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HISTORY

Since its inception, the Colombian Folkloric Ballet® (CFB), a non-profit tax-exempt organization under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, has been actively promoting the Colombian culture throughout the United States. The CFB has been officially recognized as the most authentic expression of the Colombian folklore in the United States. As such, it has staged numerous concerts in reputable auditoriums of many American cities. The CFB was formed in 1983 by the Honorable Eberto Amador, then Consul of Colombia in Houston, to disseminate and preserve the Colombian culture among the youth of the growing Colombian community of the Greater Houston Area. Through education and performance of folkloric ballet, CFB’s mission is to create an open forum of cultural exchange and dispel the myths and misconceptions that surround the image of Colombia. The CFB has been operating in Houston for the past twenty four years. It provides training in folkloric and classical ballet and modern dance. Its directors and instructors assist youth in developing self-esteem by providing an attractive, drug-free, abuse-free, nourishing forum for personal and community growth, using dance as a catalyst. In addition to its regular cultural and educational programs, the CFB grants college tuition scholarships for the professional advancement of Hispanic students of the Houston area.

The CFB has brought from Colombia numerous well-known artists as visiting choreographers and dancers to help stage its two-hour vivid folkloric performance entitled “Mi Colombia” (formerly, "Colombia, A Land of Contrast"). Visiting choreographers and dancers have included Jesus Antonio Lozano, Rosario Valest, Carlos Begglo, Tomas Devia, Jose Villalobos, and currently, Jairo Alberto Lastre. The CFB has also invited such musical groups as the Cumbiamba eNeYe, and companies such as the Ballet Santiago de Cali, and Ballet de Bogota. "Mi Colombia” has been performed in several major American cities and is presented with a renewed repertoire annually at the Houston’s Hobby Center for the Performing Arts. Through dances, song, and sounds, the spectator is visually transported to the five different regions of the Colombian folklore: the Andes, the Atlantic Coast, the Eastern Plains, the Pacific Coast, and the Amazons.

CFB actively trains at-risk Harris and adjacent county youth through its, after-school hours, training sessions. These talented dancers would otherwise not receive the opportunity to train under a professional environment if the CFB did not provide the free training for them. CFB directors and instructors assist youth in developing self-esteem by providing an attractive, drug-free, abuse-free, nourishing forum for personal and community growth, using dance as a catalyst. Furthermore, the CFB provides many performance opportunities for its dancers to demonstrate their enhancements through their training many times throughout the year.

Active year-round, CFB provides 12 hours per week of free professional intensive training in folkloric dance as well as classical ballet and modern dances to approximately 30 gifted youth from different ethnic backgrounds of the multicultural communities of Houston. The CFB also takes its dancers regularly to performances of the Houston Ballet and Broadway musicals to further enhance their training in the arts. The majority of the CFB dancers are college and high school students. That is why we do not only believe in enhancing our dancers artistically, or in only teaching the Colombian culture to them, rather we like to provide many dimensions of development by also encouraging community service and unity which we believe will have a greater positive influence in Houston youth. Whether it is going to an Elementary School in HISD to amaze children, parents and teachers with our performances or by providing scholarships to many well deserving student hopefuls, or even by providing free professional training to talented dancers who would otherwise not be capable of paying for personal instruction, we follow through with our mission.

In addition to its regular dance performances, CFB also presents workshops at high schools, colleges, universities, churches and community centers to acquaint the Greater Houston community, its visitor, and tourists with the music, dance, costumes, crafts, food and traditions of the Colombian culture.

Although the majority of the dances belong to the Colombian repertoire, CFB also performs dances from other Latin American countries that do not have representation in the numerous folkloric festivals in the Houston area. In keeping with its mission to create an open forum for cultural exchange, CFB, in addition to Colombians, has members from different nationalities including th USA, Spain, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, Argentina, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Nicaragua, Bolivia and El Salvador

 

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