Rita was born in Galeana, Nuevo Leon, Mexico in 1937.  Her small town in the mountains of Central Mexico was famous for its fruit orchards.  She spent her formative years traveling all over Mexico with her family and studying the traditional folk arts of the indigenous people of the region.  She studied dance with the prestigious Bellas Artes Academy in Mexico City for six months and then continued performing with their Coahuilan dance troupe for the next 12 years.  During this time, she mastered many artistic skills   She taught throughout Mexico as a master artist, renowned for her papier mache, paper flowers, and folk dancing , and especially for her bordado magico (magic embroidery).

 

In 1978 she met her husband to be, John Wallace, a teacher from Denver, Colorado.  With the permission of her father she moved to Colorado, first living with her close friend in Fort Collins and then to Denver where she continues to teach and present at schools, universities, churches, and museums. 

​

She has received numerous awards for her work with the community, including  the Governors Heritage award in 1999, sponsored by the Colorado Council on the Arts ;  Univisions “Pillar of the Community”;  Excellent Teacher award-Mizel Museum of the Judaica;  Lena Archuleta Community Service award;  CHAC Life Work Achievement award;  the SCFD Rex Morgan award;  the XUPANTLA’” Cihuatoanii” Leadership award;  Centro Juan Diego Madrina award;  the Metro State Colorado Folk Arts Counsel Corn Mother award;  Latinas Honoring Latinas Companera award;   the Carson , Brierly, Giffin- Legends of Dance Honoree award; and most recently a runner up finalist for the Colorado Rockies Hispanic Leadership award.;

 

Rita was dance director for more than 15 years with Teatro Latina de Colorado; She also created, performed and choreographed for several dance groups;

​

Rita performed and was a consultant and choreographer with Jeanette Trujillo and the Fiesta Colorado dance company.   she has been and is the Artistic’ Diirectora’ for Centro Cultural de Mexico and the Mexican Counsel for more than 25 years.   She has been and is a bilingual docent, an artist participant and an artist in residence with the Denver Art Museum.    She and Julie Marino created Cultural Interpretations and were active for over 5 years in the community-including 9 years with the Hispanic adoptive childrens camps.   Rita was a ‘colaboradoa’  a  ‘conocedora’ and ‘Historian de Tlaxcalteca’ as well as spokes-person for Jose Flores’ Danza Guadelupana Matachina dance company for several years.

​

To book her for events please contact:  Renee Fajardo at  jtoh2016@gmail.com