Cal State Fullerton students had an opportunity to witness an artistic competition Tuesday when Ballet Folklorico de CSUF, a Mexican folk dance group, hosted its annual Chalk Mural Contest.

Students who gathered around the Quad Tuesday felt the excitement and enthusiasm at the Chalk Mural Contest as five contestants, including two campus organizations (Japanese Culture Club and CALPIRG, an organization fighting against Prop. 23) and three individual competitors (Jessica Perez, Maria Ruiz and Fae Feliciano) knelt side by side on assigned squares and were given 30 minutes to complete a drawing.

"Every year we try to make it bigger and better. This year we have Chicharróns," said Roxana Romero,vice president of Ballet Folklorico de CSUF. "We have Jarritos (for the first time, too)."

Since late 2007, Ballet Folklorico de CSUF has brought culture and art to CSUF through the practice of Mexican folk dancing. Begun by two passionate students, Ballet Folklorico de CSUF strives to keep the traditions of Mexico alive by educating young people in a fun and supportive way about Mexican dance traditions.

The Chalk Mural Contest's theme was "How do you stand out?"  Competitors were given the choice to compete as individual contestants or as a group, representing on campus organizations.

Ballet Folklorico de CSUF is based on the principle of diversity, so hosting an event on expressing individuality was fitting

"It's a way to show our individuality, a way to show what we have. The chalk stays for a while … people walk through here every day," Romero said.

Standing out is important to Ballet Folklorico de CSUF.

"We dance; that's what we do," Romero said. "We do Ballet Folklorico. Not everyone can say that. …we do it, and we love to do it so that's how we stand out."

Today, Ballet Folklorico de CSUF is composed of more than 30 dedicated members who are involved in the club's many events, including performances, volunteering and fundraisers.

The drawings were judged by professors who based their decisions on how well the drawings were able to represent the theme.

CALPIRG won first place.

"What (the drawing is) supposed to represent is the students finally standing up for a good cause. … right now we're trying to stand up against Proposition 23, which is a dirty energy proposition. We're trying to just (low voter rates of students) here on our campus," said Jocelyn Almeida, a political science major and CALPIRG member.

Areal Thomke, a technical theater major and CALPIRG member, further explained the club's purpose.

"We're just trying to stop oil companies from revoking our global warming laws, which we're so famous for here in California," Thomke said.

Ballet Folklorico de CSUF hopes to gain a lot from the Chalk Mural Contest.

"This event is important because it shows how clubs on campus can be united and are not separated from one another," said Yesenia Altamirano, secretary of Ballet Folklorico de CSUF. "We hope to gain relationships (with other clubs on campus) and to expand our links with each other throughout."