Rojas Rope Act Will Give New Twists to Bazaar Fete

The pounding heel-clicks of Mexican folk dance and the blare of a mariachi band have been standard trappings at Old Town’s Bazaar del Mundo since it opened its doors to the tourist trade almost 18 years ago. But when the Rojas family takes center stage in the bazaar’s sunny courtyard setting this Sunday, they will add a new wrinkle to the old formula for folklorica entertainment.

The family dances with rings of rapidly twirling ropes circling their bodies, in an ancient art form known as charros . Named for the Mexican cowboys who adapted the tricky lariat maneuvers from their Spanish conquerors, charro dancing combines the fancy footwork of Mexican folk dancing with rope tricks commonly performed by the cowboys.

The six-member group, known as Rojas Charros, is part of a charros dynasty that dates back more than a century.

“The whole family performs,” said Javier Rojas, the family patriarch, in an interview this week. “The youngest, Maritza is only 4, but all four children have been perfecting this since they learned to walk. This time my wife, Hilda, will be sidelined because she’s expecting another baby in a month.”

But Hilda still has her hand in the project as costumer for the group, and she’ll be nearby for all three performances (at noon, 2 and 4 p.m.) Sunday, keeping tabs on Miriam, 7, Patricia, 13, Joshua, 14, and, of course, Maritza.

In rodeo settings, Rojas Charros performs on horseback, with heavy ropes that spin circles more than 8 feet in diameter. But, as Javier pointed out, the small stage at the Bazaar del Mundo will cramp their style.

“We won’t be able to do as much with the ropes here. And we won’t all be able to fit on the stage at the same time as we usually do,” Javier said, “with each one twirling a rope and dancing in and out of the circles.”

Instead, the Rojas will work in small clusters, with Javier going solo for his special one-of-a-kind sombrero rope trick.

“I’m the only one in Mexico who performs this trick,” he said, pointing to a rope twirling over his head.

It’s a comic dance, with Javier reeling from side to side, as if feeling the effects of the bottle of beer in his hand, while the wobbly lasso sweeps around his body.

Both Javier and his wife worry about the safety of the younger ones, with all the rope throwing going on in the act. But as Hilda said, “As soon as the new baby is old enough to walk, we’ll be working. And by the time the child is 2 years old, he or she will be performing with us.”

Rojas Charros will cap off three days of festivities at Old Town’s South of the Border-style marketplace. The weekend event, packaged under the umbrella of the Latin American Festival, will feature continuous craft demonstrations, including mask-making, bark painting, and ceramics. Also on tap, beginning today, are cooking demonstrations, fashion shows and performances of Hispanic ballet, marimba, and samba music. This celebration of folk art from Central and South America is open to the public.