Presentation of National Day of Folklore show at the Narciso González Cultural Center

Presentation of National Day of Folklore show at the Narciso González Cultural Center
Santo Domingo, February 12, 2014

More than 100 children, youth, and adults participated and there were hundreds of people in attendance.

The Ministry of Culture, the Narciso González Cultural Center, the Teatro Popular Danzante Foundation, and the Institute for Development of the Arts, presented the show “Viviendo lo Nuestro”, on the occasion of the celebration of the National Day of Folklore. Admission to the event was free of charge.

In this opportunity, the show was dedicated to a glory of the national dance, teacher Marily Gallardo, for her contributions to the permanence of the Afro-Antillean roots. She received a plaque of recognition.

Other awards of the night went to Teacher Martha Beatriz Núñez, for supporting the development of dance; Pedro Julio Quezada, for his contributions to popular culture; José Encarnación (José Tambora), and Teacher Manuela Feliz for their more than two decades dedicated to teaching folkloric rhythms. All received plaques of recognition and the enthusiastic applause of the audience.

Xenia Rodríguez, from the Teatro Popular Danzante Foundation, and Luis de los Santos, Director of the Narciso González Center, and José Cuello, presented the awards.

The event opened with the presentation of popular songs such as “Caña Brava”, and then a polka, palo dance, machacó, and pasa pie were presented. One of the groups that caught the public’s attention was that of the Autonomous University of Santo Domingo (UASD), which presented a carabiné, pri-pri, and Gera Pega.

Teacher Gallardo, while giving thanks for the recognition received, appreciated the quality of the UASD Group in each of the performed numbers, and urged them to continue on the path of excellence.

The audience also applauded enthusiastically to the members of the Percussion Group of the Espacio de Coordinación de Guachupita.

The National Day of Folklore was established on February 10th, by decree 173-01, and the date was chosen because on that day in 1884, the word folklore was published for the first time in the Eco del Pueblo newspaper, of Santiago de Los Caballeros.