ROBERTSDALE, Ala. (WKRG) — As one of the fastest-growing counties in the state, the Hispanic community is part of that growth in Baldwin County. Demographics compiled by Auburn University show that 5% of the county’s population, or just over 12,000 residents, are Hispanic.
Although their home may have changed, it’s important that their culture is celebrated and not forgotten, and that’s where the Mitotiani Folkloric Dance Group in Robertsdale comes in.
The music, the colors, the dresses and the dance.
“Everybody just loves it,” dancer Brittani Valencia said. “They are excited to see the dance, the colorful dresses; they enjoy it.”
Started at St. Patrick’s Catholic Church for the annual Virgin Mary celebration, the dance group brings a hint of Mexican culture to Baldwin County.
“We have shown our culture through dancing of course. We enjoy sharing our culture to the new generation,” Valencia, who was born and raised in America but has visited Mexico, said.
“When I go, I appreciate things from here, and when I come back, I appreciate things from over there,” she said.
Her mother, Susy Pulido, moved to Baldwin County in 2008 and knew immediately this was where she wanted to be.
“The first time I put my feet in Fairhope, I told my husband this is my home,” Pulido said. “And he said, ‘It’s quiet. The next week I’m packing and move here.'”
Family is a priority but so is knowing where you come from. Pulido said the dance is part of that education.
“I’m feeling so proud for my roots, and I am so happy here, and I love both cultures, but I don’t want my kids to lose the roots,” she said.
With every step and every swish of a skirt, the culture and traditions continue and are celebrated in the place they call home.