Ballet Folklorico Viva Panama, a dance company headquartered in Los Angeles, will present the traditional dances and costumes of that Central American country at Winchester Cultural Center at 2 p.m. Sunday, December 7. The concert is part of Clark County’s World Steps series. Admission is $10 for adults and $7 children.

Ballet Folklorico Viva Panama was formed in 1991 in Los Angeles by Víctor Grimaldo. Before coming to the United States, he formed his own dance company as a teenager in Panama. Then in Los Angeles he created Viva Panama to help his three children connect with their Panamanian heritage.

Now Ballet Folklorico Viva Panama maintains a full performance schedule all year long throughout California, Texas and Puerto Rico. The dance company has performed by invitation in Italy, Mexico, Ecuador, Puerto Rico, Venezuela and Hong Kong.

Many of the dancers in the company began dancing professionally in Panama, while others are second-generation aficionados of Panamanian traditions.

The company's repertoire is composed of original choreography that brings a contemporary vision to the effort to preserve the originality and authenticity of the rhythms and movements of traditional dances.

Winchester Cultural Center, part of Clark County Parks and Recreation, is located at 3130 S. McLeod Drive. For more information, please call 455-7340.