Colorado dance company honors Día de los Muertos with "Amor Eterno"

A beloved tradition from Mexico has gained popularity in the U.S., and a Colorado dance company is honoring it this week with a new production.

ArtistiCO Dance Company will perform "Amor Eterno," a show built around Día de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, through music, dance and memory.

"Amor Eterno is a show that is so dear to our hearts," said Jose Rosales, co-founder and CEO of ArtistiCO Dance Company. "It represents Día de los Muertos."

Rosales said the universal experience of loss is at the heart of the production.

"The one thing that we have in common as humans is we all know what it is and what it feels like to lose somebody that is very dear to us," he said.

The show was born during the COVID-19 pandemic, when the company began thinking about how Latinos in Colorado mourn.

"What is really beautiful about this performance is it uses classical music from Mexico that I think a lot of you will know the songs," he said.

The production asks audiences to make time for remembrance.

"You never learn to forget someone or to get over a loss," Rosales said. "You just learn how to live with it."

The show is dedicated to artist Frida Kahlo and reflects the company's mission of connecting cultures.

"We invite you all to come be a part of the celebration, but also you might learn something," Rosales said.

"Amor Eterno" will be performed Thursday and Friday night Oct. 29-30 at the Lakewood Cultural Center. For more information, visit artisticodance.org.