By Pamela Fink

Carefully placing pheasant feathers on her enormous pinkish plume is how we find the Dancer Gloria Romero López immersed in her task and passion for life.

The dancer whom we proudly present as the Cover From our May edition, it has been more than 53 years of dance, sometimes solemn as well as at times frenetic and ritualistic.

When Gloria's feet rise, they do so to the rhythm of the music that comes from the drum, the conch shells, the armadillo shells, and whistles that emulate the fierce roars of the jaguar or the song of a little bird.

For Gloria and her family, each dance feels light on their feet because they are dedicated to the Saint of their greatest devotion, which in this case is... The Lord of Conquest to whom he promised that as long as his heart beat, he would never stop dancing.

And she has fulfilled this divine promise for most of her life, because since she learned it in a short time of 6 months, she has done nothing but continue with this beautiful tradition with her dance group Acocentli, whose name comes from Nahuatl and means the piñón food, which was the exclusive food for humanity of old according to Mexican mythology.

This successful group has had great performances, highlighting La Alborada and of course El Señor de la Conquista, where Gloria's group has been joined by up to 100 dancers.

Another important thing to note about the Dancers groups is that they are divided into hierarchies, with the highest rank being the General, whose position is obtained after years and years of dedication.

It is through this captivating dance that we invite readers who feel the call or curiosity to connect with their roots to join the group. They meet to rehearse Monday through Friday from 5 to 7 pm in El Chorro, and everyone is welcome there, all moving to the same rhythm.