On Saturday, Thomas and fellow members of Baile Folclorico de Oaxaca (Oaxacan Folkloric Dancing), a Poughkeepsie-based dance troupe composed of several Mexican families, entertained more than 250 men, women and children at the fourth annual Three Kings Day Celebration in the gymnasium of the Family Partnership building on North Hamilton Street.
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Melchor Thomas said he first learned to dance when he was 10 years old in the small town in Oaxaca, Mexico, where he was born.
On Saturday, Thomas and fellow members of Baile Folclorico de Oaxaca (Oaxacan Folkloric Dancing), a Poughkeepsie-based dance troupe composed of several Mexican families, entertained more than 250 men, women and children at the fourth annual Three Kings Day Celebration in the gymnasium of the Family Partnership building on North Hamilton Street.
Sponsored by the Dutchess County Arts Council and Hudson River Health Care., the event commemorates the arrival of the Three Kings, or Wise Men, to Bethlehem 12 days after Jesus was born. It is a major holiday in Latin America.
"Three Kings Day is as significant as Christmas in many countries," said Vera Wisniewski, who oversees a health clinic at the Family Partnership run by Hudson Valley Health Care.
It is on Three Kings Day, not Christmas, that children in many Spanish-speaking countries receive presents, symbolizing the gifts the Wise Men brought Jesus, Wisniewski said.
The health agency also sponsored Three Kings Day events in Beacon and Peekskill, she said.
In addition to the dance performance by the Oaxacan troupe, the event featured traditional Puerto Rican folk music performed by Edwin Rodriguez and Los Caribenos, a do-it-yourself pinata-making table, the telling of the Three Kings story and gift giving to children 10 and younger.
City resident Laura Celeya, a native of Mexico, brought her two children, 7-year-old Emmanuel and 10-year-old Ximena, to the festival.
"It's a nice thing for the kids to do. It helps them learn about their culture," Fabian said.
Ximena said she spent time "dancing, getting a toy and eating candy -- it was really fun."
State Assemblyman Frank Skartados, D-Milton, whose district includes Poughkeepsie and Beacon, lauded Hudson River Health Care for spearheading the event.
"It's good to see the rest of the community embracing our Hispanic community, and the health care center here at the Partnership is a major part of that effort," Skartados said.
The assemblyman said he was impressed with the talent at the event, and with the turnout.
"It's great to see all these young people here learning about their culture," he said.
Thomas, 28, said Baile Folclorico de Oaxaca was happy to be part of the celebration. He said he and some friends started the troupe about a year ago with the intent of helping Mexican families here preserve some of their culture.
"So many families here from Mexico want their kids to learn about how things were back home," he said. "We want to keep that tradition, so those children will have it and can teach their own children."
Reach Larry Hertz at lhertz@poughkee.gannett.com or 845-437-4824.
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