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Yucatan visitors to perform free dance show Monday at Charles Theatre

Yucatan visitors to perform free dance show Monday at Charles Theatre
Erwin Johnson and Diane and Chuck Souder are excited to invite a group of Yucatan visitors to Charles City on Monday, Sept. 23, for a special performance at the Charles Theatre. Press photo by Travis Fischer
By Travis Fischer, tkfischer@charlescitypress.com

A rare opportunity is coming to Charles City on Monday, Sept. 23, as visitors from Yucatan, Mexico, will perform a demonstration of traditional dances at the Charles Theatre.

The Alma Danza Dance Troupe will be stopping in Charles City as they tour the state through the Partners of the Americas program, a 60-year-old organization developed to encourage strong relationships between the United States and Latin America.

“It’s a cultural exchange,” said Diane Souder, who visited Yucatan through the program last year and is now helping facilitate a visit of Yucatan natives to Iowa.

Iowa is a sister state to the Mexican state of Yucatan, exchanging visitors every year through the program. Located on the Yucatan Peninsula, Yucatan is home to a large indigenous population and still heavily steeped in Mayan culture compared to the rest of Mexico.

“It’s a totally different culture,” said Erwin Johnson, who has made several trips to Yucatan with his wife, Yoshiko, through the program over the years.

The group of 13 arrived in Des Moines on Wednesday and will spend the week exploring the state with visits to Ames, Perry, Marshalltown and, finally, Floyd County.

“The idea here is to get them up to rural Iowa for a real experience,” said Johnson.

The Souders and Johnsons have been working to organize host families and transportation for the group when they arrive Sunday night. On Monday, the group will visit the Osage school and get a tour of rural Iowa.

The group’s visit will conclude on Monday evening with a free performance at 6:30 p.m. at the Charles Theatre, where they will demonstrate traditional Hispanic dances and costumes.

“It will be unique,” said Souder. “The costumes will be different.”

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