Editor’s Note: This article was written for Mosaic, an independent journalism training program for high school and college students who report and photograph stories under the guidance of professional journalists.

In the heat of a recent night, a teen folklorico group stomp in dance heels across the floor in preparation for their upcoming performances. The group is set to perform at a private 49ers staff event on Sept. 16 and during halftime at BayFC’s Latino Heritage Night game Sept. 21.

“I enjoy the music, sometimes when I dance I sing along,” said Giovani Damain , dimples appearing as he smiles widely during a break in the practice.

Damain is a member of Los Laureles, one of the few youth folklorico groups in San Jose to have its own studio. The group’s dances represent regions in Mexico, and the most popular are from Jalisco and Veracruz: The Jalisco hat dance is a courtship dance incorporating the man’s hat, while Veracruz style dances are fast paced with technical footwork.

A lounge area decorated with cultural paintings at Los Laureles Grupo Folklorico studio in San Jose, Calif., on Tuesday, Aug. 19, 2025. (Iris Sanchez/Mosaic) 

The costumes are what bring the dances to life. Some dancers wear vibrant and flowy skirts, others wear traditional charro suits, an embroidered suit and matching wide-brimmed sombrero. All dancers wear shoes with thick heels, adding to the music as they emphatically stomp their feet.

Damain has just started his freshman year at Early College Academy in Gilroy, where he is enrolled in both high school and college courses. Although he’s had to learn how to balance his challenging school work and dance, he continues to make the long commute to San Jose, often doing his schoolwork on the go.

“When I get to practice early I finish my work,” Damain said, gesturing to his school bag on the floor.

For Charlette Gonzalez, the dance studio is quite literally her second home. Her mother is Ashley Lopez, director of Los Laureles, and her dad, Felipe Garcia, is director of Mariachi Tapatio in San Jose. Born into a family of performers, Gonzalez feels the weight of dance on her shoulders.

“Putting on the head piece, the makeup and the dress,” said Gonzalez, “it’s a legacy.”

Like her parents, she carries a passion for performing.

“When you’re on stage and you pose at the end, the audience is clapping and you’re dripping sweat,” said Gonzalez, wiping the sweat from her face, “you enjoy it because you earned it.”

The teen group has performed for large audiences at both PayPal Park, home of the San Jose Earthquakes and BayFC, and Levi’s Stadium. Although it is a big accomplishment, the director of Los Laureles — “the bay leaves” in English — remains humble.

“It gives us an immense sense of pride,” Ashley Lopez said. “There’s somebody in that audience that might not be able to go back to Mexico, so we’re bringing a little bit of home to them.”

As the group celebrates its 18th anniversary, Lopez recalls how difficult it was to find a space to practice folklorico when she was a teen. Her previous instructor, Ramon Morones, used to sneak her into folklorico classes at San Jose City College.

“It was a passion that was engraved in me, but there was no place to dance at the time,” she said.

After beginning to teach folklorico classes in a backyard on the east side of San Jose, Lopez realized her students needed a more accommodating space. At just 18, she showed up at the Movimiento de Arte y Cultura Latino Americana (MACLA) center downtown and spoke to then-director Tamara Alvarado.

“I went in and said I love to dance, I have kids who love to dance, all we want to do is dance,” said Lopez.

For 15 years Los Laureles practiced at MACLA before moving into its own studio in a shopping center in South San Jose in 2023. Since then, the folklorico group has grown into a community of 450 dancers. Some students have been dancing with the company since they were toddlers.

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“I grew up here,” said Rozalynn Lopez, a sophomore at Fremont High School in Sunnyvale. “It means a lot to me to dance here.”

Rozalynn Lopez has been dancing with Los Laureles folklorico for 10 years. She gladly commutes from her high school in Sunnyvale to dance alongside her friends.

“Something about this place feels like home,” said Esperanza Bautista, a folklorico instructor for Los Laureles.

Bautista is teaching the teen class a new routine to perform at the upcoming BayFC halftime. Her choreography has been featured in performances from 49ers halftimes to local birthday parties. For the folklorico instructor, it doesn’t matter where her students perform, the significance behind the dance remains the same.

“From the smallest gigs to the biggest stages,” said Bautista. “We’re here to represent la cultura.”

Iris Sanchez is a member of the Class of 2028 at San Jose State University.