Folklórico explained

What ballet folklórico is

The word ballet here doesn't mean tutus and pointe shoes. Ballet folklórico is Mexican folk dance staged for a theatre. Amalia Hernández researched across Mexico's states, studying not only the dances but the music, customs and traditional dress. She then reworked them, gave them new meaning and put them on stage. So what you watch isn't a village fiesta moved indoors. It's a choreographer's portrait of a region, built to read from a large hall, with big ensembles and musicians on stage. The company's repertoire has become a classic, and it still changes and grows.

How the company began

Hernández started in 1952 with a small workshop of just eight dancers, first called the Ballet Moderno de México. A weekly television programme, Función de Gala, pushed the group to create a new number every week. In 1959 it represented Mexico at the Pan American Games in Chicago with 50 performers, and took the name Ballet Folklórico de México. From 11 October 1959 the company danced every Sunday morning at the Palacio de Bellas Artes, and the Palacio has been its home stage ever since. It has also made more than 100 international tours.

Read next: Amalia Hernández and the Ballet Folklórico de México

What you'll hear

Every note is played live. The company describes its show as traditional Mexican music performed entirely live, and calls mariachi fundamental to its history. In the photo above, a mariachi band plays on a raised platform behind the Jalisco dancers. Guest ensembles join on some dates: the company has hosted the Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlán, and in October 2026 the Palacio's calendar listed a gala with a municipal philharmonic band from the Mixe region. There's no story to follow in words. It's told through dance and music, so you don't need Spanish.

Dances you may see

Which pieces you see depends on the programme for your date. The company's own writing gives a feel for the range, which runs from pre-Hispanic ritual to the Mexican Revolution and regional fiestas. The examples below, all described by the company itself, show how much ground one evening can cover. Watch the costumes too: they're your best clue to which region you're in.

• Danza de los Viejitos, from Jarácuaro on Lake Pátzcuaro in Michoacán: Purépecha in origin, the dancers act out the aches of old age with stooped walks and stumbles, then burst into youthful energy
• Los Concheros, a dance born from the meeting of Indigenous and Catholic worship, with rattles, feathers and drums, and lines that form crosses
• La Danza del Venado, the deer dance, already in the programme the company took to Chicago in 1959
• Jalisco numbers with mariachi: wide skirts, charro suits and fast footwork

Show days and how long it lasts

The company describes three performances in a usual week: two on Sundays, morning and evening, and one on Wednesday evening. Some weeks add an extra gala. Evening start times change from date to date, so the booking calendar and your confirmation show the time for your date. The Palacio's calendar blocks out about 90 minutes to two hours per performance, and the package on this site is listed at two hours. At times the company has danced away from the Palacio, so check the venue on your confirmation too.

Getting there and back

The Palacio stands at Avenida Juárez and Eje Central Lázaro Cárdenas, on the western edge of the historic centre beside the Alameda Central park. Bellas Artes Metro station, on lines 2 and 8, is at the door, with a Metrobús stop of the same name. The package on this site includes pickup and drop-off from a set list of hotels, which saves you finding transport after an evening show. However you travel, arrive early. The Palacio doesn't let anyone into the hall after the doors close.

Read next: A day in Mexico City's historic centre around your Ballet Folklórico evening

What to wear and bring

The Palacio's published rules for the main hall don't include a dress code, so travel clothes are fine. You may want to dress a little smarter for an evening in a marble palace, but nobody requires it. What the rules do restrict is short: no entry after the doors close, no large objects that block other people's view, and no professional cameras or recording without permission. Finish any food and drink before you go into the hall. The package also asks you to carry a passport or ID card.

Children and wheelchair users

The Palacio rates this show as suitable for all audiences, so children are welcome. With a running time of up to two hours, it works best for children who can sit through a full performance. Check with whoever sells your ticket whether a small child needs a seat of their own. For wheelchair users, the main hall has a dedicated area with what the Palacio calls excellent visibility. Those places are booked by phone with the Palacio. If you're taking the package, ask the operator about vehicle access before you book, because it can't be refunded.

Before or after the show

Arrive early and the building itself is worth the time. The upper floors of the Palacio hold murals by Diego Rivera, David Alfaro Siqueiros, José Clemente Orozco, Rufino Tamayo and Jorge González Camarena, looked after by the Museo del Palacio de Bellas Artes, and the top floor houses the Museo Nacional de Arquitectura. In the hall itself, look up at the glass ceiling of Apollo and the nine muses, and at the stage's famous glass curtain of the Valley of Mexico's volcanoes, if it's on show that day.

Who this isn't for

If you want to see a dance in its home village, at a local fiesta, this isn't that: it's a staged, choreographed version, and the company is open about it. If you were hoping for classical ballet, this is a different art form. And if you can't sit for up to two hours, or your plans might change after you book the non-refundable package, think again before committing.