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The Founders Generation 1982-1986
  The founding company rehearsed for the first time on February 17, 1982 in the basement-studio of Gads Hill Center located at 1919 W. Cullerton Avenue in Chicago. The group, without a name, no costuming and no money was comprised of the most advanced dancers of "Grupo Nuevo Ideal", directed by Ms. Ofelia Solano, and the dissident dancers from "Ballet Folklórico Alma de Mexico" who followed José L. Ovalle after he resigned from it. The first performance of the founding company was on March 17 for the student organization CHIMEXLA of Northeastern Illinois University in Chicago. Grupo Nuevo Ideal also participated in that performance giving the program a continuous and elaborate format. Soon after, in preparation for a performance at the annual Museum of Science and Industry's Hispanic Festival of the Arts, José proposed two names for the group: the "Mexican-American Dance Theater of Chicago" and the "Mexican Folkloric Dance Company of Chicago". The dancers unanimously voted for the "Mexican Folkloric Dance Company of Chicago (MFDC) and it has remained the company's official name.   In July of the same year MFDC's format, which would be followed for the next 10 years, was designed and implemented:
  The founder's generation saw the successful developent and transition of dancers from the second group to the third group. This allowed the highly adult group to perform on stage independently of the two trainee groups. By 1984, with the experience acquired from more than 100 performances, MFDC possessed a fresh and hybrid dance repertoire with more elaborate and refined costuming. Its dazzling display of artistic precision, strength, and grace immediately captivated the praise and attention of all its audiences. This led to the start of nineteen cosecutive annual grants from the Illinois Arts Council and City Arts I Grands from the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs. MFDC performed at the Mexican Independence festivities in Grant Park, the former Chicago International Folk Fair at Donnelley Hall, Chicago Fest, the Museum of Science and Industry, the Field Museum, the Shedd Aquarium, Northeastern Illinois University, Northwestern University, Northern Illinois University, the Olive Harvey, Truman and Daley Colleges, A Taste of Mexico, Musical Spring Festival, Fiesta del Sol, Viva Chicago and many others. One most memorable was in June of 1985 for President Ronald Reagan when he visited Chicago Heights, Illinois.   On Movember 10, 1985, MFDC produced its frist dance concert at the prestigious (now demolished) Centre East for the Performing Arts in Skokie, Illinois. In that ocncert, MFDC was accompanied by the only Mexican "banda de viento" of the time: Los Horóscopos, the prestigious Cuerdas Clásicas Ensemble directed by Rodolfo Hernández, Trío los Duques and the brand new Mariachi Guadalajara directed by Tony Partida. The three group advancement process proved to be most auspicious and effective when, in September of 1986, a number of femaile dancers left the company to attend other responsibilities, i.e. jobs, education, social and economic pressures, etc. Thus the older adolescents of the second group, carefully prepared by Mr. Guevara, moved into the adult group to form what later became known as the tour generation. At the same time the older children from Ofelia Solano's first group advanced into the second, completeing the first full transition according to plan. During this period, three founding company dancers: Matie Ovalle, Rosie de la Torre, and Lourdes Ramírez provided valuable experience and loyalty to MFDC that assured the smooth and effective transition through the three groups. |
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