Dance in Peru is an art form primarily of native origin. There are also

dance Dance is a performing art form consisting of sequences of movement, either improvised or purposefully selected. This movement has aesthetic and often symbolic value. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoir ...

s that are related to agricultural work,

hunting Hunting is the human activity, human practice of seeking, pursuing, capturing, or killing wildlife or feral animals. The most common reasons for humans to hunt are to harvest food (i.e. meat) and useful animal products (fur/hide (skin), hide, ...

and war. In Peru dancing bears an important cultural significance. Some

choreographies Choreography is the art or practice of designing sequences of movements of physical bodies (or their depictions) in which motion or form or both are specified. ''Choreography'' may also refer to the design itself. A choreographer is one who ...

show certain Christian influence.

Types of dances

* The most internationally known dance in Peru is the Marinera Norteña. This dance represents a man's courting of a young woman. There are local variants of this dance in the Lima Region and the other regions of the country. * Ancash is a dance performed in Piscobamba (

Ancash Region Ancash ( qu, Anqash; es, Áncash ) is a department and region in northern Peru. It is bordered by the departments of La Libertad on the north, Huánuco and Pasco on the east, Lima on the south, and the Pacific Ocean on the west. Its capital i ...

), on the occasion of the feast of the Virgin of Mercy, on the 25th, 26th and 27 September. *

Apu Inka Apu Inka (Quechua ''apu'' an Andean deity, ''Inka'' Inca)Teofilo Laime Ajacopa, Diccionario Bilingüe Iskay simipi yuyayk'ancha, La Paz, 2007 (Quechua-Spanish dictionary) is a folk dance in Peru. The dance re-enacts the capture of the Inca by the Sp ...

is a dance which re-enacts the capture of the Inca by the Spanish invaders. * Ch'unchu is a dance performed at festivals of the

Cusco Cusco, often spelled Cuzco (; qu, Qusqu ()), is a city in Southeastern Peru near the Urubamba Valley of the Andes mountain range. It is the capital of the Cusco Region and of the Cusco Province. The city is the list of cities in Peru, seventh m ...

Region. *

Danzantes de Levanto Los Danzantes de Levanto is a typical dance from the Amazonas Region, Peru. Levanto is a little town that is approximately from Chachapoyas, whose "dancers" form a showy group of thirteen cholos, very well trained, that are guided by a "pifador ...

, a typical dance from the

Amazonas Region Amazonas () is a department and region in northern Peru bordered by Ecuador on the north and west, Cajamarca on the west, La Libertad on the south, and Loreto and San Martín on the east. Its capital is the city of Chachapoyas. With a lands ...

. * El Vals Criollo (Vals peruano) is a subgenre and musical adaptation of the original European waltz, originated in Peru or also called a genre of Afro-Peruvian Creole music. *

Huaconada Huaconada () is a ritual dance performed in the village of Mito in the province of Concepción in the central Peruvian Andes. It has been inscribed on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO in 2010. On t ...

(Wanka) is a ritual dance that is represented in the town of Mito, Concepción Province, Junín Region, located in the Central Andes of Peru. * Qhapaq Qulla is a dance performed at festivals of the Cusco Region. * Supaypa wasin tusuq ( Quechua for "dancer of the devil's house") or Danza de tijeras ( Spanish for "dance of scissors") is an indigenous dance native to the region of Ayacucho, no relation to the highlands, whose musical framework provided by violin and

harp The harp is a stringed musical instrument that has a number of individual strings running at an angle to its soundboard; the strings are plucked with the fingers. Harps can be made and played in various ways, standing or sitting, and in orche ...

, and was subsequently diffused in the Huancavelica and Apurímac Regions. * Tarkada is a dance performed during the carnival festival in the Tacna Region in Peru. * Tondero also known as Marinera of Alto Piura, Piura yunga or (Morropón). It predates the zamacueca, and very gypsy influence in its beat, singing tragic and repetitive guitar tundete, or black African influence in its choir (choir) and rhythmic (the use of Czech, instrument made of dried gourd) and Andean in its shrill or whiny. * Wari, a traditional dance of the Ancash Region. * Waylas (Huaylarsh) is a dance from the central andean part of Peru in the Mantaro Valley located in the department of Junin. Is a dance very lively and cheerful, characterized by the energy and jumping of the dancers. It is a couples dance group whose origin is of harvesting potatoes. * Wititi is a native Peruvian folk dance Tapay district, Province of Caylloma, Arequipa region in southern Peru. This dance has now spread and danced in the festivities of many villages the Colca Canyon. Witi Witi in Quechua means "making love" * Zamacueca is an ancient colonial dance and music that originated in the Viceroyalty of Peru, taking its roots from African, Spanish, and Andean rhythms.

Amazonas Region

La Chumaichada

La Chumaichada is "the dance of Chachapoyas" because it was born in this area and it was widely practised until becoming institutionalized. No holiday or celebration is complete if it is not danced. The music has probably an Indian origin, but the

choreography Choreography is the art or practice of designing sequences of movements of physical bodies (or their depictions) in which Motion (physics), motion or Visual appearance, form or both are specified. ''Choreography'' may also refer to the design ...

has a French origin stemming from "Los Lanceros" (The

lancer A lancer was a type of cavalryman who fought with a lance. Lances were used for mounted warfare in Assyria as early as and subsequently by Persia, India, Egypt, China, Greece, and Rome. The weapon was widely used throughout Eurasia during the M ...

s) -

inserted in Chachapoyas by the bishop of the diocese at that time, monsignor Emilio Lissón, of French origin. It has been said that he had so much influence that the city became Frenchified during his time.

Los Danzantes de Levanto

Levanto is a little town that is approximately 10 km away from Chachapoyas, whose "dancers" form a very well trained showy group of thirteen cholos, that are guided by a "pifador" (a person who whistles) that plays the ''antara'' and a small

drum The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments. In the Hornbostel-Sachs classification system, it is a membranophone. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a she ...

called the '' tinya'' simultaneously. They wear a white

shirt A shirt is a cloth garment for the upper body (from the neck to the waist). Originally an undergarment worn exclusively by men, it has become, in American English, a catch-all term for a broad variety of upper-body garments and undergarments. I ...

of wide and long sleeves, a black vest adorned with red

ribbon A ribbon or riband is a thin band of material, typically cloth but also plastic or sometimes metal, used primarily as decorative binding and tying. Cloth ribbons are made of natural materials such as silk, cotton, and jute and of synthetic mater ...

s and black trousers. They also wear a crown of showy peacock's feathers. Their presence is important in all the big celebrations of the region. Other well-known

s that are performed in diverse localities are: * The " Conchiperla", in which the man gives a handkerchief to his partner keeping a

knee In humans and other primates, the knee joins the thigh with the leg and consists of two joints: one between the femur and tibia (tibiofemoral joint), and one between the femur and patella (patellofemoral joint). It is the largest joint in the hu ...

in the ground and if he doesn't do it, a glass of

liqueur A liqueur (; ; ) is an alcoholic drink composed of spirits (often rectified spirit) and additional flavorings such as sugar, fruits, herbs, and spices. Often served with or after dessert, they are typically heavily sweetened and un-aged beyond ...

must be drunk in punishment. * The " Trapichillo", danced by four couples grabbed by the right hands and turning around from right to left side * The " Quinsamana", in which

insult An insult is an expression or statement (or sometimes behavior) which is disrespectful or scornful. Insults may be intentional or accidental. An insult may be factual, but at the same time pejorative, such as the word "inbred". Jocular exc ...

compliments are mixed.

Carnaval in Amazonas

The "carnival music" that is played in of real euphoria. It is similar to the

huayno Huayno (Waynu in Quechua)Teofilo Laime Ajacopa, Diccionario Bilingüe Iskay simipi yuyayk'ancha, La Paz, 2007 (Quechua-Spanish dictionary) is a genre of popular Andean music and dance. It is especially common in Peru, Bolivia, Northern Argentina ...

. At its times, couples dance forming the ''pandilla'' (a kind of dance) around the ''humishas'' - trees adorned with quitasueños, small mirrors, ornamental chain stitches and pennants. These trees are filled with gifts, including live animals, which the guests take when these trees are knocked down at the end of the celebration. The couple that makes the ''humisha'' fall down in a

Mardi gras Mardi Gras (, ) refers to events of the Carnival celebration, beginning on or after the Christian feasts of the Epiphany (Three Kings Day) and culminating on the day before Ash Wednesday, which is known as Shrove Tuesday. is French for "Fat ...

celebration has the commitment to make a new ''humisha'' from the following year onward.

References