Molina High School

Home A Dance Program Like No Other

Helping our Community Celebrate its Culture

The dance program at Molina High School was designed to bring out the special talents and abilities of the students, as well as to address  their special needs. With an average enrollment of 250 students, the dance program at Molina High School is the most popular elective on campus. Outside the Dallas magnet dance program, Molina High School is the most active dance program in the Dallas Independent School District. Over 100 students participate in the five performing groups. Collectively  the students accrue over 2000 hours of after school and community service hours preparing and presenting performances and lecture demonstrations in the community. The dance program has received state, local, and national recognition for its innovative interdisciplinary and multicultural instruction.  The program reflects the cultural heritage of the community and students' interests.  Molina High School is 89.1% Hispanic, 65% at risk, and 20% of the students are in the English as a Second Language Program. Many students are also bilingual. 

Five Performing Groups

Parade Team

The Parade Team, a group of 32 girls,  first performed in the Cinco de Mayo Parade on Jefferson Avenue in May 2003.  The group was so well received that plans were made to take part in the September 16th Parade the following school year and so a parade tradition began that was quickly expanded to include  Christmas Parades.  The girls are excellent students and very active in school activities. Soon the group was also performing at  pep rallies, football game half time shows, talent shows, Dance for the Planet Festival,  Texas Salsa Championship, PTA and  cultural programs. The group principally  performs cultural music such as bachata, reggaeton, salsa, merengue, Latin hip hop, cross over cumbias, cha-cha-cha, but the group has also performed jazz and  disco. The girls  enjoy exploring different forms of dance and movement including ballet, yoga, tap, flamenco, and belly dance.

 

Salsa Team

The Salsa Team was the first dance group on the Molina campus to perform. The group usually consists of 12 to 16 couples. The Salsa Team has  performed at the American Airlines Salsa Festival, the Texas Salsa Championship, The Dance for the Planet Festival, The Folklorico Festival of Texas, and Fine Arts Day at the Texas State Capitol.  The group also performs during one football half time show annually,  PTA programs, school talent show and other community celebrations such as Dia del Niño, Dies y Seis de Septiembre, and Cinco de Mayo.  The group has performed merengue, bachata, salsa, cha-cha, Argentine tango as well as swing, waltz and disco. 

Cumbia Boys Team

The Cumbia Boys Team is the newest and most enthusiastic group on campus. The group consists of the 12 best male dancers from the various dance classes on campus. The boys perform the new urban cumbia mixed with pop-locking and raving moves.  The Cumbia Boys Team take advantage of every opportunity to perform including No Mike Night talent show, pep rallies, Texas Salsa Championship ( first place winners), Dance for the Planet Festival, as well as community cultural celebrations including Dia del Niño, Cinco de Mayo parade and Cinco de Mayo performances, 

Hip Hop Group

The Hip Hop Group is a mix of male and female dancers. The group does not have the numerous opportunities  to perform as the other groups. The group performs at the  No Mike Talent Show and Dance for the Planet Festival as well as an occasional PTA program.

Ballet Folklorico Jaguara

Ballet Folklorico Jaguara is the most widely recognized dance group on campus. The group varies in size from year to year. A strong core group of 8 to 16 dancers perform extensively on campus and in the community. The group has been featured on several videos produced by the Texas Education Agency as well as  in Dance Magazine, the largest dance publication in the world.   The group mainly performs Mexican folklórico. The group has performed dances from the following Mexican traditions:  Guerrero Tierra Caliente, Aguascalientes, Jalisco, Veracruz, Nuevo Leon, Chiapas, Revolución, and Districto Federal,. In addition the group has performed dances from  Costa Rica,  flamenco, West African dance, and Afro-Latino traditions of South and Central America such as the samba.  For more information is available on Ballet Folklorico Jaguara page.

Norteño

A new group of selected dancers from the Molina Dance Program, made a big hit at the Cinco de Mayo Assembly 2007.  The group performed Rancheras, Mexican cumbia and a Huapango. Student interest is high. It remains to be seen if the group will continue as part of the Molina extra -curricular dance program in 2007-08.