Folklórico dance helped Kansas City women escape a rut. Now they're aiming for the ‘big leagues’

A year ago, Grupo Folklórico Izcalli consisted of a few friends dancing in a park to lift the haze of new motherhood. After an impressive first season — including a halftime show at Arrowhead Stadium — they vow to keep doing it for fun, but also to keep getting bigger.
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One by one, the dancers of Grupo Folklórico Izcalli pull into a Kanas City, Kansas, strip mall, staying warm in their cars until their teacher shows up with keys to the rehearsal space.

When Annel Alvarez steps up to the door, the women jump out of their vehicles practically in unison, filing into a mostly empty storefront.