In the States of Mexico, each state, as well as specific geographic and cultural regions within states, cultivate a particular dance and folkloric style that is disseminated across the country via community, university and professional performance groups. These are the Bailes Regionales.

Each regional tradition reflects the rich cultural heritage and unique characteristics of each state or region represented. Characteristics unique to each region are reflected in the music (instrumentation),
dance (footwork, skirtwork, partnering and patterning styles) and costuming. Certain regions reflect stronger indigenous influences
than others (i.e. barefeet, indigenous costumes) while others present very Europeanized costuming and Flamenco influenced fancy steps, hairstyles and movement vocabulary . Most regions fall somewhere in-between on the spectrum of indigenous»»»European influences.

Many Mexican Folklore groups in the USA limit their performance repertory to highly accessible regions such as El Norte, Veracruz, and Jalisco. This leads some dancers and audience members to mistakenly assume that these regions are either the only ones representative of Mexico and Mexican dance, or are most representative of the tradition.

In Mexico, however, all regions are equally represented. Whether
or not a region is included in a repertory is generally determined
by a number of factors such as: the location of the community, university, or professional group, and the origin and training of
the Maestro or Maestra. For example, a dance group in Sinaloa
with a teacher from Sinaoloa is more likely to have a stronger
repertory from Sinaloa, but will also have repertory from other regions depending on the strengths of the teacher (where the teacher received his/her training and which regions were emphasized during that training).

It should be mentioned here that folkloric dance teachers and directors in Mexico undergo rigorous training and must be certified in order to teach Mexican folklore dances, which are preserved within the oral tradition. In the USA, however, anyone starting a group or setting up classes may teach folklorico or direct a group, regardless of training.