ROCKFORD, Ill. (WIFR) – The sounds of traditional music and swirl of colorful dresses lit up Park Church’s parking lot as folkloric dancers from Mosaico Cultural performed at Park Fest for the first time.
Mosaico Cultural Founder Liz Hernandez launched the program in 2015 with just three students. Today, more than 60 dancers participate. Hernandez said her goal has always been to preserve culture while giving kids something meaningful to do.
“They come to the U.S. or another country, and they lose that culture, they lose that tradition, so I wanted them to live on,” Hernandez said.
For 14-year-old dancer Cecilia Manriquez, the performance was more than entertainment; it was personal…