Members of the Afro-Peruvian group Tutuma use traditional songs and zapateo dance to continue the work of their father, Amador Ballumbrosio (the “godfather of Afro-Peruvian music”). Through their performance, Tutuma spreads knowledge of their ancestors: enslaved Africans in Peru during Spanish colonization. Tutuma helped bring … Continue reading Tutuma’s Final Festival Performance
At the 2015 Festival, Nilda Callañaupa Alvarez represented the textile artisans from Chinchero in Cusco, Peru. As the founder of the Centro de Textiles Tradicionales del Cusco, Nilda helps weavers share their techniques with new generations of artisans and sell their works so that it remains sustainable, … Continue reading The Ways of the Weavers in Cusco
Every day of the 2015 Folklife Festival, the very traditional sounds of Peruvian mandolinas and charangos were often overpowered by the electric guitars of Los Wembler’s de Iquitos. This band from the largest city if the Peruvian Amazon combines North American rock ’n’ roll, Latin American cumbia, Andean traditional … Continue reading Los Wembler’s de Iquitos: “Carapira”
During an evening concert at the 2015 Folklife Festival, renowned percussionist Alex Acuña showed his native Peruvian musical influence in a jazz fusion flurry. The former Weather Report drummer, who has had an impressive career accompanying the likes of Elvis Presley, Paul McCartney, and Whitney … Continue reading Alex Acuña & Friends: “Chuncho”
Production: Claudia Romano, Marisol Medina-Cadena Editing: Claudia Romano Filmography: Claudia Romano, Cristina Díaz-Carrera, Charlie Weber, Brian Hart, Li Jiaban
Peru Gozando, a folk band based in Falls Church, Virginia, returned to the Folklife Festival for a special Community Day performance. In 2011, they performed along with the dance school Raices y Expresiones as part of the Peace Corps program. This year, singer Laura Sosa led … Continue reading Having Fun with Peru Gozando
Behind every great dance is a rich and complex history. The danza Sarawja, presented at the 2015 Folklife Festival, exemplifies the mix of Spanish and pre-Inka traditions in Peru. In the Moquegua Region of the southern Andean highlands, the Tixani Valley communities inherited many pre-Inka traditions, but, as … Continue reading Danza Sarawja: Circling Through Histories
