A troupe of dancers ranging in age from 4 to 50 from Waukegan’s Ballet Folklorico gave a lunchtime crowd a taste of culture from nine regions of Mexico both through their maneuvers on the stage and the costumes they wore.
Jane Ferry, one of the people watching the performance, said she has seen them before. By watching the youngest dancers and the more experienced ones, she sees their development unfold before her.
“It’s interesting to see the little ones and then the older ones,” Ferry said. “I see how much they have learned and how much better they get. The younger ones are a little slower and uncertain. It’s all well done and a nice view of Hispanic culture.”
Ferry was one of dozens of people watching the dancers of Ballet Folklorico during the weekly free summertime concerts Friday at the Waukegan Public Library where a different genre of music is offered with each performance.
“I really like it,” Ferry said. “It’s welcome to summer on Friday afternoon. It’s a nice start to the weekend.”
Jennyfer Cordova, the library’s manager of communications and outreach, said the concerts take place at noon each Friday through July 31. She recruits the paid performers. Most of them are local. The concerts are operated by the Waukegan Public Library Friends Organization.
Teresa Ramirez, a volunteer program creator for Ballet Folklorico, was busy getting the dancers ready for the performance. They donned intricate costumes representing different regions in Mexico. Some of them have family roots in those areas.
“They (may) perform twice a week,” Ramirez said. “They start very young. They represent regions from different parts of Mexico. Each region has a different way of dancing. They all dress differently.”
Before the performance started and while the dancers were demonstrating their moves, Sandy Sherwood, the president of the volunteers organization and a former library employee, was sitting at a table with two other members, greeting people and taking donations.
There were fresh-baked peanut butter cookies, pumpkin bread and cold drinks at the table along with a jug for contributions. Sherwood said the concerts cost between $4,000 and $6,000 for the season. It comes primarily from money raised for the group’s semiannual book sale.
“We give Jenny (Cordova) a budget and she gets the talent,” Sherwood said. We also give away free paperback books.”
Sitting at one table watching the dancers were five children eating lunch. Anyone is free to bring their lunch, and people who work at the Lake County Courthouse & Administration Building across the street often do. Sherwood said the children are part of a different program.
The library provides free lunch to youngsters between birth and 18 from noon to 1 p.m. weekdays, complementing the summer meal program of Waukegan Community Unit School District 60. Sherwood said the five youngsters chose live entertainment to a movie.
Starting June 5, Cordova said the summer concerts continue this Friday with the Soul Message Band. They are a Waukegan group who offers a mix of jazz, blues and soul. They are regular summer concert performers.
Low-Reen & Jimmy Upstairs perform June 26. Cordova said they have performed at Scoop and other events offering “Chicago blues with a southern twist.” There is no concert on July 3 as people prepare for Fourth of July celebrations
New this year to the library’s concert series is Andre Rivera playing for the lunchtime audience on July 10. Cordova said his band plays Latin music as well as songs from the 1960s through the 1990s.
Performing on July 17 is the Noize. Cordova said the group plays primarily pop and rock music. A fan favorite over the years—the Saddle Shoe Sisters—play music from the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s on July 24, while Lady A, a blues and jazz group, concludes the season on July 31.
Should there be rain, Cordova said the concerts will be moved inside the library’s large meeting room. Sherwood said the concerts have been a summer staple for at least 15 years
