The largest ever gathering of Matachines dance groups from the Southwest will take place on Friday and Saturday May 16 and 17, 2008; at the National Hispanic Cultural Center.

This event is sponsored in part by an American Masterpieces grant from the National Endowment for the Arts.

Directions:
The National Hispanic Cultural Center is located at 1701 4th Street SW in Albuquerque, NM. From I-25, exit Avenida César Chávez and go west over the railroad tracks. You can enter the campus on 4th Street or 8th Street. From Downtown, follow 4th Street south to Avenida César Chávez. Parking is accessible from 4th Street or follow 8th Street south directly to NHCC.

Schedule of Events:
The dance groups will perform on both Friday and Saturday on the Plaza Mayor. There will also be panel discussions about the dance inside the Center in the Wells Fargo Theater on both afternoons. Nine Matachines dance groups have committed to perform at this point including groups from Bernalillo, Tijeras, Tortugas, Alcalde, Jemez Pueblo, Picuris Pueblo, Cochiti Pueblo, a Yaqui group from Tucson, and a Raramuri (Tarahumara) group from the Sierra Madres in Mexico.

Tentative Dance Schedule (Subject to Change)

TimeFridaySaturday
11:00 Cochiti  Bernalillo
1:30 Raramuri Tijeras
2:30 Yaqui Tortugas
3:30 Alcalde Jemez Pueblo
4:30 Raramuri Alcalde
5:30 Picuris Bernalillo

Panel Sessions (inside the Wells Fargo Theater)

TimeFridaySaturday
11:00   Music
1:00   Abuelos
2:00   Toros
3:00 History and Meanings Monarcas

History and Meaning
The History and Meaning Panel will feature six of the program booklet's essayists, Sylvia Rodríguez, Enríque Lamadríd, Max Harris, Miguel Gandert, Brenda Romero, and Jack Loeffler as well as community scholars of the Matachines tradition, Charles Aguilar and Dorela Perea.

Abuelos
The Abuelo Panel will feature the Abuelo characters from the different dance groups speaking about their own roles within the context of the dance.

Monarcas
The Monarca Panel will feature the Monarca characters from the different dance groups speaking about their own roles within the context of the dance.

Toros
The Toro Panel will feature the Toro characters from the different dance groups speaking about their own roles within the context of the dance.

Music
The Music Panel will feature musicians from each of the different Matachines groups playing and discussing the music that accompanies the dance and will be moderated by noted ethnomusicologist Jack Loeffler.



This unique event is free and open to the public. However the public should be aware that this dance is considered sacred by many of the dancers who perform it and we ask that the public be respectful of this fact. Several of the groups have asked that there be no photography or recording of the dances. Some of the groups will allow photographs if photographers are respectful and stay out of the dance area. It is best to ask permission first.