Just before leaving Sucre for the Salar Elizabeth and I went and experienced Origenes: bailar espectaculo, a cavalcade of dance from throughout the pueblos of Bolivia. The dancers were phenomenal, the costumes colorful, and the music loud. The night consisted of little taste of each region and ethnic group within the country and was a delightful finish to out time in Sucre.
The night began with a recreation of the pujllay, a celebration of pacha mama that takes place in Tarabuco each March. There´s a lot of foot stomping at the pujllay!
Note the platform shoes!
The structure behind the dancer is constructed of offerings made to pacha mama
A number of other dances were elaborate courtship rituals from different places in the countryside. Some of the costumes had a distinctly Spanish flavor while others were uniquely Bolivian--layers and layers of fabric set aloft in a flurry of twists.
Others were simply strange and wonderful. I think this is a human-cum-condor figure.
Maybe the coolest part of the night were the diablada and tio supay dancers from Oruro. The masked devils are actually miners´ protectors while working below the surface. Oruro itself is a pretty god-forsaken place but it would be a real treat to see the annual carnival in all its glory.
Chinese dragons, eat your heart out
At the end of the night, dancers pulled audience members up on stage for a final blow-out. Let me state for the record that these dancers are wicked fit! I´m generally in pretty good shape and have no trouble with altitude, but afterwards, I was winded!
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