Born in Coyuca de Catalan, Magaly Flores hails from Mexico, a country rich in dance, music, and food.
Inspired by her brothers who dance the traditional Son and ‘Tierra Caliente,’ Magaly studied ballet, folklore, and contemporary dance in Michuacan, Zitacuaro. This was the start of her journey, eventually going on to graduate as a Teacher of Arts Education before moving to England in 1989.
Now, Magaly performs with her dance company, Colibri Mexican Folk Dance, and attends ID-MAC symposiums whenever she travels home to Mexico, learning more about the traditions of indigenous dance cultures and the communities that have looked after them.
With the marrying of traditional and contemporary dance, Magaly continues to create beautiful choreography in Manchester, whilst aiming to respect the traditional genres, encouraging her dance group to wear clothes hand embroidered by the women of Chilanga.
Director of Colibri Mexican Folkdance UK, Magaly Flores, is a researcher, choreographer, educationalist, and dancer based in Manchester, UK. Born in Coyuca de Catalan, a small town in the Guerrero state of Mexico, her father’s job meant her family moved every three years around the country, allowing her mother to take Magaly to visit many different towns and indigenous communities to learn about the diverse cultures of Mexico.
This instilled in her a passion for her culture, including the rich music, dance, and gastronomy she learned about as a child.
There is a rich diversity of dances and traditions throughout Mexico where culture is deeply rooted within its society. During her childhood, Magaly spent time in Huamuxtitlan, in the high mountains of Guerrero, where she learned many dances including several that feature the jaguar, a tradition that is hundreds of years old and continues to be danced today. On the South Coast, dances called ‘Las Chilenas,’ entranced her, a dance where they dance, handkerchief in hand, accompanied by extremely percussive rhythms. Traditions that are hundreds of years old are still being continued today through dances such as ‘Las Chilenas,’ which represent elements of Chilean tap.
In Coyuca, Guerrero, they dance ‘Son,’ and ‘El Gusto,’ which are very difficult tap dances, very different from other styles in Guerrero. Magaly’s brothers were traditional dancers of ‘Son,’ and ‘Tierra Caliente,’ which encouraged her to study dance. At eleven, Magaly attended an academy of dance in Michoacán, Zitacuaro, where she was taught ballet, folk and contemporary dance. Despite being “too old for ballet”, this was the base that formed her as a dancer. In those days it was very hard to study dance outside of Mexico City and so Magaly considers herself very lucky to have trained there. Following this Magaly joined the National Institute of Fine Arts and graduated as a Teacher of Arts Education specialising in Dance. Whilst she was there she developed her technique in traditional and contemporary dance and went on to join a contemporary dance company.
Magaly arrived in England in 1989, leaving her young dance group and job in the regional Museum of Anthropology and History, where she was a cultural education promoter. She quickly connected with the Mexican Embassy to ensure she could continue to produce and promote Mexican dance and in May 2016 Magaly formed the Colibri Mexican Folkdance UK company.
She has gained an esteemed reputation for beautifully choreographed and meaningful representation of her Cultural heritage, through dance as well as the detailed research and presentation of the rich diversity of Mexico’s traditional dress.
Magaly is constantly connected to her culture as a researcher, attending symposiums of ID-MAC (The Institute of Research and Conservation of Mexican Dance) in Mexico where she always travels to continue to learn about the many cultural traditions of her beloved Mexico, allowing her to understand and respect the indigenous dances and the culture of Mexico’s indigenous communities and how they have continued to look after them through the years.
Two major highlights in the long trajectory of her rich and varied career are graduating from the National Institute of Fine Arts, where she developed a clear understanding of the responsibility to share her culture and traditions through dance, and when her dance company, Colibri, took part in a procession as part of the Manchester Festival, wearing Atuendo Acateca, traditional embroidered outfits made by embroiderers from Acatlan.
The women are always dressed in the most vibrant outfits in their community, though unfortunately, it is no longer safe for Magaly to visit due to problems with narco-trafficking. However, she was able to get the embroiders from the area to make her a series of traditional hand-embroidered dresses for the dance group, who wore them during the procession in Manchester – resulting in an extremely emotional moment for Magaly, who always feels a deep pride and love whenever these garments are worn for performances.
Magaly’s favourite dances are when she can introduce her love of contemporary dance with the traditional styles of her home. She always aims to respect the traditional genres, however, being able to evolve through mixing different elements and playing with them gives her a sense of creative achievement. Even though Magaly cannot do everything she used to do in her younger years, she still savours every moment with the same passion.
By Francisco Carrasco
