<< Back 7/24/02 Mexicans make extra effort to get to Folkmoot By Cristina Reitz Every year, Folkmoot organizers face a major obstacle — getting the dance groups to Waynesville. Whether it’s civil wars, visa problems or lost plane tickets, there is never a guarantee that groups who said they’d come will actually show. This year alone, Folkmoot lost three groups to visa problems. Still, many countries will go to great lengths – literally – to get to Haywood County. The Ballet Folklorico Universitario and El Tigre from Monterrey, Mexico, received their invitation to Folkmoot just three weeks before the start of the festival. Those weeks were filled with preparation that director Andres Martinez Vidales described simply as “very difficult.” The performers first had to get permission from the school and from their respective jobs. Once that was secured, the only obstacles that remained were money, transportation and, inevitably, visas. “Getting into the American Consulate in Monterrey is very hard,” said Vidales. Without an appointment, it can take 15 days to be seen. During the days they waited, the group gathered as many interested members as it could, but ultimately did not think they would be able to go at all. “It was raining during that time,” said Vidales, in more ways than one. Finally, Vidales got a letter and a call from the U.S. Consulate. “They asked me, ‘Did you get the letter?’ I said yes and they said ‘Good. That letter will let you get your visas.” Two days before they were supposed to leave, the visas finally came. Traveling by plane was out of the question due to the lack of funding they were able to receive in such a short amount of time. Instead, everyone in the group – nearly 30 people in all – their costumes, instruments and personal belongings were all loaded onto one bus that would take them all the way from Monterrey to Waynesville. “It’s not a very good bus,” laughed Vidales, “But not a very bad bus either.” Even though the bus was significantly less expensive, it was no cheap ride. The dancers ended up paying for half of the traveling expenses while Vidales himself was left footing the bill for the other half, a bill he estimated to be around $4,000. Surprisingly, one of the few places the Ballet didn’t find any obstacles was at the U.S./Mexico border. The border was heavily guarded, which Vidales felt was appropriate in light of Sept. 11, but the group’s visas and letter of invitation from Folkmoot allowed for a smooth crossing. Vidales described the drive from Monterrey as pretty, but pretty long is probably more appropriate. Once in the states, the bus took a slight detour out West. Had the mistake not been discovered and corrected — just before heading through Nebraska — Vidales estimated the length of the trip would have clocked in at about 50 hours. As it was, the group from Mexico finally arrived at the Folkmoot Friendship Center after a grueling ride of nearly 40 hours. “It’s not important that we traveled for 40 hours on a bus,” said Vidales, “What’s important is that we’re here with our friends.” In fact, Vidales seemed to blow off the whole affair as a necessary evil. He was much more interested in talking about the festival itself. Offering his personal philosophy, he said that “the mission of being on this planet ... the most important and difficult job, is to have friends. To seek out friends. The festival achieves this ...The people of Waynesville have achieved it.” The Ballet Folklorico is more than 20 years old, and in the last five years it has performed more than 600 times worldwide. This year marks the group’s second visit to Western North Carolina, which Vidales affectionately refers to as the “Lung of the World” for the area’s abundance of trees. So far, the group has seemed to make themselves at home, touring Waynesville, taking trips to Sunburst to admire the waterfalls, and serving as willing historians of Mexican culture. Vidales takes special pride in the culture of pre-Spanish Mexico and the people of that era. He says the group’s mission is to bring the culture of Monterrey to the U.S., and members consider themselves not just dancers but ambassadors of Mexican folklore. The willingness to brave a 40-hour bus ride is just an affirmation of how seriously this group takes its mission and how dedicated the members are to their art.