H.R. No. 416 R E S O L U T I O N 1-1 WHEREAS, The Texas House of Representatives is proud to 1-2 recognize the Saint Vincent's Ballet Folklorico Dancers of Abilene; 1-3 and 1-4 WHEREAS, The idea for forming the dance company sprang from a 1-5 desire on the part of Father Valladares, Martha Munoz, Geneva 1-6 Lopez, and Crispina Monreal of Saint Vincent Pallotti Catholic 1-7 Church to teach the children of the church the dances of Mexico; 1-8 and 1-9 WHEREAS, The group began its performances in 1982, under the 1-10 direction of Nellie Pallarez, and with the help of the Abilene 1-11 Cultural Affairs Council it quickly became well known in West 1-12 Texas; and 1-13 WHEREAS, These delightful young dancers perform at schools, 1-14 parades, fund-raisers, private parties, festivals, nursing homes, 1-15 and senior citizens centers; and 1-16 WHEREAS, Extensive research has been done on the costumes and 1-17 dances from the different regions of Mexico; the program includes 1-18 dances from the states of Jalisco, Veracruz, Chihuahua, Tabasco, 1-19 and Yucatan; and 1-20 WHEREAS, During the summer, workshops are held to learn new 1-21 dances and to study the costumes of the region from which the dance 1-22 comes; the variety, color, and spectacle of the costumes are quite 1-23 important in understanding the message of the dance; and 1-24 WHEREAS, The members of the dance group vary in age from 2-1 eight to 22; the perfecting of the dancing involves a prodigious 2-2 amount of work, but the dancers say that the smiles, laughter, and 2-3 applause make all the effort worthwhile; and 2-4 WHEREAS, The exhibitions of the folk dances from Mexico 2-5 enable people of Mexican American heritage to feel a sense of pride 2-6 in their ancestry and help others to better understand the Mexican 2-7 American culture; now, therefore, be it 2-8 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 74th 2-9 Texas Legislature hereby commend the Saint Vincent's Ballet 2-10 Folklorico Dancers and those who contribute to the success of the 2-11 group's performances; and, be it further 2-12 RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be 2-13 prepared for the group as an expression of high regard by the Texas 2-14 House of Representatives.