Chambelanes do more than dance at quinceañeras
Edgar Moreno, then among a rare class of teenage boys who enjoyed dancing, was asked to participate in a friend’s quinceañera to celebrate her 15th birthday. Then another friend asked. Next, a friend of a friend asked, all impressed by his impeccable waltz and ability to choreograph memorable dance routines.
This experience for Moreno, now 21, spurred a career.
“This is what I’ve always wanted,” Moreno said, “to dance and get paid at the same time.”
Moreno is a manager at High Class Productions, a Houston company that each year provides professional dancers for hundreds of these coming-ofage celebrations. These tuxedo-clad men, between 19 and 21 years old, on Sunday lifted young women into the air, wielded feather fans and demonstrated complex dance steps in unison at the George R. Brown Convention Center.
Their performance was among the glitzy dresses and decadent multi-tier cakes showcased at an exposition hosted by Weddings and Quinceañeras Magazine.
For many Latinos, a quinceañera symbolizes and celebrates a girl becoming a young woman. And part of this celebration is the quince girl’s court, where her fellow girls — damas — and boys — chambelanes — perform a traditional waltz.
Some parents are outsourcing the chambelanes to High Class Productions, hiring young men with dance experience rather than relying on male friends and relatives who might have two left feet.
“It’s to make her day even bigger than it already is,” said Moreno, who grew up in Houston.
“This is what I’ve always wanted, to dance and get paid at the same time.” Edgar Moreno, manager at High Class Productions
High Class Productions charges between $2,000 and $3,500 for its chambelanes, and these young men do more than just dance. They provide coordination services to make sure the day’s festivities stay on track and without drama.
Moreno starts interacting with a family three months before a quinceañera to teach the traditional waltz. He also choreographs a surprise dance that lasts five to six minutes and can feature a variety of styles including salsa, rumba, hip-hop and reggaeton.
This is Moreno’s favorite part. He enjoys helping the quince girl become confident in her dance steps. It’s a passion Moreno first cultivated by watching the TV show “America’s Best Dance Crew.” He took a dance class in middle school, where he mostly learned ballet, and then joined a competitive dance team, where he learned hip-hop and traveled the U.S.
On the day of the quinceañera, Moreno and other chambelanes escort the quince girl with a royal entrance. They flank the family during the crowning, special gift giving and toasts, grabbing extra chairs if needed or helping the quince girl stand if her dress gets caught in the chair.
There’s the waltz and surprise dance, and then the chambelanes get the party started — dancing until the clock strikes midnight. The chambelanes, who make $175 per quinceañera, can work up to three parties each weekend.
“This is a production from beginning to end,” Moreno said, “with no stops.”