MILWAUKEE — As Hispanic Heritage Month continues, one student brought a piece of her culture to Marquette’s campus.

Maya Rodriguez is a junior at Marquette University. As someone who grew up dancing, she wanted to bring a piece of her culture to campus by rolling out a Baile Folklorico dance class.

Baile Folklorico is one of Mexico’s traditional dance styles. 

“It's directly related to our culture, language, and geography of Mexico,” said Rodriguez. “I want to make sure that this is accessible and available to anyone who would be interested.” 

She said she started this group with hopes that all would feel welcome to come learn about the dance. Classes are extra curricular and open to everyone on campus interested in learning. 

Footwork and step movements are important pieces of the dance, as are the costumes the men and women wear. 

For every different region in Mexico, they have a different style and each style comes with its own unique movements. Rodriguez said while the bright and colorful costumes are a very important piece for this dance, not everyone has access to them.

“Because they can be pretty expensive, we are going to try to fundraise and get grant proposals anywhere and everywhere that we can,” she said. “It’s really important to us that this dance and the sport can be accessible to anybody at any financial need that they are.” 

Luis Navarrete is a student on Marquette’s campus and joined the dance group. He said while this style is new to him, dance is something he’s very familiar with. 

“I always had a passion for dance,” said Navarrete. “So far, it's been a great journey to learn a whole new type of dance that I've never even attempted before.” 

Navarrete added that he’s happy to be a part of a group of growing students eager to learn. 

“Bringing my culture on campus and being able to educate others puts smile on my face and makes me proud of my culture and proud to be part of Marquette University,” he said. 

Rodriguez said she’s excited to have launched this dance program and hopes all students feel welcome to come get a taste of Mexico’s culture, while learning a new skill they can show off for days to come.