Chávez (y Ramirez), Carlos (Antonio de Padua) (b Mexico City, 1899; d Mexico City, 1978). Mex. composer and conductor. Début as composer 1921. Travelled in Eur. and USA 1922–8. Wrote for Mexico City newspaper El Universal 1924, contributing to it regularly for rest of his life. Lived in NY 1926–8, forming friendships with Copland, Cowell, and Varèse. Dir., Nat. Cons. of Mexico 1928–34. Cond. Mexico SO 1928–48. Founder and dir., Mexican Nat. Institute of Fine Arts 1947–52. Dir., composers' workshop, Nat. Cons. 1960–5. Cond. f.p. of Copland's El salón Mexicó, 1937. Comps. incl. 6 syms.; pf. conc.; vn. conc.; opera The Visitors (lib. by Kallman) (1953–6); ballet Caballos de Vapor (Horse Power) (1926–7). Nationalist style but rarely used folk material.

Ballet Folklórico de México, Mexico's national dance company. It was founded in 1952 by the dancer, choreographer, and teacher Amalia Hernández. Sponsored by the Mexican government, it is headquartered at the National Institute of Fine Arts in Mexico City and regularly tours worldwide. It began as a company of eight dancers that produced dances based on Mexican folklore for television and concert performance. Greatly enlarged, today it is recognized as one of the world's preeminent "ethnic" ballet companies and presents a wide range of colorful dances that spotlight Mexico's regions, history, and culture. The company also runs a dance school.