¡Viva la México! ¡Viva los bailar’nes!

Raíces de mi Tierra will hold its 12th annual Cinco de Mayo celebration in Campbell Hall this Sunday at 4:00 p.m.

This year’s theme is “Cruzando Fronteras,” and the event will feature dance troupes from Las Aguilas High School, Isla Vista Elementary School and Danzantes Aztecas, a local Aztec dance group, as well as a Chicano theater group from UCSB called Teatro de Nepal.

Raíces de mi Tierra member Benjamin Wood said it is important to hold the annual event so that people of different cultural backgrounds can better understand each other.

“It is important to have this performance to celebrate diversity and multiculturalism,” Wood said. “Folklorico is a very old tradition and a strong cultural tradition. The people that do it are really representing their culture. That helps us appreciate other cultures and helps people from other cultures appreciate ours.”

Raíces de mi Tierra, which translates to “Roots of my Country,” is a UCSB-based Folklorico dance troupe formed in order to promote and cultivate the study and performance of native Mexican and Chicano dance forms from various regions. The group will celebrate Cinco de Mayo by performing dances from seven regions of the Americas including Central America.

The group, which has about 25 members, will be joined on stage by Semillas de mi Tierra, a seven-student dance group from Isla Vista Elementary School. The group got its name, which translates to “Seeds of my Country,” because it is sponsored and taught entirely by Raíces de mi Tierra.

“They’re really excited about the show, and they’re very motivated and unique children,” Semillas de mi Tierra Director Diana Reveles said.

Semillas de mi Tierra practices for one hour weekly in the MultiCultural Center, after which the students receive help with their homework from the members of Raíces de mi Tierra. This one-on-one time with the students allows Raíces de mi Tierra to reach out to the local community and be positive role models in a more direct way, Reveles said.

“They’re influenced by us in regards to going to college,” she said. “Through us they see that it is possible for them to work hard and go to college when they get older.”

The Semillas de mi Tierra program is completely free for I.V. Elementary School students. Raíces de mi Tierra holds fundraisers to pay for all of the costumes and shoes that the participants need.

“It’s very important [that they not have to pay] because some of the families are not very financially stable. So we want to be sure that they can participate without having to worry about money and their financial situation,” Reveles said.

Associated Students is sponsoring the event, but with the current budget crunch, Raíces de mi Tierra has had to hold fundraisers in order to put on the event.

“We’ve done tostada and enchilada sales, and have gotten income from performing at events like the Spring Fair for Lambda [Chi Alpha], and we sell See’s Candies to pay for costumes for the Semillas de mi Tierra,” Wood said.

The group has been selling tickets for the event this week and is expecting to fill the auditorium for their annual show.

“It should be a full house,” Wood said. “We’ve been selling tickets nonstop. People have been buying the tickets from our table in the Arbor all week.”

The group will be selling pre-show tickets in the Arbor until 4 p.m. on Friday. Tickets can also be purchased at the door on Sunday. Tickets are $8 pre-sale and $12 at the door.

“This celebration is a good way to bring the whole community together,” Wood said, “and have a good time sharing what we have in common and sharing a love for dance.”