I Took Up Folklórico & It Saved My Mental Health

After a particularly difficult morning, I spontaneously called a local park that held weekly folklórico classes. I don’t know if it was an act of desperation, a cry for help, or general curiosity. I don’t think I even planned to sign up or pay for the class that day, but I did. On the phone, I repeatedly asked about the average age group for the class, and the woman assured me that the beginner class included people of all ages. To my surprise, on my first day with Ballet Folklorico Ollin, I towered over the rest of the students, making it impossible to blend in. Children as young as five can take the class, and they were the majority. It made for a good laugh and made me reconsider my participation — especially after a parent mistook me for the instructor — but I was there, had paid for the semester, and planned to see it through.