Sixty artists from Guadalajara, Jalisco, are heading to Aurora for a free performance of Mexican folk dance, music and tradition on Monday, September 7, at East Aurora High School's Tomcat Theatre. Doors open at 4 p.m. and the show begins at 5 p.m., with the venue located at 500 Tomcat Lane, and organizers are asking attendees to sign up in advance to secure limited seating.
The show is part of México en el Corazón, an international touring production created and organized annually by the North American Institute for Mexican Advancement, or NAIMA, a Melrose Park-based non-profit founded by Mexican immigrant entrepreneur Sergio Suárez. According to the City of Aurora, IL, Government, the Aurora stop is presented in collaboration with the government of Guadalajara, Jalisco, the Village of Melrose Park, and East Aurora School District 131. Local troupe Ballet Folklórico Quetzalcoatl is also involved in the production, and the event is free to the public.
Since launching in 2015, the tour has brought free performances of Mexican folklore to audiences across North America, staging shows at landmarks including Times Square in New York, Millennium Park in Chicago, and Mount Rushmore, according to NAIMA. The touring artists travel directly from Guadalajara in two buses, with financial and logistical backing from the Jalisco State Government, the City of Guadalajara, and the University of Guadalajara Foundation USA, per Cuatro Television.
What's on the Program This Year
The Aurora date sits within a much larger circuit. NAIMA's 2026 Midwest, South, and East Coast leg runs from August 27 in Fayetteville, Arkansas, through September 26 in Houston, Texas, with Illinois stops in Elgin, Grayslake, Lansing, Melrose Park, Aurora, and Chicago along the way. This year's program includes a tribute marking the 100th anniversary of the birth of Mexican singer-songwriter José Alfredo Jiménez, regional dances from Durango, Guanajuato, and Jalisco, and a ceremonial Mayan Ball Game exhibition, according to the South Sioux City Area Chamber of Commerce. The City of Aurora's own post describes folk performances showcasing traditions from Nuevo León, Michoacán, Jalisco, and other Mexican states, alongside the 60 visiting artists.
Aurora isn't new to the tour. The production previously performed at East Aurora High School on August 30, 2025, as part of a 23-city international run across 15 U.S. states, according to NAIMA. This year's return will again be hosted by the City of Aurora Hispanic Heritage Advisory Board, a 13-member body established by municipal ordinance to advise city leaders, serve as a bridge to the Hispanic community, and manage local youth college scholarship funds.
A Local Dance Company With Deep Roots
Ballet Folklórico Quetzalcoatl, the local company joining the touring artists on stage, was founded in Aurora in 1983 to preserve Mexican folk dance and today includes about 70 local dancers ages 5 to 45 under director Juan Manuel “Nery” Cruz, according to BroadwayWorld. The group's decades-long presence in the city underscores how deeply the tradition is rooted locally, even as the touring show brings in performers from thousands of miles away.
That local depth lines up with Aurora's demographics. The city, Illinois' second-largest with a population estimated at 179,898 in 2024, has U.S. Census Bureau five-year estimates showing 41.6% of residents identify as Hispanic or Latino, according to Cubit Planning. That population is also at the center of a separate, ongoing municipal effort: in August 2026, the City of Aurora launched a Special Census aimed at correcting an estimated undercount of Latino and minority residents in the 2020 count, an effort officials say could prevent up to $43 million in lost state and federal funding by 2030.
How to Attend
Seating for the September 7 show is limited, and the City of Aurora is asking prospective attendees to sign up ahead of time to reserve a spot. Doors open at 4 p.m. with the performance beginning an hour later at the Tomcat Theatre, and there is no admission charge for the evening.
