The Language Academy Presents: Día de los Muertos
Join us on Thursday, November 5th, from 4–7 PM as we come together to celebrate life and remembrance at our Día de los Muertos event. Stroll through colorful altars created by our students, experience the beauty of this cherished tradition, and enjoy festive activities that honor family and heritage. Plus, look forward to an evening of vibrant traditional performances that bring the spirit of Día de los Muertos to life.
This beloved celebration wouldn’t be possible without the heart and hands of our amazing parent volunteers! Talk with your teacher and fellow parents to see how you can help make this year’s Día de los Muertos a truly special experience for our entire community.
Performances
Prepare to be captivated by the vibrant and spirited performance of Ballet Folklórico presented by our talented school program! Lead by Viviana Enrique, our dancers will take you on a colorful journey through Mexico’s rich cultural tapestry, featuring authentic, intricate choreography and traditional costumes. Experience the energy of footwork, the swirl of skirts, and the joyous music that brings regional dances from across Mexico to life.
Mariachi Cardenal
Proudly presenting the captivating sounds of a live Mariachi band! Dressed in dazzling traje de charro (traditional suits), talented musicians bring the heart of Mexico to life with a powerful and passionate performance. You will be moved by the blend of vibrant trumpet fanfares, the deep rhythm of the guitarrón (bass guitar), and the melodic strings of the violins and vihuela.
Aztec Dancers
This powerful group of Aztec dancers is dedicated to preserving and sharing the beautiful, ancient traditions of pre-Hispanic Mexican culture through vibrant music, intricate costumes, and ceremonial dance. Their performance is a spiritual highlight of the holiday, honoring our ancestors and guiding the departed with grace and energy. Please join us to experience the mesmerizing dance and cultural richness of Calpulli Mexihca.
Día de Muertos
Día de Muertos (Day of the Dead) is a vibrant, multi-day tradition, primarily observed in Mexico, that joyfully honors and remembers friends and family members who have passed away. Far from being a somber occasion, it is a celebration of life and a belief that the spirits of our loved ones temporarily return to the land of the living to visit. The central element is the ofrenda (altar), a colorful, multi-tiered display built to welcome the spirits, featuring the deceased’s photos, favorite foods, sugar skulls, and marigold flowers (cempasúchil) whose scent guides them home. As a community, we can enjoy this rich cultural celebration by viewing the students’ ofrendas to appreciate their heartfelt tributes, learning about the powerful symbols like papel picado, and embracing the holiday’s underlying message of confronting mortality with celebration, laughter, and a profound respect for our shared human heritage.
Ofrendas
We invite all parents to support the their grade ofrenda! Our students, from both the Spanish and French programs, will work together by grade level to create beautiful ofrendas (altars) that honor the lives and memories of their departed loved ones. These colorful altars are not about mourning, but about celebrating the joy of life and the continuity of spirit, filled with flowers, photos, and pan de muerto.
The public celebrations of Día de los Muertos are powerfully expressed through performance, with each art form layering on a distinct part of Mexican heritage. Our festivities begins with the elaborate pageantry of Ballet Folklórico, where dancers use vibrant costumes and regional choreography to bring life and color to the concept of honoring the dead. Next, the unmistakable, exuberant sound of the Mariachi Band fills the air, transforming the solemnity of remembrance into a joyful fiesta as they play lively music—including the departed’s favorite songs—to celebrate the preciousness of life. We will conclude the evening with the Aztec Dancers (Calpulli Mexihca), whose intense, ritualistic drumming and fierce steps reconnect the entire celebration to its pre-Hispanic indigenous roots, spiritually clearing the path and honoring the most ancient ancestors who first wove the respect for the dead into the cultural fabric of Mexico.
