Dance

Lizette Velazquez, left, and Adan Gaspar-Lucas practice a dance routine at First Baptist Church in Astoria.

The teenage dancers twisted and twirled across sheets of plywood in the basement of the First Baptist Church of Astoria on Wednesday, waving their skirts and stamping their nailhead-packed Spanish dancing shoes in a Mexican polka.

On May 3 at the Liberty Theatre, the Mi Cultura Folkloric Dance Group will perform several traditional Mexican dances as part of a Cinco de Mayo celebration.

Dressed up

Young performers wear colorful garments as they prepare to practice their dance.

Dancing shoes

Dance instructor Rocio Lizarraga Simmons shows off the nailheads embedded in her shoes that produce the signature sound on the dance floor.

Wardrobe malfunction

Lizette Velazquez, left, laughs as she adjusts the wardrobe of a fellow performer.

Practice

Rocio Lizarraga Simmons watches the dancers practice their routine.