Bronce received the Washington State Governor’s Heritage Arts Award in 2012 “Tradition without sustainability is history. Tradition with sustainability is legacy! We are honored to receive this award on behalf of the entire Mexican, Mexican-American & Chicano communities of Washington State.”
Tribute to Cecilia Contreras – Founding President of the Bailadores de Bronce Board
February 24, 1944 – March 2, 2026
Board President
2007 – 2013
“Cecilia Contreras was a small-statured woman who became a mighty force in the organizational history of Bailadores de Bronce,” according to Jessie Garcia, current Board president (2015 to present).
“We always had a ‘Board,’ but it was all dancers,” remembers Carlos Alaniz (Executive Director 2000-2010, Board Member 2013 – 2020 & 2022 – 2024, Board President 2013 – 2015). “I wanted to create a more formal, non-profit Board, I had thoughts about it, but I never did the background work.”
The group began to think more about it. They raised names of people they thought would be good candidates to become Board chair. “Cecilia [Cece] Contreras had been on the Board of Image de Seattle, on the East Side Latinos Board, and a member of the national organization, MANA (Mexican American Women’s National Association); she was good at organization, task oriented, not a procrastinator,” says Tanya Aguilar (Board member 1997 – 2012). So, Tanya floated her name. Carlos knew her from the community and performances the group had done for Image and East Side Latinos.
“I knew she loved Bronce, and I thought she was a good fit, and most of our Board members knew her (she was even Tanya’s Godmother),” says Carlos.
The first official meeting of the Board for Bailadores de Bronce was held on August 16, 2007 when it held its first formal election. Cecilia Contreras was elected Board Chair. She was excited and honored to be asked; the group was confident she would do an amazing job. Other Board officers elected in 2007 were Tanya Aguilar, Vice President, Virginia Wehr, Secretary, Cece Boyer, Treasurer.
At that point, Cecilia took the reins marshalling the rest of the board. “I needed guidance and Cece brought that,” says Carlos. “My mind was everywhere, she came in and was organized, ran meetings—she was focused. It was such a wonderful thing to have her alongside me.”
“I remember it was like herding cats during our Board meetings,” says Tanya. “Cece was always good at getting everyone back on course.”
Carlos reminisced that the group had been around for 35 years at that point (since 1972). “We were a wagon trekking along, then Cece stepped in and became the gears that made it run smoother and faster.”
Cecilia used her resources and contacts to recruit a law firm to do the pro bono legal work, but she was the one who did the leg work required for Bronce to become a non-profit organization.
Board Members through the years remember Cecilia
From Cece Boyer (Executive Director 1982 – 2000, Board Member 2007 – 2026)
“Bailadores de Bronce was most grateful when Cecilia didn’t hesitate to accept our invitation to become our president of the Board of Directors in 2007. With all her expertise, she shared with us positive reinforcement to keep us going. We started saying, SI SE PUEDE (Yes, You Can)! One thing I know for sure, Cecilia will be in spirit at the next Bronce show sitting right in the front row!
“We will always remember your smiling face coming to our meetings, such a sweet lady.
Cecilia Contreras—mil gracias! 🌷”
From Margarita Muñoz (Board Member 2007-2020)
“It was Cecilia who spearheaded our efforts in establishing the Bronce Board in 2007. I had never initiated a Board, and I think most of the group were novices as well. Though all of its members offered suggestions on how to proceed, it was Cece, for the love of Bronce, who devoted the necessary time to assure that the required information was effectively stated.
“She was a powerful, sincere and devoted force. No doubt that she will be missed by many. She loved Bronce.”
From Anadelia Torres (Board Member 2009-2013)
“Cece Contreras was a truly inspirational leader. Her work as the first Bailadores de Bronce Board president was representative of her commitment to engaging communities of color. She had a way of making difficult asks feel doable. I remember her saying, ‘I’m asking, while holding a wet noodle.’ She brought her warmth and energy to everything she encountered. She was my dearest of friends, and will be missed deeply and loved forever.”
From Dolores Hooks (Board Member 2007-2016, Interim Vice Chair, March 2023)
Cece’s tireless dedication is an inspiration. Her leadership has been invaluable and Bailadores de Bronce would never have become what it is without her passion and persistence. I’m proud to call her my friend.
From Barbara Deane (Board Member 2010 to present)
“Toward the end of 2009, Cece reached out to my husband, Carlos Gil, and I and invited us to join the Bailadores de Bronce Board. She knew us both through different networks. Carlos, not a committee man, said no, but I said yes! The opportunity to support a Mexican folkloric dance group inspired my long love affair with dancing, which had been so much a part of my growing-up years.
“It was my first real experience of being on a working, non-profit Board and I had to learn and earn my place. Cece was such a natural leader—she had uncanny insight into each Board member’s strengths and weaknesses, and a keen sense of how she needed to lead the group toward the next milestone. It was an extraordinary opportunity to work with her.
“I will always remember her tears when a performance opened, the strains of traditional Mexican music and the taps of the Dancers shoes wafting through Meany Hall at the University of Washington. ‘It makes me cry,’ she would say. I will always remember Cece for who she was—a compassionate, sensitive but earnest leader, and a fine human being.”
From Jessica Bravo-Rohwer (Board Member 2014 to present)
“Cecilia carried her culture with pride and joy, sharing her deep love for traditional Mexican dance with our community. Through every performance and celebration, she honored the beauty, history, and spirit of Mexican traditions, reminding us how culture connects us, uplifts us, and keeps our heritage alive for future generations.
“As our first Board President, she helped lay the foundation for everything we are today. With vision, determination, and heart, she brought organization and structure to the Board during its earliest days, helping guide us forward with purpose and unity. Her leadership was not only about building an organization, but about building community.
“Her passion for culture, her dedication to service, and her vibrant spirit will always be remembered. The legacy she helped create continues to inspire us, and we are forever grateful for the path she helped pave.
“Que Dios la bendiga y que vaya con Dios. May she rest in peace, knowing the impact of her love, leadership, and culture will live on in all of us.”
From Juan and Judy Aguilar (Board Members 2007 – 2013)
“We were good family friends with Cece and her husband, Jim, since the early 80s doing community outreach and registering voters together in the community with the Hispanic organization, Image de Seattle. It was great to work together again on Bailadores de Bronce helping them to continue their legacy in the greater community. Vaya con dios, amiga.”
From Adrian Olivas (Executive Director 2012 to present, Board Member 2011 – 2012)
“When I joined the Bronce Board of Directors, Cece Contreras welcomed me with such warmth that I immediately understood the kind of leader she was. She embodied compassionate leadership in the way she cared for people and guided our group. I feel incredibly grateful to have been under her leadership.”
From Christina Olivas (Artistic Director 2014 – to present, Board Member 2011 – 2021)
“We would not be where we are today without Cece Contreras. Her dedication, leadership, and love for our group helped shape who we are, and we remain deeply grateful for her legacy.”
“The night before the show in 2007 [the first one at Meany Hall at the University of Washington], we weren’t sure we’d have the audience,” remembers Tanya Aguilar, “We weren’t sure we would sell enough tickets to pay for the hall! But it turned out to be a sold-out crowd, and we had to turn people away. That might have been the year we hit a new level—we became a force to be reckoned with. The dance group came into its own.” Tanya filled many roles for Bronce over the years—Dancer, contracts negotiator, Board member, and she was Cece Contreras’ goddaughter!
As the dancers and Board members across the years will tell you, when you join Bailadores de Bronce, you join a family. Cecilia Contreras understood that emotional connection and nurtured it.
Margarita Muñoz sums it up nicely, “As a result, la famlia de Bailadores de Bronce continues to inspire and educate its audiences with grace, devotion, and a sense of Mexican pride.
Members of the Bronce Board with the 35th Anniversary Show Poster, the first performance at Meany Hall at the UW, in 2007. From left to right: Cecilia Contreras, Board President; Jim Contreras, Board Member (and Cece’s husband); Jesús Rodriguez, Community Member; Dolores Hooks, Board Member 2007 – 2016; Tanya Aguilar, Vice President of the Board; and Carlos Alaniz, Executive Director.