Huayno and Marinera: Dances of the Andean Diaspora

Mainstream media in the United States tends to misrepresent Latin music. Many non-Latina/o residents of the U.S. have been led to believe that typical Latin forms of dance consist of fads like the macarena and the lambada. But the complex tradition of Latin dance evolves from more than simply rhythmic movement to music. It also draws on old customs and traditions of the dancersÕ ancestors. In the Andes of South America, for example, many dances derive from the indigenous cultures that have flourished there for thousands of years.

The dominant traditional dance of the whole region is Huayno. With origins that predate the arrival of Columbus to America, it remains a hugely popular dance in Peru. Couples and groups dance to Huayno by engaging in complicated turns, hops and toe-taps. Huayno music uses a vast array of instruments, but relies primarily on the violin, charango (a little guitar), quena (a typical Andean flute), drums, and harp. Audience participation is essential to the Huayno. Clapping hands, whistling, and singing of the songs, often in the native tongue of Quechua, create the celebratory vibe of the music.

Huayno also has a close cousin in the dance of Marinera. Originating in the 19th century, Marinera adapts aspects of Huayno for couple dancing in elaborate costumes that reflect the African and Spanish colonial infleuences in northern Peru. The movements of Marinera resemble those of Huayno, but feature the use of a handkerchief, the flourish of a broad-brimmed hat and the flipping of a long flowing skirt to the rhythm. Although Huayno and Marinera music and dance are still practiced at social occasions, especially in the Northern region of Peru and other places, the Marinera has also evolved into a competitive sport, and is often reserved for dance contests and official ceremonies.

All the best Huayno and Marinera dancers throughout the region and in some concentrations of Andean immigrants in the United States such as Port Chester, New York, and Patterson, New Jersey, look forward to a special celebration to showcase the beauty of the dance and the talents of the participants. The occasion is carnaval, a huge celebration that coincides with the period prior to lent on the Catholic religious calendar during February. Although in Brazil, the carnavals of big urban areas have captured local and international imaginations, in Andean-influenced countries like Peru, Bolivia and Ecuador, the people in rural areas maintain the traditions of this colorful and joyous gala. Resisting the European and colonial tendency to cataloguing and promote visits to indigenous relics in a museum, carnaval dancers preserve their history through contemporary cultural practices. In celebration of this age-old cultural form, they make the traditions and the dance live on.