BAY RIDGE, BROOKLYN -- The documentary "Día de Muertos in the City" shines a spotlight on how Mexican communities across the five boroughs are keeping the Dia de los Muertos tradition alive.

The film recently visited the Church of the Good Shepherd in Brooklyn to document dozens of young folkloric dancers and mariachi students performing Xochipitzahuatl, a tradition with pre-Hispanic roots. Blandie Medina, the director for the Ballet Folclórico Hispano Guadalupano explains how the name means "little flower" and that, "this dance is very very important" and cherished in the Huasteca region. The song and dance is a means to connect with and honor ancestors.

Rev. Juan Carlos Ruiz says making those connections is the whole point of Día de los Muertos. "We memorialize those who have come b

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