In the small mountain town of Pátzcuaro, something magical was brewing. A fledgling symphony orchestra—barely a year old and full of children and beginners—was teaming up with a multicultural community choir, also with many beginners, to take on one of the great baroque operas: Dido and Aeneas by Henry Purcell.

Santiago Rosales, the current mandón—holder of the town’s staff of command—says he learned the dances from his father Domingo at the age of thirteen, and later dedicated himself to teaching the youngest children. Now his own son carries on the tradition, ensuring that future generations continue to dance for Saint John, and also preserving a relationship of learning and communication between adults and youth—no small feat in these times.