Essays

Acknowledgements

The first thank-you goes out to the National Endowment for the Arts and their American Masterpieces Program, without whose funding, neither this event nor this program booklet would have been possible; with special mention to John Ostrout and Andi Mathis of the Endowment's State and Regional Programs for approving this Matachines project. The second thanks goes to New Mexico Arts Executive Director, Loie Fecteau, who allowed our Folk Arts Program to utilize the American Masterpiece funds for this historic event. The third thanks goes out to the Western States Arts Federation and Anthony Radich and Shannon Daut, who provided funds for educational and promotional materials, including this booklet, for this event. And a fourth big thank-you goes out to the National Hispanic Cultural Center and Reeve Love and Joseph Wasson and all of the performing arts staff for providing the most perfect and wonderful facility to host this first ever historic gathering of Matachines dance groups.

The following thank-you's are in no particular order but each is no less important than those who had the luck to be listed above first. This event could not have been possible without all of the Matachines dance groups who not only agreed to come and perform at this event, but who have been keeping this important dance tradition alive in their communities for countless generations. Many were uncomfortable at first with the idea of bringing their groups away from their communities, as this dance is considered sacred by most who practice it, and so we thank them from our hearts for honoring us with their participation. The Arts Alliance staff and Cricket Appel deserve a little of our gratitude for administering the funds necessary to successfully undertake this endeavor.

I'd personally like to thank the authors and scholars who contributed to this event and to this booklet as well as our copy editor Celestia Loeffler and graphic designer Jaye Oliver. Also, kudos to the staff at the Vagabond Executive Inn in Albuquerque for cheerfully accommodating the hordes of Matachines dancers who descended upon them.

And finally, though perhaps most important of all, thanks go out to all the staff at New Mexico Arts without whose enduring help, none of this could have gone forward.

Claude Stephenson
New Mexico State Folklorist