The dead have returned to Nashville from the underworld to dance and be merry. Ancestral spirits are stirring, with the Nashville Ballet’s previously sold out Día de los Muertos show coming back to the stage on Oct. 28 and continuing through the namesake holiday.
Feminine dancers with white skeletal masks and flowers in their hair are once again swirling their illuminated skirts. In rehearsal, a debonair skeleton man held an acoustic guitar while pirouetting, lifting up on the ball of his standing foot then landing in a sprawling demi-plié with the front leg deeply bent and the back leg stretched out long behind him, his shoulders back and chest open.
With all the quirky steps and playful twists on classical ballet postures, the choreography radiates
pure joy. Although he will be enjoying the show from the audience rather than performing in it, dancer Jorge Emilio Peña from Mexico, who joined the Nashville Ballet in 2025, emphasized that the floral decorations throughout the performance offer meaningful symbolism.
"Día de los Muertos means celebrating the life of those who are no longer with us," he said. "You guide them to the altar through cempasúchil flowers, as it is believed to be a spiritual flower that connects the afterlife with our world."
The ballet includes the classic ranchera song “Corazoncito Tirano,” recorded by Nashville-based artist Rachel Rodriguez, ahead of her own original album release, “My Vida,” on Oct. 9.
“It’s a song of remembrance and relationships. For me, it’s also personal,” Rodriguez said about her contribution to the ballet. “I grew up singing with my father, uncle and grandfather, so there are memories I have attached singing with my family, and these songs keep their memories alive.”
According to the Nashville Area Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, 14% of Nashville’s population identifies as Hispanic, including 2,100 business owners and countless artists. Rodriguez said that when she first moved to Nashville, roughly 26 years ago, it was hard to find fellow creatives to jam with who knew Latin music styles. As of 2026, she said that there is no shortage of skilled Hispanic songwriters, dancers and musicians that now call Music City home.
In addition to being the mother of two children born in Nashville, she is a part of Entrepreneur Latina Leaders of America, with more than 97 local members, and has been happy to see that community grow. When she's not performing or recording, she works with more than 200 kids a week at various bilingual music education projects at public libraries and establishments like Cheekwood Estate & Gardens, which is also offering family-friendly Day of the Dead celebrations starting on Oct. 28 with decorated altars and performers.
“The Hispanic community has grown, and we wanted to show up to celebrate our culture,” Rodriguez said.
When it comes to the ballet, Rodriguez said the lyrics of the song she contributed capture the ethereal sentiment of the holiday with Spanish lyrics that mean “I hear your voice in the wind. I hear your voice in the sun.”
Nashville Ballet dancer Summer Brown, who performed in the 2024 show, said that she did not grow up celebrating this holiday yet it took on a new significance for her when a family member passed away before the show.
"It was a gift to be able to learn about this celebration and honor her through, not just the holiday, but through one of the very things I love most … dance," Brown said, adding that she noticed many people in the audience had eyes glistening with "tears of happiness."
Choreographer Maria A. Konrad said that she was touched to see the new cast of dancers coming together for the 2026 performance showed so much passion for researching the culture and community members the performance honors. Dancers from Plaza Mariachi’s Baila Dance Studio will even join the opening Friday night performance on stage.
As for the ballet itself, dancers learned about folkloric steps from Rubi Rodriguez of Nashville’s Aztec dance company, Danza Azteca Ollin Quetzalli, and the Mexican consulate will also attend one of the upcoming performances, Konrad said.
The main performers will hail from NB2, Nashville Ballet's second company. Brown is now among the many performers in Nashville's principal ballet company who came from NB2, where students and trainees receive a modest stipend along with opportunities to build a dance career. Current performers at the upcoming show will include Milla Botha, Jholdy Alexander Cruz, Christopher de Godoy Bitar, Angelina Decarlo, John Martin Egan, Lydia Jones, Jasper Keck, Isabella Meier, Brooke Noska and Huxley Pillars-Capoccia. All of the costumes, including tutus made of perforated paper, called papel picado, were made by artisans in Mexico.
“The show is not about death. It’s about a continuation of life,” Konrad said. “It’s a day of reverence, family and connection.”
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: How Nashville families and artists celebrate Día de los Muertos
