The new school year is in full swing and over at La Joya Independent School District, their folklorico groups are ready for another successful year.

Students are excited to once again hit the stage.

It's a tradition as colorful and as detailed as the outfits themselves. Each dress, each dance, telling a different story.

"Folklorico is dance, music, history by the people," Juarez-Lincoln High School Folklorico Director Romeo Montemayor said. "What we want to do with folklorico is keep those traditions alive."

La Joya ISD's folklorico program got started in 1982. Since then, it has become a beacon of cultural pride.

All three of the district's high schools, La Joya, Palmview and Juarez-Lincoln, have their own award-winning folklorico dance groups. Each one bringing its unique flair and passion to the stage.

"It makes me proud to have an opportunity to give back. Like I said, I was part of this program, it gave me so much. Without this program, I wouldn't be where I am and who I am," Montemayor said.

Montemayor has come full circle from being a student to the folklorico director for Juarez-Lincoln High School.

One of his students is Keyla Partida who's been dancing with Grupo Folklorico Sol Azteca since her freshman year.

"Since I was little, my parents told us stories about how they used to dance in Mexico, so I just got really inspired by that, and I decided to try it," Partida said.

Over at La Joya High School, Emily Mendoza serves as the principal dancer for Grupo Folklórico Tabasco.

She was also inspired to join by her family.

Both Emily and Keyla say they feel a great sense of pride every time they perform, and they're ready for another exciting year of baile folklorico.