The "Big Show" Coming to Santa Maria

The Righetti High School Marimba Band & Ballet Folklórico will present its 33rd annual "Big Show" performance on Friday, March 26, and Saturday, March 27, at Santa María High School's Ethel Pope Auditorium, located at 901 South Broadway in Santa María.  Showtime is at 7:30pm. 

Tickets can be purchased at the Student Business Offices at Righetti, Pioneer Valley, and Santa María High Schools.  Advance sale tickets are priced at $8 for all age groups.  Tickets may also be purchased at the door before each show for $10.

The “Big Show” is a two and one-half hour program featuring the music and dances of Righetti High School’s Marimba Band and Ballet Folklórico. 

The program is festive and colorful, and is filled with a great variety of exciting songs and dances reflecting the diverse world of Mexican and Latino music and folk dance. 

The “Big Show” is considered the group’s biggest and best program of the year, and has gained recognition as one of the cultural highlights of the Santa María Valley.

This year’s Big Show program will feature:
- 5 Traditional Folk Dance Regions: The States of Chihuahua, Jalisco, Nayarit, Sinaloa, and Vera Cruz.
- Traditional Mariachi-style songs by Chela, Beatríz Adriana and Ana Gabriel.
- Contemporary Chicano-Latin Rock by Los Lonely Boys and Santana.  
- Rock n’ Español by Juánes, Alejandro Saenz, and Maná.
- Contemporary Cumbia-style music.
- 1940’s era “Zoot-Suit” style music and dance.
Additional Group Information

The Righetti High School Marimba Band and Ballet Folklórico was organized in 1975 by group Director, Ricardo Gabaldón as the cornerstone of the school's Bilingual-Bicultural Program. 

The group was created to develop a positive sense of cultural identity and pride in accomplishment, to involve Chicano students in the life of their school, and to develop an acceptance of, and appreciation for Mexican culture. 

The group consists of 55 talented musicians and dancers, and emphasizes the beauty and value of preserving traditional music and dance. The group’s repertoire includes traditional favorites from long ago, modern hits, and even popular selections by contemporary Latino musicians. 

The group begins each show with Las Gaviotas, the first song learned by the school’s first group in 1975. 

Songs and dances are “passed on” from one group to the next.  "Dance leaders" are given the responsibility of sharing their craft with new dancers. 

Songs are learned by studying CD’s and learning them "note by note.”

Throughput its 35 performing seasons, the Righetti High School Marimba Band and Ballet Folklórico has distinguished itself by developing a tradition of quality and excellence in presenting Mexican folk dances and music for our schools and the community-at-large. 

In 1998, the group helped the City of Santa María win "All-America City" honors with an outstanding performance in Mobile, Alabama. 

In 1999, the group represented Santa Barbara County at the Inauguration Celebration of Governor Gray Davis in Sacramento. 

In August, 2006 the dance troupe had the distinguished honor of performing at the Mariachi Festival at the Santa Barbara Bowl with headliners, Beatríz Adriana and Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlán. 

Since 1975, the group has given close to 1,400 performances, and has distinguished itself by developing a tradition of quality and excellence in presenting Mexican folk dances and music.