WORLD DANCE


SOUTH AMERICA
WHAT IS SOUTH AMERICA KNOWN
FOR WHEN IT COMES TO DANCE?

 Along with written forms of expression, the
continent is also famous for its visual displays and
traditional South American dances have long been at
the core of Latin culture. Traditional dance, also
known collectively as baile folklórico, has evolved
over the years and come to play an essential role in
contemporary life.
WHEN DID SOUTH AMERICAN
DANCE STARTED?

 During the 17th and 18th century, upper-class
European immigrants brought fashionable European
dances with them to Latin America.
These dance styles swept quickly through Latin
America. Over time, elements of
European dance styles were adopted into
indigenous dance rituals.
10 Beautiful Dances from
South America
1. Tango (Argentina)
  The Argentine Tango is arguably the
most passionate dance in the whole of
South America. This partner dance is
dramatic, intimate and highly sexually
charged. In fact, when the dance began
to spread internationally in the 1900s, it
was deemed too inappropriate to
display! 
 The tango is a lead and follow dance,
which is traditionally led by the male
partner in a time signature of 4/4. The
couple are connected chest-to-chest,
creating a close embrace.  Over the years,
the dance has evolved and there are now
many different variations of it globally.
However, the most famous of these is
still the Argentine Tango. 
Although some believe this dance originated from the Río de la Plata
between Argentina and Uruguay, others think that it evolved in Argentina’s
capital during the 1880s. In the early days, it was believed to be routinely
performed in the working-class bars of Buenos Aires and even in brothels
(probably due to its sensual nature). 

Tango is a fusion of different cultures, taking influence from the dances of

African slaves, local criollo populations and the European conquerors. Due
to a joint effort from both Argentina and Uruguay, the dance has been
declared part of the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage list. 

Best place to see Tango dancing: Buenos Aires in Argentina or Montevideo

 in Uruguay. 
2. Los Caporales (Bolivia)
 
Originating from the Yungas region of La Paz,
Los Caporales is the most famous dance in
Bolivia. It requires a lot of practice to get right
and as such, it is one of the most difficult of the
Latin American dances to learn. It is a very
active dance which includes a lot of jumping
and leaping. 

Los Caporales is believed to be directly
influenced from the Saya dances of the Afro-
Boliviano community and was first presented
in 1969. The dance features the character of the
‘caporal’ who was the foreman of the black
slaves in Potosí. The caporal is usually mixed-
ethnicity, dressed in military style clothing and
would also hold a whip. It was this character
which inspired the dance as we know it today,
created by the Estrada Pacheco brothers. 
 Some women may dance in the male role, however, it is more common to see
them dancing separately in march style. They are usually scantily clad and as
well as adorning boots and mini skirts, they also wear small bowler hats 
which are pinned to their hair. 
 The folklore dance has spread throughout South America and is also
performed in Peru, Chile and Argentina. In 2011, Bolivia made the decision to
get Los Caporales declared as Cultural and Intangible Heritage of the
Plurinational State of Bolivia. This was done to preserve the national identity
of the dance. 

Best place to see Los Caporales dancing: Oruro Carnival in Bolivia. This annual
celebration lasts 10 days and begins on the Saturday before Ash Wednesday. A 
bus journey from La Paz to Oruro takes around 4 hours. 
3. Samba (Brazil)
  This lively ballroom dance first evolved
in Brazil before later becoming
popularised in the United States and
Western Europe. It features tilting body
movements and backward steps and is
danced to samba music in 4/4 time. 
 Samba has its roots in a number of
African dances which were first seen in
Angola and the Congo. The style first
emerged in Brazil in Bahia, originally
coined by the descendants of African
slaves. They combined the percussion
sounds of traditional African music
with Latin American folk. The result
was the earliest form of Samba. 
As time has gone on, both samba music and dance have grown and it is
now internationally renown. Unlike other Latin American dances,
samba refers to a group of dances as opposed to an individual dance.
There are numerous versions of it, with Brazilian Samba and Ballroom
Samba being the most popular choices, although still very different
from one another.

Best place to see Samba dancing: Rio de Janeiro Carnival. The samba

parade is made up of flamboyant dancers, amazing floats, vibrant
costumes and of course, that all important party vibe! 
4. Cueca (Chile)

Officially declared Chile’s national dance in
1979, cueca is a dance of conquest and
definitely the one to learn if you want to woo
a partner. It starts with the traditionally
dressed man (huaso) offering his arm to the
female partner (china). As the vocals begin,
the participants dance in circles around one
another, waving handkerchiefs in the air.  

This dance is said to be a parody of the
courtship between the rooster and the hen.
Cueca is built upon the idea that the huaso
pursues the china until she eventually
concedes and is seduced. This plays out in
the form of loud stomping from the male
party and is eventually seen in a flash of the
thigh from the female. The handkerchief is
said to represent the feathers of the bird.
It is widely theorised that cueca has its roots in the Peruvian dance
zamacueca. The latter was an amalgamation of African, indigenous and
Spanish influences which is believed to have spread throughout Bolivia before
eventually reaching Chile, where it continued to develop. 

The dance is most commonly seen in the Chilean countryside but is also
regularly performed during national holidays. 

Best place to see Cueca dancing: Any of the major cities during  the multi-
day Fiestas Patrias, the celebration of Chile’s independence. 
5. Salsa (Cuba/Colombia)
  Perhaps the most famous of all the dances
mentioned here is salsa. This high energy
partner dance incorporates a lot of hip
twisting in a 4/4 time signature. There
are usually two quick steps and a slow
step, followed by a tap or pause. This
makes it an easy dance in which to master
the basics. 
 Although Cuba and Colombia are the
countries most often associated with
salsa, the dance actually originated in
New York around the 1970s. Pioneered
by the Cuban and Puerto Rican
populations living in the city, salsa is a
mix of already established dances
including Cuban Son, mambo, American
jazz and pachanga.
Sailors returning from New York brought the dance to Colombia’s soil and
it caught on at a rapid pace, especially in working class areas. It wasn’t long
till salsa clubs were commonplace all over the country!

Cali, also nicknamed the ‘Capital de la Salsa’, is one of the most famous
spots for competitive salsa and also boasts the most salsa schools anywhere
in the world. Salsa is so integral to the culture here that there is even a
variation of the dance known as Cali-Style Salsa. 

Best place to see salsa dancing: In the salsa capital of the world, of course!
Make sure to check out Zaperoco or La Topa Tolondra.
6. Pasillo (Ecuador)

 Named after the musical genre of the
same name, pasillo has become the dance
most commonly associated with the
country of Ecuador. Music historians
think that pasillo first evolved from a mix
of the Viennese waltz and the Spanish
paso doble in the 19th century. Unlike
other Latin American dances, the pasillo is
slower in tempo, in a 3/4 time signature
and melancholy in sound. Although the
pasillo is widely recogniseable, its style
and tone can vary from place to place. 
 Pasillo songs usually have themes of lost
love, disillusionment and the yearning for
old times. Sometimes the lyrics will reflect
the beauty of women or the surrounding
landscape. 
The bravery of men is a common theme in pasillo music and dance and
has become closely associated with the struggle for Ecuadorian
independence. In early December, the Festival del Pasillo takes place in 
Quito. This celebration is held to commemorate the founding of the city.
For visitors, this is a great way to see pasillo dancing up close. 

Best place to see pasillo dancing: See the ‘rhythm of Ecuador’ first-hand

in the country’s capital, Quito. 
7. Marinera (Peru)

This wonderful courtship dance is a dazzling
spectacle which should be witnessed by all
visitors to Peru. In the dance, the male party is
on a horse (in the popular Marinera Norteña
variation), while the female dances alongside.
They are both traditionally dressed and
handkerchiefs are used as accessories. 

It is believed that the marinera evolved from
another famous Peruvian dance, the
zamacueca. This dance was brought to the
country in the 16th century by African slaves
and also forms the basis of the Chilean Cueca.
Over centuries it developed, encompassing
Andean, Moorish and Gypsy influences. Until
the war with Chile in 1879, the dance was
referred to as the ‘Chilean’ but once the war
was fought, it was rechristened the marinera to
honour the efforts of Peru’s navy.  
Although other South American dances such as the Tango are more overtly
passionate, in the marinera the two parties never touch, heightening the sexual
tension and longing between them. There are three main variations of the
dance which are regional. There is the Marinera Limeña (from Lima),
Marinera Norteña (from Trujillo) and Marinera Serrana (from the mountains
in the south).

Best place to see marinera dancing: In Trujillo during the ‘Marinera

Concurso’, a contest which is held in January or on October 7th on Marinera
Day where there are dances and parades through the city streets. 
8. Danza Paraguaya (Paraguay)

 The national dance of Paraguay is a
type of polka, invented in the 19th
century. It differs from the
traditional European polka because
it uses both binary and ternary
rhythms. The European only uses
the former. This combination gives it
a distinctive sound which makes it
easy to identify. 
 This lively dance can be partnered or
also performed by a group of women
who are called ‘galoperas.’ The
Spanish guitar and Paraguayan harp
are traditionally used for the
accompanying music. 
Best place to see Danza Paraguaya: Take a tour from Paraguay’s
capital Asunción for an evening of dance, accompanied by dinner. 
9.Candombe  (Uruguay)
 Candombe is as integral to Uruguayan
culture as drinking yerba mate. This
famous folk dance originated in Paraguay,
among the descendants of African slaves
who had been brought to the country. This
African inspired dance is remarkably
complicated and the choreography
includes energetic and dynamic rhythms
along with step improvisation.
 Candombe is also performed to a lesser
extent in the neighbouring countries of
Argentina, Paraguay and Brazil. The dance
frequently makes appearances during
January and Feburary’s carnival season. 
 Best place to see Candombe: During
carnival season in Montevideo, the dance
is performed in the streets. 
10. Joropo (Venezuela) 
 Joropo became Venezuela’s national
dance in 1882. The dance starts similarly
to the waltz, with the couple tightly
holding each other. They then make
steps forward and backward before
holding each other’s arms while the man
stomps his feet in time with the music
and the woman makes sweeping steps. 
 This lively and fast-paced couple dance
somewhat resembles the fandango and
has European, African and indigneous
South American influences.  Whilst it
was traditionally danced by those living
in the countryside, it’s longstanding
popularity has caused its influence to
widen to include the cities of Venezuela. 
Joropo was named after the popular music genre of the same name and 
Hugo Chavez, the late President of Venezuela used the music at national
events, to assert his patriotism. As such, many have argued that Joropo has
become a politicised genre. Traditionally, harps, maracas and a type of Latin
guitar are the only accompaniments. 

Best place to see Joropo: On a Sunday afternoon in the centre of Caracas, the
joropo is routinely danced by members of the public in the square. 
 WHAT IS THE SIGNIFICANCE OF
SOUTH AMERICAN DANCE

Music, dance and poetry form the backbone
of South American culture. Often, traditional
musical styles or dances can tell you so much
about the history of the continent and its
people, and South America is very aware of
maintaining these traditions and making sure
they remain a part of contemporary culture.