Beyond the Measure Episode 5: Angela Zamia

Beyond the Measure
Episode Five: Angela Zamia

In this month’s episode of Beyond the Measure, hosts Dannie Moore and Ileanna Reyes learn about yet another way students can get involved on campus through Ballet Folkloríco at SHSU. The following lays out the discussion in a convenient Q&A format. For the full Beyond the Measure experience, watch the full episode below or on YouTube.

Can you tell us a little bit about what brought you to Sam Houston State University?

As a first-gen student, honestly, I wasn't really sure what to expect when I was looking for colleges. I had been exposed to Sam Houston alumni and also faculty at my high school and they were all just very welcoming. It had a lasting impact on me with every interaction I had.

When I was coming to apply, I spoke to some people from the College of Business Administration, and it had such a great reputation; it's very hands-on for my major in marketing and honestly, it's really just the environment. There are so many first-gen students and so many Hispanic students as a Hispanic Serving Institution. I really just felt at home; I never felt like I was out of place. I spoke to everyone I spoke to and it didn't make me feel like I was bothering them or like they were doing a job. It felt more like I was having a conversation with a friend.

Could you tell us all about Ballet Folkloríco?

Ballet folkloríco is a traditional Mexican folkloric dance. It was popularized by Amelia Hernandez. It kind of brings in aspects of African dance and Spanish dance. Different regions of Mexico, every state has their own kind of dance, and the most popular one is Jalisco, the one with the big ribbon dresses where they're twirling it around. There are also other states like Yucatan, which is where my family is from. It's very lace, very elegant; they're typically balancing trays of water on their head. There's always a story being told with every dance, with every region. 

How does your group connect with the community?

We do lots of performances here around Sam Houston and in the community of Huntsville. We just did a performance in New Waverly. We just like to bring the dance to other people, to other places around campus as much as we possibly can, to just spread the fun and spread the joy of the dance. We also like to give back by doing lots of those community performances for libraries, elementary schools and just bringing cultural awareness to Ballet Folkloríco.

How long have you been involved with the group?

I've been dancing with the group for two years. I grew up watching my mom dance it in her living room. She danced it all her life, so I was very exposed to that. But in a small town, I'm from Tomball, Texas- there wasn't really anywhere for me to dance. When I saw it here at Sam Houston, I thought it would just be such a great opportunity for me since I had seen my mom do it her whole life. I was already aware of what it was, and it was honestly just the perfect pairing for me.

What's the response been from your audience?

We get a lot of mixed responses. People who are familiar with it tell us, "Wow, I know this region, this is where my family's from, this is where I'm from." And people who aren't really aware of it come up and tell us how beautiful it is; they want to know more and they're very engaged. They want to learn more about it, what we do, how we do it, how often we practice, the basics of it. Also, during performances, we do these things called gritos, which are very loud and they catch people off guard. It’s always really fun to see the different kinds of reactions that people have, but it's always been a positive response with everything that we do and I love telling them, "Yeah, we're a group at Sam Houston." It makes me really proud to know that we have something like this here on campus.

Can you talk about how your organization provides service to the community?

With those performances, we really like to give back, whether it be with those library performances or with elementary schools. I've seen really little kids with a sparkle in their eye, and I just like telling people again that we're from Sam Houston and that we have this here because it's just such a cultural community thing. This kind of dance, where it originates from in Mexico, it's a lot of people just dancing on the streets for other people to come see in parades, in cultural events for like Cinco de Mayo, for Independence Day. So, it's honestly just so great to tie that in with Sam Houston.

What is something that you would want to tell that student that's thinking about joining?

I think the first two words I would say are, “Do it.” I was so so scared as a college freshman. First of all, it's such a different environment to be in and also to do something. I grew up as a choir kid, so I had two left feet when I was joining the organization and everyone was so welcoming, teaching each other about different regions. The group had never done Yucatán before and that's where my mom is from, so she wanted us to do it and I was introducing them to it. It’s very cultural; the group is not, "you have to be a perfect dancer," it's only performance. That's really not how we are. It's like a second home, honestly. And it's really good cardio. So, if you just want to stay active, I would definitely just get yourself out there and come sit at our practices. If you just want to watch us, we're super okay with that as well. It's once you get into that practice room, you just leave everything else behind, honestly.

How do students find out about how to get involved with the organization?

Messaging us on Instagram would be the best bet. Also, on our OrgLink, you can send a request to join us, and one of our officers will reach out with information about how to join, what they require and what kind of things you need to buy. It's just the shoes, since we don't like to share those.