Folklorico shaped this Fort Worth woman’s life, landed her on stage with Charlie Daniels

Linda V. Gutiérrez never missed an opportunity to go to the Southwestern Exposition and Fort Worth Fat Stock Show and Rodeo.

As she sat in the stands, her eyes teared at the sight of ballet folklorico dancers and mariachis. It reminded her of the time she performed as a folklorico dancer in 1987 at the Will Rogers Memorial Coliseum. She and her partner, Michael Mireles, danced to music played by Mariachi Olmos. Her father Louis Villanueva, Jr. sang in the group in a style akin to Mexican-renowned singer Vincente Fernández. For Gutiérrez, performing for the public was in the family blood, an exhilarating path she hoped other Latinas could venture.

Unlike current stock shows, performers in the ‘80s showcased the same acts in the matinee and evening shows for three weeks. The year she performed, she shared the dressing room with Miss Texas Jonna Fitzgerald. As Miss Greenville, Fitzgerald awed the Miss Texas judges with her beauty and talent as a fiddle player. At the 1986 Miss America pageant, she earned second runner-up.

Ramón Becerra, a horse trainer for actress Bo Derek at her Santa Ynez, California, ranch, performed as a lasso rider on her white steed. He taught Gutiérrez to ride the star’s mount between shows in the empty area. She reveled in riding for the first time on the magnificent horse.

Another surprise awaited Gutíerrez in the arena. The show’s producer, Tad Griffith, asked several of the performers between shows to stay in costume and return to the near-empty arena. After performing again, Griffith asked several to stay. As the lights went up, the producer pointed to Charlie Daniels watching from the stands. Without realizing it, they had auditioned for roles in a Daniels’ road show, opening in three weeks in Beaumont. When Daniels offered Gutiérrez, Fitzgerald, Mireles, Becerra, and others jobs, they accepted.

His show, “Music Comes To Life,” showcased in a restaurant arena, highlighted several of the country singers’ hits. Instead of dancing with Mireles, Gutiérrez acted as a saloon girl and her partner as the devil. Fitzgerald played the fiddle to Daniels’ smash hit “The Devil Went Down To Georgia.” For a 19-year-old, Fort Worth, Northside Latina, performing for Daniels was a highlight of her dancing life.

Angelic parents encouraged Gutiérrez since she was 3 years old to dance. Her mother, Lydia, born in Fort Worth, enrolled her in ballet, tap, and jazz dance lessons at a North Side studio. Pursuing a dream to become a ballet dancer, she developed her skills and performed at recitals and public shows. When she was 12 years old, the dance studio moved too far for Lydia to take her to lessons. Although disappointed, Linda continued modeling and performing in commercials for Telemundo and Galavisión, Spanish-language networks.

Her mother encouraged Linda to channel her dancing skills to a newly formed group, Ballet Folklorico Azteca, directed by Bertha García. On the first day she went to folklorico lessons, she brought her ballet shoes. She quickly realized Mexican ballet required different shoes. Under Garcia’s direction, she learned various Mexican dances representing the states of Jalisco, Veracruz, Oaxaca, and others, along with their cultural significance.

Her dancing skills and showmanship impressed the Fort Worth Latino community and musical groups like the Mariachi Olmos. Her beauty, poise, and bilingual speaking skills propelled her to participate in the 1984 Pan-American golf Association Auxiliary Debutante Ball. She won the honor of the 1986 Miss Mexican Independence Day Queen for the Dieciséis de Septiembre parade celebration, riding with festival organizer Dick Salinas.

At 19, she stepped away from Ballet Folklorico Azteca but not from dancing. Through her father’s encouragement, she directed a ballet folklorico group at Holy Name Catholic Church in East Fort Worth. The Fort Worth Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and the Arts Council assisted with securing dance venues and promoting the group. Maria Dolores Nava Ramirez, a family friend, sewed the group’s Jalisco and Veracruz dance costumes. Her troupe performed at the Fort Worth Botanic Garden and Rose Marine Park for Mexican Independence Day and other celebrations. Under Linda’s supervision, the girls learned about the beauty of Mexican culture and developed self-confidence and poise.

Fort Worth Independent School District teachers, aware of Linda’s modeling and dance experiences, requested she teach their daughters modeling, makeup, and etiquette skills. She taught some after school in classrooms and at her home.

Gutierrez — who is now 56 and lives in Saginaw — found dancing sharpened her private and public confidence and opened doors to joy and beauty in her young life. She thanked her parents for the encouragement to enter the stage spotlight.

Author Richard J. Gonzales writes and speaks about Fort Worth, national and international Latino history.