Mexico City - The Arte y Folklor México Ballet Company, led by Aranza Zu López, won second place overall at the 15th Cheonan Heung Taryeong Festival (CHWDF), also known as the Cheonan World Dance Festival, which was held in South Korea from September 12-16, 2018.

Every year, Cheonan hosts this dance festival, the most important of its kind, which includes a week's worth of street parades and dance performances by Folkloric dance companies from around the world. This year, the Mexican ballet company danced along with 52 other dance troupes.

At just 24 years of age, Aranza Zu López, is not only the director of the Arte y Folklor México Ballet company, but also the producer and choreographer of Quetzalcóatl, La Leyenda (Quetzalcóatl, the legend) a play that brought the pre-colonial legend of Mexico's feathered serpent god to life through the show's musical composition; the dancers' talent and passion; and the elaborate costumes, which were awarded the festival's best.

The first performance of 'Quetzalcóatl' was such a success that the Mexican embassy in South Korea asked the Arte y Folklor Ballet to do several more presentations, all of which impressed attendees and were hailed by the Korean media.

"These are several great achievements. First, to be chosen by the CHWDF organizers to participate in this year's festival; then to impress a very strict international jury enough to win second place out of 52 ballets companies; and, finally, that our costume won first place," said Aranza Zu.

"We hope the these accomplishments are recognized in our country because we represented Mexico before 52 groups from other countries, who congratulated us and recognized the art in our staging, which shows our roots, and the origin of our vast culture," said the Mexican ballet director.

Aranza describes the contest as 'the world' of ballet, and considers it a great responsibility to represent the country internationally. "We want to make history, we want to make a mark, to tell stories through our art with the universal language of dance... everything starts with a dream and every dream is possible," she concluded.