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our directors
alberto lopez Herrera, Artistic director & Co-Founder
Alberto Lopez Herrera is a Choreographer, Wardrobe Designer & Maker, and Teaching Artist with over 30 years of experience in Mexican folk dance and story-telling. He aims to expand Calpulli Mexican Dance Company’s folk repertoire and develop productions with cross-cultural narratives. Mr. Lopez also seeks to share his knowledge of Mexican traditions in dance with younger generations via Calpulli Community.
Originally from San Antonio Chiltepec in Puebla, Mr. Lopez began his studies of Mexican folkloric dance at the age of 12 at the Centro Escolar Benito Juarez de Acatlán de Osorio. At the same time, he began to develop skills in garment making, a craft that would later compliment his dedication to dance. He completed the National Dance Institute’s intensive Teaching Artist training in New York. In the USA, Mr. Lopez was a dancer and choreographer with Grupo Folklórico de Greatneck, Don Juan Dancers, and the Ballet Folklórico Mexicano de Nueva York, working with distinguished choreographers Francisco Nevarez, Daniel Jaquez, and Noemy Hernandez.
Under his Artistic Direction, Calpulli Mexican Dance Company has performed at noted venues including Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival (Inside/Out Series), Wortham Center (Houston, TX), Humboldt State University, the Kingdom of Bahrain, Penn State Erie, and Lincoln Center Out of Doors, where Dance Critic Brian Seibert hailed Calpulli a “terrific company” after its performance. His choreographic works have been featured in noted venues and praised by critics at the NY Examiner, Queens Courier, and Houston Chronicle. A few months later, Mr. Lopez was named “Star of Queens” by the Queens Courier for his artistic accomplishments and commitment to community arts programming. He was also recognized by Time Magazine in the series “American Voices.” He provided artistic direction, choreography, wardrobe design, and cultural expertise for the productions “Dia de los Muertos” and “Boda Mexicana.” Most recently, Mr. Lopez was Dramaturg and Folk Choreographer for the Off-Broadway production “The Crossing” produced by the Barrington Stage under the Director of Joshua Bergasse. Lopez plans to continue Calpulli’s body of work in story-telling with future productions.
Mr. Lopez continues to create traditional garments used in Mexican folkloric dance. With great attention to detail, he designs wardrobe from across Mexico. His pivotal role in costuming can be seen throughout the company’s repertoire.
Mr. Lopez was instrumental in the founding of Calpulli Community, which offers donation-based dance and music classes across the northeastern United States. In addition to technical training in folk dance and more, Mr. Lopez inspires his students and dancers by focusing on the sheer joy of dance and using that joy to create magic on stage to inspire audiences.
George Saenz, Musical director
Juan Castano, executive director & co-founder
grisel pren, associate artistic director
Multi-instrumentalist, composer, arranger and educator, George Saenz is originally from Laredo, Texas. He graduated from Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA where he studied music performance and Jazz Composition and currently resides in New York City. He serves as musical director and educator for NYC’s Calpulli Mexican Dance Company,
Multi-instrumentalist, composer, arranger and educator, George Saenz is originally from Laredo, Texas. He graduated from Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA where he studied music performance and Jazz Composition and currently resides in New York City. He serves as musical director and educator for NYC’s Calpulli Mexican Dance Company, and works as a freelance musician with various acclaimed musical projects in and around NYC, including as trombonist-accordionist and arranger with multi Grammy Award-winning artist Lila Downs. His travels have led him to performances and productions around the world throughout Europe, Latin America, as well as extensive tours of the United States and Canada.
grisel pren, associate artistic director
Juan Castano, executive director & co-founder
grisel pren, associate artistic director
Grisel Pren was born and raised in Cancun, Mexico and always had a strong, passionate love for dance. She began dance training at a young age in local dance studios and the Casa de la Cultura Mexico. She would later become a professional dancer and entertainer in many of the Resorts in the Riviera Maya.
Grisel moved to New York City in 200
Grisel Pren was born and raised in Cancun, Mexico and always had a strong, passionate love for dance. She began dance training at a young age in local dance studios and the Casa de la Cultura Mexico. She would later become a professional dancer and entertainer in many of the Resorts in the Riviera Maya.
Grisel moved to New York City in 2007 to further her training and follow her dreams. She studied at Broadway Dance Center under the International student program, Steps on Broadway, and The Alvin Ailey School. Along with dance, she studied acting and voice. She performed with Arthur Aviles Typical Theater Company, Bronx Academy of Arts and Dance, Legros Cultural Arts, and appeared as a backup dancer in Music Videos “Yo valgo mas” & “Dance with me” produced by Weras Music and Tiny baby Giants. Grisel made her Off Broadway debut in 2012 with “Zapata! The Musical” at the New York Musical Festival, where she played the role of Curandera and served as Dance Captain and Assistant to the Choreographer.
Her training, teaching and performance skills are varied among Classical Ballet, Jazz, Modern, Mexican Folk Dance and many Latin styles. She is currently a Teaching Artist with the Society of the Educational Arts and, most recently, she completed the Mexican Folk Dance Teacher certification from the Ballet Folklorico de Mexico de Amalia Hernandez.
Grisel joined Calpulli Mexican Dance Co. in 2008 and tours with the Company in numerous venues nationally and internationally. She also serves as Calpulli Community Dance Program Teaching Artist and leads various Dance Workshops and Arts in Education school residencies
Juan Castano, executive director & co-founder
Juan Castano, executive director & co-founder
Juan Castano, executive director & co-founder
Juan Castaño co-founded Calpulli Mexican Dance Company with the vision of celebrating and serving the Mexican and Mexican-American community across the USA.
Mr. Castaño, a native of El Paso, Texas, holds an MBA in General Management from the Metropolitan College of New York. He also holds a BA in Chemistry and studied Latin American Studie
Juan Castaño co-founded Calpulli Mexican Dance Company with the vision of celebrating and serving the Mexican and Mexican-American community across the USA.
Mr. Castaño, a native of El Paso, Texas, holds an MBA in General Management from the Metropolitan College of New York. He also holds a BA in Chemistry and studied Latin American Studies while at Grinnell College in Iowa. There he also began his studies of folk dance with student instructor Alicia Gonzalez. He continued his training in NYC with several choreographers most notably Noemy Hernandez, Daniel Jaquez, and Alberto Lopez. With over 20 years of dance experience in Mexican folk dance, Mr. Castaño is a Master Teacher with the Young Arts Foundation. In recent years, he is a guest choreographer for Calpulli Mexican Dance Company, setting pieces for several productions and co-writing “Puebla: The Story of Cinco de Mayo” and “Navidad: A Mexican-American Christmas,” with the latter pulling from his upbringing on the US-Mexico border.
He studied Arts Administration as continuing education at New York University and is a certified Non-Profit Financial Professional via the Fiscal Management Associates. Mr. Castaño is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP) via the Project Management Institute.
Since 2003, Mr. Castaño works as a managing director, teaching artist, grant writing, and producer in the arts and beyond. Specifically, he is currently an Associate Director at Pfizer supporting research and development projects.
Mr. Castaño is inspired by the quality of the artistic and cultural programming by Calpulli, with whom he is still a dancer. Accessibility of high quality community programs, serving hundreds of students and families, is also a driving force for his dedication to the performing arts.
