Folklorico ● Flamenco ● Modern ● Beginning Ballet (bilingual)
Pilar Mendoza learned folk dances in Mexico. Her mother was a dance instructor and Pilar performed in every event her mother organized. As a child she learned that dance, culture and community always go together.
She moved to Greenfield, California in 1994. Here, she volunteered to coordinate dance performances at her daughter’s school. She worked for the Saturday school, teaching folkloric Mexican dances. Once her second child was born, she looked for dance lessons locally for her children. After she found out that there were no programs that offered these activities in Greenfield, Pilar formed ‘Fiesta Mexicana’ a dance group which she managed for 7 years.
At the same time she was working with the PAS program of the Arts Council for Monterey County as a dance instructor. She worked with children at the elementary level with the after school program, migrant program, and community programs in the south county.
Pilar has been taking music classes at Hartnell College and dance at MPC. She graduated last year from CSUMB with a B. A. in Liberal Studies and did her capstone on how dance assists children with their self-esteem.
Pilar’s dance experience includes line dance, beginner’s ballet, modern, flamenco, and folk regional Mexican. At the moment Pilar works for the Arts Council for Monterey county PAS program, First Night Organization and the Greenfield Arts and Cultural center where she is the director of a the dance group “Arcoiris Cultural” with 35 dancers.
Pilar’s goal in every class she teaches is to improve every child’s confidence through dance.