People began to take their seats as the church grew quiet and the                                                   lights were dim. Behind three doors, dancers waited for the sound of a                                                 conch shell. As the sound rang, performers wearing long feathers and                                                 shells filled the aisles and drummers began to play. One of these                                                           dancers was Omar Gutierrez Cerda (11).
                                                     “At first I get nervous, but once I’m up there it’s fun,” Gutierrez                                                           Cerda said. 
                                                     Gutierrez Cerda, along with others, do a form of Aztec dancing that                                                 they perform in a church. To prepare for the dance, the group got                                                           together around a month before the big day. They usually practiced at                                                 a salon called Diamante before moving to the church around a week                                                   before.
                                                     “We practice a month before, just to rehearse everything,”                                                                   Gutierrez Cerda said. “The week before, we usually practice in the                                                           church just to get a feeling of the spots we’re gonna be in.”
                                                     Besides just the choreography, family is also integrated into the                                                       culture and dancing, as it is a tradition in Gutierrez Cerda’s. The Aztecs                                                 originated from Mexico and through the years, have brought their                                                         culture to America. Every Nov. and Dec., families took the opportunity                                                   to get together. For example, Gutierrez Cerda got to see his cousin Carlos Gutierrez (10).
    “A bunch of family does it and we would get together for practices,” Gutierrez said. “It was nice seeing them.”
    On the day of the dance, the performers got to the church about an hour before show time to prepare. They put on their uniform which consists of a top, bottom, ankle pieces with shells, wrist pieces, and a headpiece with many feathers. From there, it was a waiting game until their time to shine came around.
    “They give us a signal to when we can start heading to the church and start the dancing,” Gutierrez Cerda said. 
    As the Aztec dancers were expressing their religion, family and friends watched from the pews. For Gutierrez Cerda, this includes his cousin Michael Morales (11). 
    “[Watching them dance] makes me want to get up and dance with them,” Morales said. 
    Having performed around seven years in a row, Gutierrez Cerda gained talent and the attention of others. Some people compared his moves to others’.
    “His dance moves are just so good and smooth,” Morales said. “He’s honestly the best I’ve ever seen." 
    Gutierrez Cerda would get to show off his moves multiple times as the group performed a total of six dances throughout the day. In between, the dancers joined their viewers in the audience and listened to the mass. 
    “We start with one song at the beginning, than one in the middle, and at the end of mass, we do four,” Gutierrez Cerda said.
    These dances are done every Dec. 12 at St. Mark the Evangelist Catholic Church. The dance holds religious meaning, as they are dancing to the Virgin Mary. 
    “It is a popular feast day that celebrates the Virgin of Guadalupe,” Gutierrez Cerda said. “Catholics believe [Mary] appeared to a peasant in 1531.”
    The day is predominantly important to those of Mexican descent. It is known as El Dia de la Virgen Guadalupe. After it all, the dancers took pictures, changed out of their uniforms, and went out to eat. For Gutierrez Cerda, religion plays a prominent role in his life. His family tries to go to church once a week. 
    “[The dancing is a] great experience because it’s something that we only do once a year,” Gutierrez said. “It’s so special, especially for it being a religious reason of why we do it, and it’s an amazing experience to get to do that for Virgin Mary.”