed
by Amber Mak (Jan. 20-Feb. 21) and West Side Story, directed by Jim Corti (Mar. 16-Apr. 24).
Paramount is still offering the same great “Buy Two Shows, Get Two Shows Free” subscription offer,
with four-play packages starting as low as just $82. The rewards are ample – four amazing, Broadwayquality, classic American musicals at one of the most majestic theaters in the Midwest, all for the price
of one show downtown. Subscriber benefits include the best seats, free ticket exchange privileges, 10%
discounts on additional shows at the Paramount, first notice of added shows, special subscriber events
and exclusive access to our Broadway Series Premium Guest Experience (including pre-show hors
d’oeuvres, open bar and private intermission bar service.)
In addition to its Broadway series, Paramount’s 2015-16 season also boasts Chicago front man and
solo vocalist Peter Cetera (Sept. 4), The Duke Ellington Orchestra (Sept. 5), Chicago’s own Jersey
Boys Under the Streetlamp (Oct. 25), Jay Leno (Oct. 30), Jack Hanna’s Into the Wild Live!
(Nov. 1), star of A&E’s hit Paranormal State The Happy Medium – Kim Russo (Nov. 6), comedian
and impressionist Frank Caliendo (Nov. 7), Peter & Paul of the legendary folk trio Peter, Paul &
Mary (Nov. 8), country music hunk Josh Turner (Nov. 12), comedian and ventriloquist Terry Fator
(Nov. 13), Mannheim Steamroller Christmas by Chip Davis (Nov. 14), The Second City’s
Holidazed and Confused Revue (Dec. 4-20, in Paramount’s Copley Theatre), STOMP (Feb. 26 &
27), I Gotta Right to Sing the Blues (A Salute to Ella Fitzgerald, Judy Garland and Patsy
Cline) (Feb. 28), Queen cover geniuses God Save the Queen (Mar. 5 and Donny & Marie (May 2529). Classic Movie Mondays are back too, with $1 screenings of everyone’s favorite flicks most
Monday nights.
For subscriptions, single tickets or more information, go to ParamountAurora.com, call
(630) 896-6666, or stop by the Paramount Theatre, 23 E. Galena Blvd. in Aurora.
Paramount’s 2015-16 Broadway Series is sponsored by the Dunham Fund, BMO Harris Bank and
Paramount Arts Centre Endowment (PACE). Broadway Series Orchestra Sponsor is Rush-Copley.
Broadway Series Lighting Sponsor is ComEd. Broadway Series Costume Sponsor is Gerald Subaru.
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Paramount presents Ballet Folklorico Quetzalcoatl 10.31 – pg 3 of 3
About The Paramount Theatre
The Paramount Theatre is the center for performing arts, entertainment and arts education in Aurora,
the second largest city in Illinois. Named "One of Chicago's Top 10 Attended Theatres" by the League
of Chicago Theatres, the 1,888-seat Paramount Theatre, located in the heart of downtown Aurora at 23
E. Galena Blvd., is nationally renowned for the quality and caliber of its presentations, superb acoustics
and historic beauty.
The Paramount Theatre opened on September 3, 1931. Designed by nationally renowned theater
architects C.W. and George L. Rapp, the theater captures a unique Venetian setting portrayed in the art
deco influence of the 1930s. The first air-conditioned building outside of Chicago, the Paramount
offered the public a variety of entertainment, including "talking pictures," vaudeville, concerts and
circus performances for more than 40 years. In 1976, Aurora Civic Center Authority purchased the
Paramount and closed the theater for restoration. The $1.5 million project restored the Paramount to
its original grandeur. On April 29, 1978, the Paramount Arts Center opened, offering a variety of
theatrical, musical, comedy, dance and family programming. In 2006, a 12,000-square-foot, two-story
Grand Gallery lobby was added, with a new, state-of-the-art box office, café and art gallery.
Today, the Paramount produces its own Broadway Musical series, presents an eclectic array of comedy,
music, dance and family shows, and on most Mondays, screens a classic movie. For tickets and
information, go to ParamountAurora.com or call (630) 896-6666.
The Paramount Theatre is one of three live performance venues programmed and managed by the
Aurora Civic Center Authority (ACCA). ACCA also oversees the Paramount’s “sister” stage, the intimate,
173-seat Copley Theatre located directly across the street from the Paramount at 8 E. Galena Blvd., as
well as RiverEdge Park, downtown Aurora’s summer outdoor concert venue.
The Paramount Theatre continues to expand its artistic and institutional boundaries under the
guidance of Tim Rater, President and CEO, Aurora Civic Center Authority; Jim Corti, Artistic Director,
Paramount Theatre; a dedicated Board of Trustees and a devoted staff of live theater and music
professionals.
For more information, visit ParamountAurora.com.
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