DETROIT (WXYZ) — A Mexican Folklorico dance group in Southwest Detroit has found temporary refuge at the Gaelic League in Corktown after a water main break flooded their studio.
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Ballet Folklorico Moyocoyani Izel Dance Studio, founded by husband and wife Luisa and Jaime Carrillo 20 years ago, faced disaster when a water main break on February 17 flooded several blocks in Southwest Detroit.
"Right in front of our building is where everything happened," Jaime said.
The flooding was severe, with significant damage to the neighborhood.
"It's very, very scary because I mean I was seeing garbage cans and just garbage bags, everything just floating down the street. All the sewers were frozen over because you know it had snowed a few days prior and so everything was frozen so the water had nowhere to go," Jaime said.
Around 200 homes in the area were impacted, with damage estimated to be in the millions of dollars.
For the Carrillo's, the dance studio represents more than just a business. When asked if the studio was like their fifth child, Luisa responded jokingly, "It's actually our first child, probably our favorite child."
The couple, married for 17 years, began their relationship through dancing.
"Like that was literally one of our life goals was to have our own dance studio," Luisa said.
Despite the devastation, help came from an unexpected source. The Gaelic League of Detroit in Corktown offered their space for the dance group to continue rehearsals.
"And even though when we came in I wasn't sure like we just thought we were gonna have like a conversation you know when we sat down she said we wanna help you we're like oh that's simple you know and she's like yes like let's figure it out," Luisa said.
Kathleen O'Neal of the Gaelic League recognized the cultural similarities between the Irish and Mexican communities. "We're similar in culture we're very family oriented, very involved with our faith and with dance and the music. It's kind of like we, we know that they would have done the same thing for us," O'Neal said.
The connection goes deeper than just shared cultural values.
"Many of our members grew up in Southwest Detroit as well some of them still live there," O'Neal said.
For 18-year-old dancer Ivsen Vergara, who has been studying Folklorico for about 6 years, the dance represents cultural heritage.
"Although we were born in the United States, our parents were born in Mexico. It's just representing our roots, our culture," Vergara said.
Vergara was surprised by the Gaelic League's generosity.
"No, I mean, I was kind of shocked that this place would have like opened up their doors to us," Vergara said.
For Luisa, this unexpected alliance represents "the silver lining of that devastation."
O'Neal summed up the spirit of community that brought these two cultural groups together: "The thing is, people are people no matter where they came from, you know, we're all Americans."
There is still no confirmed date for when the BFMI dance studio will reopen in Southwest Detroit. The group is currently raising funds for repairs. To learn more, visit this link.
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