Reyes Duo Wows Highland Crowd

When Alan Reyes took the stage at the Highland Talent Show, not many in the audience knew the term zapateado. But when he and his partner Alexa, who is also his sister, were finished, the crowd experienced zapateado at its finest.
Zapateado is a form of dance that Alan and Alexa performed that electrified the Highland crowd. It is a form of tap that also represents his Mexican culture.
The crowd and judges loved it so much, it was awarded first place. But this was not the first time Alan and Alexa Reyes have taken the stage, which is why they looked like professionals.
Some in the crowd jumped to their feet, while most clapped along as Alan and Alexa performed. The performance was electric, especially given that most only know Alan as a member of the soccer team at Highland. It is apparent his footwork translates from the field to the stage.
“It’s really cool to see him expressing his culture and such a cool part of who he is,” Zach Sandwick, a junior student body officer said, “it makes me so happy to see his ability to do that with confidence in front of the entire school.”
Alan has been dancing for the past four years at Danza Y Color and is a senior at Highland. His sister Alexa (a sophomore at Skyline) has been dancing ever since she was three years old but joined the same company as her brother five years ago.
“I love seeing how the many hours of work we put in shows our growth, strength, and passion on stage,” Alexa said. “Getting the chance to perform these dances for people lets us showcase how beautiful our culture is.”
Together they perform multiple times a year, both at public and private events. They have been able to travel out of state and visit different theaters as they compete and perform their dance.
Recently, Danza Y Color had the incredible opportunity of representing Utah at a competition in Colorado, bringing home the first-place trophy.
Alan expressed his joy of being able to present and showcase his dance skills and culture many times a year. Always being ready to perform is an important attribute for him.
One of the siblings’ favorite aspects of sharing their skills in dance, is to share their culture.
“I wish I was able to dance more than one song but with that, I hope everyone got to enjoy the presentation,” Alan said. “I got to show more of the students in Highland how the folkloric dance is.”
They seize every opportunity they are handed to share their beautiful culture with new communities. They bring so much energy with each performance as they honor their ancestors and showcase their past and current traditions.
With vibrant and bright-colored costumes, they brought a new light to the stage of Highland’s talent show. Fully dressed in clothing that represented their Mexican culture, they demonstrated multiple different dance moves.
They mixed the atmospheres of culture and dance as they glided across the stage, tapping their toes in rhythmic patterns and spun with purpose.
The dance they performed is called Baile Folklorico and is from a region in Mexico named Nuevo León. This particular dance had an exciting beat to it that energized the audience. The song they danced to was “El Circo”.
Each region has their own style of dance, clothing, footwork, and music. Even the body movements vary. The most common footwork that they showcased is called zapateado.
The siblings were so proud to share this side of themselves the Highland community by executing the proper form learned from the countless hours of prior practice.
Throughout all the positive effects that come through sharing their talents, Alan also shares how much he enjoys sharing these experiences with his family. Specifically, because his dance partners often are either his sister or cousin.
“Sharing the stage with them and many other just gives me the happiness and energy needed to present,” Alan said. “The energy my dance partners give to me helps me shine with all of them even more.”
These opportunities they have to share their love for dance and culture has helped them grow as dancers and beings.
Alexa shares how this style of dance and sharing her culture also helps her in her personal life to stand taller and be proud of her heritage.
“Dance has helped me become more confident not only on stage but also as a person as I had to come out of my comfort zone many times to be able to grow as a dancer,” Alexa said.