ON THE COVER with GLORIA ROMERO LÓPEZ, the Dancer of San Miguel

By Pamela Fink

Carefully placing pheasant feathers onto her enormous pinkish headdress is how we found dancer Gloria Romero López immersed in her life’s work and passion.

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

For when Gloria’s feet rise, they do so to the rhythm of 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 of the dances is felt with light feet, for they are dedicated to the Saint of their greatest devotion, which in this case is El Señor de la Conquista, to whom she promised that as long as her heart kept beating, she would never stop dancing.

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

This successful group has had major performances, notably La Alborada and of course that of El Señor de la Conquista, where Gloria’s group has at times grown to as many as 100 dancers.

Another important thing worth highlighting within the groups of Dancers is that they are divided by hierarchies, with the highest rank being the General, a position obtained after years and years of perseverance.

It is through this fascinating dance that we invite readers who feel the calling or the curiosity to connect with their roots to join the group. They gather to rehearse Monday through Friday from 5 to 7 at El Chorro, and it is there that everyone is welcome under the same rhythm.