{"id":294536,"date":"2026-05-01T06:31:13","date_gmt":"2026-05-01T06:31:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/294536\/"},"modified":"2026-05-01T06:31:13","modified_gmt":"2026-05-01T06:31:13","slug":"from-l-a-to-the-east-bay-a-student-finds-her-oaxacan-community-at-berkeley","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/294536\/","title":{"rendered":"From L.A. to the East Bay, a student finds her Oaxacan community at Berkeley"},"content":{"rendered":"

This first-person narrative was written from an interview with Tania Lopez, a second-year architecture student.\u00a0Have someone you think we should write about? Contact\u00a0[email\u00a0protected]<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cSince I was 3, dance has been a constant in my life.<\/p>\n

I was raised in an Indigenous Oaxacan household alongside my younger brother in L.A.\u2019s Echo Park. My parents enrolled me in a nearby Early Head Start program, and next door, an elementary school partnered with a local nonprofit to offer dance classes for lower-income children. It was there that I was first introduced to dance, not knowing it would later connect me with my Oaxacan culture.<\/p>\n

\"TaniaTania (center) grew up in an Indigenous Oaxacan household in L.A.\u2019s Echo Park, where she was first introduced to dance at age 3.<\/p>\n

Courtesy of Tania Lopez<\/p>\n

As I got older, I attended an elementary and middle school that incorporated dance into every grade level. I trained in ballet, hip hop, jazz, salsa, tango and Latin ballroom. But it wasn\u2019t until high school that dance became something deeper for me through ballet folkl\u00f3rico.<\/p>\n

I attended a predominantly Hispanic high school that offered folkl\u00f3rico as part of its curriculum. It\u2019s a stylized form of traditional Mexican dance that blends regional folk culture with the technical elements of ballet and contemporary stage performance. Learning it was both challenging and comforting; it felt different than any other style I had performed. Yet it was familiar and freeing to dance because it connected me to my Mexican roots.<\/p>\n

Each dance connects to a specific region of Mexico, telling a story through the costume designs, music and skirt movements. Through it, I learned about other regions in Mexico I had never even heard of. There are dances that mimic the rhythm of the waves from Veracruz and others that touch on agricultural traditions. I enjoyed learning and performing so much that I joined a folklorico group based in Oaxacan cultural dances, to learn more about my parents\u2019 traditions and my family\u2019s culture.<\/p>\n

Coming to UC Berkeley, I was nervous about whether I would find a sense of community. But I came across OaxaCal<\/a>, a grassroots organization for Oaxacan-identifying students on campus, and joined during my first semester. Now I\u2019m a co-lead with their marketing department. Then I joined Ballet Folkl\u00f3rico Reflejos del Sol<\/a> at Berkeley, a group that teaches and performs traditional Mexican folklorico dances across the East Bay Area. Finding both my Oaxacan community and a folkl\u00f3rico group at Berkeley makes the campus feel more like home.<\/p>\n

\"TaniaTania began learning ballet folkl\u00f3rico in high school, and when she got to Berkeley joined the group Ballet Folkl\u00f3rico Reflejos del Sol. <\/p>\n

Courtesy of Tania Lopez<\/p>\n

My parents have always been proud of my folkl\u00f3rico performances. My mom has been my biggest supporter, driving me to rehearsals ever since I can remember. She grew up in a small village in Oaxaca. As a young girl, she always wished she could dance folkl\u00f3rico. But with just enough money for food, her family couldn\u2019t afford the dresses or classes. These dances aren\u2019t just for me \u2014 they\u2019re also for my parents, who have given me so much. I carry a lot of pride in being able to continue both my education and ballet folkl\u00f3rico at Berkeley.<\/p>\n

Now I\u2019m a second-year architecture student, and I hope to one day give back to Los Angeles by designing public spaces for families in lower-income neighborhoods. I want to help create spaces where others can feel safe and connected, like I did throughout my childhood learning dance.<\/p>\n

At Berkeley, I\u2019ve found a community that feels like family. Even when school feels overwhelming, the community I\u2019ve built reminds me that I belong here. Berkeley has given Oaxacan students a space to celebrate our identities.\u201d<\/p>\n

See more photos and leave a comment on UC Berkeley\u2019s Instagram page.<\/a><\/p>\n

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