Ballet Folklórico de México de Amalia Hernández is Mexico's most iconic dance company and one of the most beloved performing arts institutions in Latin America. Founded in 1952 by the dancer, choreographer, and cultural visionary Amalia Hernández (1917–2000), the company was created with the mission of researching, preserving, and theatrically staging the richly diverse traditional dances and cultural expressions of Mexico's many regions and indigenous communities.
Hernández conducted years of fieldwork across the Mexican Republic, studying traditional dances, music, costumes, and customs before transforming them into theatrical works of choreographic art. Her approach elevated folk dance into a polished, internationally competitive art form without stripping away its cultural authenticity. The company's permanent home is the Palacio de Bellas Artes in Mexico City, one of the great cultural monuments of the Americas, where it has performed weekly for decades.
Today, under the artistic direction of Viviana Basanta Hernández, the company continues Amalia's legacy with a company of over 70 dancers and musicians. Its spectacular productions — featuring vibrant costumes, elaborate staging, and dances from regions including Oaxaca, Jalisco, Veracruz, and the Yucatán — have been seen by millions of audience members across Mexico, the United States, Europe, and Asia. It remains one of the world's most internationally recognised folkloric ensembles.