The typical dances of Colombia they are a series of musical rhythms and dance expressions, product of cultural miscegenation, that have developed historically throughout the country.
These dances are a mixture of the pre-Columbian native, African and European cultures that, from the Colony, were integrated until creating these folkloric manifestations.
Cuadrilla dancing cumbia, one of the typical dances of Colombia
Each Colombian region has its own rhythms and dances that distinguish it. However, many of these dances are performed equally in different regions of the country.
The list of dances is multiple and varied, in each of the six regions that make up the Colombian geography. For example, in the Caribbean region include: cumbia, bullerengue, porro, farotas, garabato, sere sé-sé and mapalé.
In the Andean region, the typical dances are: bambuco, corridor, whirlpool and guabina; while in the Orinoquia region joropo and galerón are danced.
The insular region also has a rich dance culture. Among his typical dances are: calypso, chotis, mento, polka and quadrille (cuadrilla).
Likewise, the typical dances of the Pacific region are: vallenato, abozao, bunde, jota chocoana and caderona, currulao and the contradanza. And in the Amazon region the bêtsknaté and the dance of the offering are danced.
Dances typical of Colombia by regions
The Caribbean Region
The Caribbean region is made up of the departments of Antioquia, Atlántico, Córdoba, Cesar, Bolívar, La Guajira, Magdalena and Sucre. The typical dances of this region are:
The Bullerengue
It is a ritual dance with a marked African influence, danced and sung simultaneously only by women, to the rhythm of a drum. The woman moves in an upright position, taking small steps measured with her dress.
Originally it was used to celebrate the arrival at puberty of young people, but now it symbolizes female fertility. It is believed that he was born in Palenque de San Basilio in the department of Bolívar.
The cumbia
It is one of the most representative dances of Colombian folklore. Cumbia is a mixture of native, African and European rhythms. It is executed with a free movement and circular movements.
Sometimes, women carry lighted candles in their right hand, and in the left they hold one end of the skirt (skirt), which they move to the rhythm of the music to make it more attractive.
Meanwhile, the man is taking steps around the woman, with the heel of the right foot raised and the knees slightly inclined.
He also makes different figures, removes his straw hat and puts it back on his head, always keeping his hands outstretched.
Originally, the cumbia was a funerary ritual dance (hence the candles), as it was used to commemorate the wakes. It is usually danced at night.
The Farotas
It is believed that this dance was born from an artifice used by the Caribbean natives of the tribe of Farotos to surprise and avenge the Spaniards, who stalked and sexually abused their women.
Thirteen natives disguised themselves as women and danced in a raft to the other side of the river where the Spaniards waited. When they arrived, they took the Spaniards by surprise and murdered them with a knife.
It consists of a dance performed only by men, six on one side and six on the other, and in the center another that represents Mama, who directs this dance. It is danced to the rhythm of a drum and a cane of millet.
The Doodle
This dance of the Atlantic coast symbolizes the confrontation, or conflict, between life and death. Its name derives from the wooden stick that has the shape of a hook, and has various uses in the Colombian countryside.
The dance is executed with the scribble or hook that men carry. This stick has at one end several ribbons of yellow, red and green (the same as the Barranquilla flag). The dance is accompanied by a musical genre known as"chande".
El Porro
Besides being a typical dance of the Colombian Caribbean, it is also in the city of Medellín, department of Antioquia. This native dance mixes African rhythms and sounds of wind instruments used in war bands.
Although at first it was danced individually, then it began to dance as a couple as a ballroom dance. It is danced in a circular way, being El Venderron one of the most known musical pieces.
The Sere sé-sé
This dance originates from the Antioquia coast. Afro-descendant miners from the Zamora area danced it as a couple. Women and men form in rows and carry lit torches, representing the workday.
It is also known as the black mapale, and it is executed with the feet folded. The movements during the dance imitate the work of the miners in the galleries.
The Mapalé
The mapalé dance takes its name from a fish that lives in the Magdalena River. It is a dance with a lot of African influence that was originally used to celebrate good fishing.
Currently, it has a connotation of sexual nature and runs as a couple giving the palms.
Both women and men dance with short steps. The woman moves suggestively and the man exhibits his masculinity.
Andean region
This region located in the Andes mountain range is made up of the departments of Cundinamarca, Boyacá, Santander and Antioquia.
It also includes Caldas, Caquetá, Cauca, Cesar, Chocó, Huila Nariño, Norte de Santander, Putumayo, Quindío, Risaralda, Santander, Tolima and Valle del Cauca. Their typical dances are:
The Bambuco
It is one of the most popular and important dances in the Andean region, and even in the country. In him the native, African and European cultures are present.
He is executed as a couple, which is crisscrossed forming an eight, keeping his hands on the waist and making gestures with a handkerchief.
Among the variants of this genre are the Guaneña and the bambuco Sanjuanero.
The Whirlwind
It is a spontaneous dance of peasant origin. Through him different feelings are expressed: love, disappointment, veneration, etc. It is danced on festivities such as weddings, celebrations, etc.
He is executed as a couple, while the man pursues the woman with grace and tries to escape. Afterwards, the papers are reversed.
La Guabina
This European dance that originated in the nineteenth century. It has several types, depending on the department. The Cundiboyacense (Boyacá and Cundinamarca), the Veleña (Santander) and the Tolimense (Huila and Tolima)
The hall
Like vallenato and cumbia, the corridor is a musical genre and a dance considered as a national dance, since it represents the whole country.
It originated in the nineteenth century, and has great influence of the European waltz. It is classified into two types and its execution depends on the occasion: the partying and the slow.
The first is instrumental, and runs at weddings and other parties. On the other hand, the slow can be sung or instrumental too, and is used in serenades.
It consists of three parts: the repeating introduction,"the pleading melody"and repeats itself.
Orinoquía Region
It is integrated by the departments of Arauca, Casanare, Meta and Vichada. Their typical dances are:
The Joropo
This dance is the most popular of the Colombian and Venezuelan plain, geographically integrated. It has the influence of Spanish fandango and, in fact, joropo derived from Arabic xarop (syrup).
It is a joyful and festive dance that is danced tapped with the couple taken from the hands, also giving turns taken from the hand and the waist. It is performed at the rhythm of harp, cuatro and maracas.
The Galerón
This dance is mostly performed during popular festivities. It is also a very lively and boisterous dance. Its name apparently originated in the seventeenth century, in the Fiestas de los Galerones.
Like the joropo, it is danced in pairs and tapped. This dance is a kind of dance courtship, where the man pursues the woman. The man carries in his hand a handkerchief that shakes as it moves.
Island region
It is integrated by the islands of San Andrés and Providencia in the Caribbean Sea and by the Malpelo and Gorgona Islands in the Pacific Ocean. Their typical dances are:
The Calypso
It is the most representative dance of this region and it originates from the neighboring islands of Trinidad and Jamaica. It runs freely in separate pairs, with strong hip movements.
The Chotis
This dance is of French origin and came to San Andres Island in the 19th century. It is danced in pairs taken by the hand. The couples take two steps to the right and three steps to the left.
The movements are soft in four-four rhythm, to which are added foot stomps that are marked to the rhythm of the music.
The Mento
It is of Antillean origin very similar to the rumba. The women are marking the rhythm gently, while they are persecuted by the men who court them in an insinuating way.
This dance is similar to cumbia. It is danced in loose pairs making short movements with the feet, the hips and the shoulders thrown forward.
The Polka
This dance also of European origin and has two versions: the original polka and jumping polka. The dance begins with the right foot at the count of three. The couple leans their body slightly forward, along with the right foot.
In the version of the skipped polka, only women participate who dance in circles and give small jumps accompanied by gentle movements.
The Quadrille (gang)
This English dance of aristocratic style was assimilated by the Afro-descendants of the islands of the insular region.
It is performed in pairs, who dance different rhythms while performing 5 figures (waltzes, handrails, changes, crosses and turns with turns).
Amazon region
This region is integrated by the departments of Amazonas, part of Meta, Guainía, Putumayo, Caquetá, Guaviare and Vichada. Their typical dances are:
The Bëtsknaté
This ritual dance symbolizes the meeting of the different indigenous communities that inhabit the Alto Putumayo. During the ceremony, food is exchanged.
The dance - parade is directed by the matachín mayor, who covers his face with a red mask and carries a bell. This ceremony is linked to the celebration of the Carnival of Forgiveness.
The Dance of the Offering
It is a funerary dance in honor of the dead, which serves to give food that the deceased used to consume in life. This is the reason why each dancer carries a wooden plate.
The dancers make a circle and the center there is a man, around it all the others go around. The musical instruments used in this dance are the flute and the drum.
Pacific Region
This region, made up of the departments of Chocó, Valle del Cauca, Cauca and Nariño, has the following typical dances:
The Vallenato
It is a musical genre and dance from Valledupar, and is the most representative of Colombia in the world. This cheerful rhythm is danced throughout the country. The lyrics of their songs are very romantic and full of feelings.
The dance is performed to the rhythm of instruments such as the box, the accordion, the guacharaca and the accordion. The vallenato has several rhythms: son, merengue, tambora, paseo y puya.
The Abozao
It is an erotic dance that is danced between couples, making gestures and suggestive movements with the legs. Men and women, formed in rows, dance separately. Sometimes, the woman is surrounded by the man.
Its name is derived from the boza which is the rope used to tie boats.
The Jota Chocoana and the Caderona
Both are dances of mestizo origin. They are mixed rhythms and movements of African culture and traditional European dances of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.
La jota chocoana represents a satirical imitation of the dance of the Spanish jota, which began to be performed in the 18th century.
It is danced in pairs, which are placed in front and presents some variants with respect to the Spanish version. In the Colombian version, they also clap, but the movements are more abrupt and quick.
The caderona, on the other hand, is accompanied by singing the following verse with a chorus, while the dance is being performed:
"Caderona, come, start. With the hand on the hip. Caderona, come, start. Oh! Come, meniate, to 'fall in love'.
The Currulao and the Bunde
Currulao dancing is considered to be the most important among Colombian Afro-descendants in the department of Chocó. It is linked to the era of slavery and mining work.
It is danced in pairs, by means of circular and linear movements, drawing eights during the movement. The dance imitates a courtship from man to woman.
This dance is danced to the rhythm of drums, drums, maracas and marimba
For the dance of the bunde these same instruments are used. What changes is the ceremony where it is executed, because in this it has a funerary character.
The Contradanza
This dance is of European origin between the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Its original name was countrydance, which in English means field dance. It was taken by the Spaniards to Colombia in the 18th century.
Initially, it was a very elegant dance typical of the highest classes of society, then it became popular. It is danced in pairs with pre-established rules, accompanied by the clarinet and the euphonium, among others.
References
- Dances and traditional costumes. Retrieved on March 9, 2018 from colombia.com.
- Costumes and dances typical of Colombia: by regions and much more. Recovered from hablemosdeculturas.com.
- Typical Colombian dances. Consulted from viajejet.com.
- Folklore choreo-musical of the Colombian Caribbean (PDF). Recovered from scolartic.com.
- Martín, Miguel Ángel (1979). Llanero Folk Villavicencio: Lit. Juan XXIII. Retrieved from banrepcultural.org.
- The dance of the Farotas, an old tradition in the Carnival of Barranquilla. Recovered from nytimes.com/es.
- Herrera-Sobek, María (2012) Celebrating Latino Folklore. California. Retrieved from books.google.co.ve.