The focus of Danza Azteca Citlaltonac is “the preservation of our culture through our traditions,” said co-founder Gabriela Armenta.
What started more than 10 years ago as two sisters remembering the traditional dances and healing practices of their mother has evolved into a nonprofit cultural group that uses ancestral rituals to promote self-care and holistic well-being. In addition to dance and blessing ceremonies, the group leads workshops on Indigenous talking circles, holistic healing, and herbal recipes and remedies. Danza Azteca Citlaltonac recently offered a traditional blessing ceremony to open the Indio International Tamale Festival, and is slated to perform a dance circle ceremony at The River’s WellFest 2024 on Saturday, Jan. 13.
Armenta explained that Citlaltonac (cee-TLAL-toe-knack) roughly translates to shining, bright star in Nahuatl, a language of the Indigenous people of Southern Mexico. Many folks have a difficult time pronouncing it, Armenta said, and she doesn’t mind that most people just refer to the group as Danza or Danza Azteca.
She remembers traveling to Mexico as a child to watch her family participate in communal ceremonies that are similar to Native American pow-wows. Armenta said that as an adult, she helped her grandparents do research on ancestral practices that had been passed down throughout generations on her mother’s side. One day, she realized, it was now her time to carry the tradition.
“I started inviting my cousins, my family,” said Armenta. “That’s how it started. It kind of just (spread via) word of mouth. That’s how people would join us.”
What had once been informal, family-led lessons had to move to local parks or community centers as Danza Azteca gained followers. To keep things going, Armenta had to get creative.
“We’ve had donations and sponsors,” said Armenta. “But for the most part, at first, it was all straight out of our pockets.”
Armenta and her sister, Danza Azteca co-founder Claudia Armenta, recently enrolled in the School of Public Policy at the University of California, Riverside. As first-generation college students, the sisters had already earned certificates in social entrepreneurship from the Center for Social Innovation through the UC Riverside’s extension program.
“I’m learning and studying new things, and I noticed I’m very much pulled toward public health,” Gabriela Armenta said. She sees a path to aligning the community work Danza does with larger public-health initiatives.
Since becoming a nonprofit, Danza has expanded its community outreach. Armenta said the members of Danza joined the Coachella Valley Immigrant Dignity Coalition to help bring services and resources to underserved communities. Danza sponsored a holiday toy drive and donates school supplies for kids.
“All the things that we incorporate in our workshops are things that we were raised with and we practice all the time.”
Danza Azteca Citlaltonac co-founder Gabriela Armenta
During the pandemic, the group worked to promote mental-health awareness. As pandemic-era protections were set to expire, Armenta went before the Riverside County Board of Supervisors to lobby against evictions. Danza has also worked with the California Alliance for Retired Americans to advocate for single-payer health care.
“We are big advocates on mental health,” she said. “We use the talking healing circles, not just for folks to come together and build community and learn about their roots, but also to bring in some sort of holistic healing that pertains to the emotional traumas and mental health-issues that an individual may be facing.”
Danza Azteca usually works through word-of-mouth referrals or requests submitted on their website. Most of the services are free or low-cost.
“We do presentations throughout the (area) to different nonprofit organizations, museums, businesses and city (events),” Armenta said. “We try to have very reasonable fees for schools and nonprofits. Workshops … they’re free unless (the host) is requesting something specific.”
Danza has about 20 active participants, including dancers, drummers and elders who participate in ceremonies, presentations and teaching practices. Armenta said Danza’s community work is simply an extension of what started in her backyard years ago.
“All the things that we incorporate in our workshops are things that we were raised with and we practice all the time,” said Armenta. “So it was easy for us to just one day open it up and say, ‘Hey, would you like to reconnect with your roots, or would you like to learn about this culture?’”
The WellFest Health and Wellness Expo will take place from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 13, at The River, 71800 Highway 111, in Rancho Mirage. The family friendly event offers “a transformative day of enrichment, enlightenment and empowerment” with free entertainment and classes in art therapy, yoga, barre and breathwork; admission is free. Visit www.theriveratranchomirage.com for more information. To learn more about Danza Azteca Citlaltonac, visit www.circulocitlaltonac.com.
