Regional
Folk Dancing
This afternoon (April 30, 2010), several
regional Baja dance troupes converged on the Malecón
to entertain a crowd that gathered despite the threat
of our unrelenting wind. The wind, fierce and capricious
for the past few days, held itself in abeyance long
enough for the event to complete without incident. It
was a great comfort that none of the copiously frocked
dancers were sent paragliding into the Sea of Cortez
in the arms of an unpredictable gust.
The entertainment offered up traditional
dances from groups representing Mexicali and several
surrounding ejidos. Our own COBACH hosted a splendid
troupe that delivered a fine performance.
Dances included the Huapango, which originates
from Mariachi music. The Huapango features couples lined
up on opposite sides. The dancers stand erect and shuffle
their feet while keeping the torso from moving. Sometimes
dancers place a glass of water or wine on top of their
heads to demonstrate their skills and coordination.
Another group demonstrated the Dance of
the Machetes, which originally evolved in Nayarit. The
men were dressed in white pants, a bandana and a traditional
white shirt under a colored shirt. At intervals they
clashed their machetes together to form machete arches
under which their women, wearing flower print ranchera
style outfits and colorful huichol fans, danced enticingly.
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