Puerto Vallarta, Mexico - From April 25 to 28th, 12 dance groups from eleven states in Mexico will participate in the Seventh Annual Puerto Vallarta National Folk Dance Festival, according to festival organizer Juan Antonio Salcedo.

Salcedo, the director of the Ballet Folklorico Azteca Vallarta, explained that the repertoire of each participating group is traditional to the region it represents. "Every dance group must participate with a repertoire that should last 45 minutes total with pieces representative of the state they represent. Many times the pieces and choreography of each group represents the result of intense research, which makes this very interesting festival," he said.

According to the Festival's administrative coordinator, Selene Mora, in addition to Jalisco, this event will be attended by groups from the states of Sonora, Querétaro, Hidalgo, San Luis Potosí, Chiapas, Tabasco, Oaxaca, Guanajuato, Nuevo León, Baja California, Zacatecas, and Tamaulipas.

A distinctive feature of this festival is that, in addition to main stage Los Arcos del Malecón in downtown Puerto Vallarta, there will also be performances at other venues in the greater Banderas Bay region, including Pitillal, Marina Vallarta, INFONOVAT, and the Bahía de Banderas municipality.

The fun starts at 6 pm on Thursday, April 25th with a Grand Parade that starts at Ley's and continues down the Malecón to Los Arcos Amphitheater, where the Opening Ceremony will take place at 8 pm. After which, you'll enjoy dance performances by the Ballet Folclóico Municipal de Tomatlán, the Ballet Folclóico Potosino Ollin Cuauhtli, and the Ballet Folclóico Gustavo Vaquera of Zacatecas.

These performances are not to be missed! The traditional, bright and multi-colored costumes represent a great part of Mexican history and culture. If you are searching for something to do next weekend, be sure and add this to your list!

All performances are free. Those taking place in Puerto Vallarta begin at 8 pm, all others begin at 7 pm.