When USC’s Grupo Folklórico learned that they wouldn’t receive Recognized Student Organization status in time for the fall semester, the news hit hard. Due to miscommunication with the University, the Mexican folkloric dance group wouldn’t be given RSO recognition, without which they wouldn’t be able to receive Undergraduate Student Government funding, money they rely on to put on their annual Día de los Muertos showcase.

With no support from the University, the student performers turned toward their community, opening a GoFundMe page Oct. 20 and raising over $1,900, saving their showcase.

Multiple weeks later than originally intended and with a new theme, Grupo Folklóricos’ “Ritmos de Navidad: Celebración Folklorica” took place at Caruso Catholic Center on Saturday.

Nonetheless, Blanca Juan Gonzalez, a junior majoring in sociology and the co-president of the dance group, said she was grateful for the opportunity to perform.

“We’re so grateful for that, because we just wanted for our members to have their hard work displayed somewhere,” Gonzalez said. “Especially now at this time, where these types of cultural expressions within the Hispanic community, with all these raids, we’re scared to even be loud about how proud we are.”

For Gonzalez, the dance group is a way to preserve her culture and connect to her history.

“Folklórico is important because we’re preserving our history and continuing our traditions,” Gonzalez said. “Simultaneously [we’re] connecting through our roots and making connections with people who have that same goal.”

Each semester, Grupo Folklórico performs dances from five regions of Mexico, learning choreography and studying the historical context behind them. For many members, it is an opportunity to understand their heritage further.

“For me, especially coming from a school that didn’t have a big Latino presence, it is genuinely the way I’ve connected to my culture,” said fundraising chair Valeria Chavez-Franco, a sophomore majoring in international relations. “If I had not joined Grupo Folklórico my first semester, I don’t know who I’d be at this point.”

Chavez-Franco said that, for many students, the group is more than just a dance team.

“It grounds them in their identity and their culture, and it also just reaffirms that we should be here at USC — that we belong here at USC, and that our culture belongs at USC,” Chavez-Franco said.

Dahlia Monroy works full-time as an administrator at a charter school. In her free time, she dedicates herself to teaching and choreographing the dances for Grupo Folklórico.

“I know [what] spaces like this mean to university students, specifically students of color,” Monroy said. “Being able to take up space with Folklórico, with an art form that has been around for millennia, it’s just really exciting to be able to pass on those stories and that history to new students.”

Monroy became an instructor for the group when it was restarted in 2018 and has been involved since. Monroy said it especially matters to have student organizations like this one at a predominantly white institution.

“Being able to create a space where students of color could come in, get to know more about their heritage, explore it, but also be able to create meaningful friendships [is important],” Monroy said.

Monroy said there was a surge of Folklórico groups founded in the 1960s during the Chicano movement. After being inactive for a while, Grupo Folklórico was re-established by USC alum Evelyn Lopez in 2018.

“It’s like a community itself,” said Beatriz Tinoco, a junior majoring in civil engineering and former member, who was supporting this year’s showcase. “I always wanted to do it growing up, and I didn’t get the chance to do it until I got here … It’s a really good way to represent our culture on our campus.”

For Monse Garcia Flores, a senior majoring in political science, watching the performances reminds her of her roots.

“It’s really special, especially when they did Guerrero, that’s where my family’s from. So it’s really nice to see,” Flores said.

Even with the delays and limited support, the group’s performance brought the community together and celebrated their shared roots. For Chavez-Franco, it reinforced why student organizations like Grupo Folklórico are so important to have on campus.

“I’m very proud of this group,” Chavez-Franco said. “Despite the challenges we may have faced this semester, we are still standing. We’re still here. We’re still finding our way to make our voices known and heard.”