UIL Legislative Council Ballet Folklórico Pilot Program Coalition Letter

Thank you for your interest in supporting the effort to establish a UIL Pilot Program for Ballet Folklórico. Please review the following letter that will be sent to the UIL Legislative Council as part of this ongoing proposal.

You may also send this form to your dance and ballet folklórico colleagues to spread the word and help us garner additional support.

If you don't have a digital signature file, fill this form out on your mobile device to use the signature field.

Please Note: Edits or feedback on the proposed letter are not currently being accepted.

Superintendent Keith Bryant
Chair, UIL Legislative Council
1701 Manor Road
Austin, Texas 78722  

Dear Chair Bryan, 

We are writing today in support of the proposal to create a Ballet Folklorico pilot program sanctioned by the University Interscholastic League (UIL). We represent a broad cross-section of schools from across the state — 1A to 6A, public, charter, and private — that currently offer ballet folklórico as a cocurricular or extracurricular activity, and other supporters of this esteemed effort. 

Students find their ballet folklórico experience nothing short of rewarding. They have a unique opportunity to learn about the specific dance styles and cultural backgrounds each has to offer while learning important skills that translate into the classroom and beyond. As with any extracurricular activity, students strive to keep these programs alive, garnering community support through fundraising, attending rehearsals and performances outside of school hours, and supporting their fellow group members in the learning process.  

Establishing ballet folklórico as a UIL-sanctioned event would provide an additional opportunity for schools — especially those with limited arts funding — to increase equitable access to these critical enrichment programs. You have an opportunity to make this vision a reality, and we hope you will lend your support to this worthy cause. 

We encourage the UIL Legislative Council to approve the request for the North Texas Ballet Folklorico Contest to become a UIL pilot program and we sincerely hope to see this program grow regionally and statewide into the future.  

Sincerely,