7:35 PM

Fire, Drums, a Conch Shell...
The Aztecs Dance

The Jefe, Alvaro Telles, enthralls the crowd by dancing in the ceremonial fire

Irma Pineda is the Jefa, the most important participant in the ceremony. She lifts the fire to the Four Points to ask permission for the troupe to perform the dance

words by Judy Bryan
photos by Dan Germano

     A thunder clap of drum signals the Jefe to approach the clearing in front of the stage to ask permission from the Four Points to perform the dance. He blows a conch shell to the north, south, east, west, and the drum claps begin again, now joined by the sound of heavy rain hitting a roof, which is coming from the rows of smll shells circling the ankles of the other four dancers.The crowd is mesmerized by the rhythm, and answers the dancers' motions with involuntary yells and tongue trills.

     Danza Teokalli dance troupe members are originally from Oaxaca, the region of Mexico around Mexico City. Teokalli means "House of Creation" in Nauotl, the indiginous language of Aztec people. The Aztec religion has survived for thousands of years in Mexico and elsewhere in the world, and Teokalli's mission is to demystify Aztec practices through artistic expression. "Everyone has their own idea about the Aztecs, and most people think of them as murders, killers," Juan Esteva, a member of the troupe, said. "But this [dance], it shows their relationship with nature, that's what we're showing. That's what's important, to keep alive the tradition and culture.

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