Festivals form an integral part of Bolivian culture, with celebrations throughout the country on a monthly basis. Most festivals are a form of religious celebration, each with their unique costumes, musical instruments and dance rhythms. Several traditional dances from the Andes have spread throughout the country and can be found in many of Bolivia's large processions: the Morenada, Diablada and Caporales.
Costums of the Bolivian Dance of the Caporales – the Dance of the Foremen
The Caporales is a fabulous Bolivian dance that stems from Afro-Andean dances in the Yungas region, such as the Tundiki and Saya. The dance represents the foremen who were in charge of the slaves in colonial times.
In the Dance of the Caporales male dancers wear fancy outfits with heeled boots and hold cascabeles, large bells, as well as a hat in their left hand and a whip in their right hand – according to the story the bells signify the sound of the chains tied to the feet of the slaves. Sometimes women are dressed in similar costumes, however, the majority of female Caporales dancers are dressed in miniskirts and high-heeled boots and wear a round top hat.
The elaborate Caporales dance is physically demanding, including lots of jumping, and provokes encouraging cries and clapping from the crowds. Contrary to most traditional dances in Bolivia, the Dance of the Caporales is a relatively new one: the dance first made its appearance in La Paz in 1969, during the procession of el Gran Poder.
Theories About the Origin of Folkloric Dance La Morenada
Typical of this traditional dance, and therefore easily recognisable in a procession, is the large number of rattles and drums, as well as groups of women dressed in their typical polleras – multilayered skirts – with bowler hats and men wearing elaborate costumes that supposedly represent barrels, as well as silver or black masks [Morenada means "black”].
The origin of this folkloric dance is highly debated. There are three commonly accepted theories, while a fourth might be that the Morenada Dance is a combination of the first three:
- The Morenada originated with the African slaves brought to Bolivia to work in the silver mines of Potosí – hence the explanation for the dark masks with large tongues, which might represent the exhausted mineworkers.
- The "Yungas theory" implies that African slaves worked in the Yungas region of La Paz, in the vineyards – hence the barrel-type costume of male dancers. This is the most unlikely theory, since the Yungas region never had a wine production – even though Afro-Bolivians did work in other wine producing regions such as Chuquisaca.
- The origin of the Morenada stems from Lake Titicaca, based on cave paintings 200-300 years old found there, depicting these dances.
How do you Recognise La Diablada – the Dance of Devils
This is arguably the most famous and renowned traditional dance of Bolivia and forms the main part of the Oruro Carnival. La Diablada is a fabulous display of heavy, colourful masks and elaborate costumes, and is accompanied by traditional musical instruments from the Andes, such as the zampoña [pan flute] and the quena [a vertical flute]. The choreography of La Diablada shows seven moves, however, versions differ per region.
The origins of the Diablada are highly disputed among Andes nations since this traditional dance is also performed in Chilean, Peruvian and Ecuadorian celebrations. It is therefore understandable that La Diablada has evolved into regional varieties. The Carnival of Oruro is famous worldwide and obtained a UNESCO status in 2001 as one of the "Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity".
Whether the Dance of the Diablada in Bolivia originated with the Aymaras or the Urus, it is a marvellous example of prehispanic traditions mixed with Spanish culture. The Spanish used the dance to evangelise the natives. For example, the missionaries claimed that the dance showed the triumph over the seven deadly sins, and the victory of good over devil – which is nowadays represented by dancers wearing costumes of angels and devils.
Other Traditional Dances of Bolivia
The above mentioned three dances are only a few of the many folkloric dances performed during Entradas [processions] in Bolivia's religious celebrations, such as Carnival in Oruro, el Grand Poder in La Paz and the Festival of Urkupiña in Cochabamba. Other well-known dances are, among others, the Llamerada, Kallawaya, Tobas, Kullawada and Tinku.
Religious celebrations may last for days on end, often from early morning to late at night. Travellers to South America should try to visit at least one of Bolivia's religious festivals. The traditional dances are spectacular to watch and give great insight into the rich Bolivian culture.
How to travel to Bolivia's towns to visit this Bolivian folklore?
There are no direct international flights to La Paz, they include a stopover in Lima [Peru], often turning the flight into a tedious one because this last part of the journey often has delays and luggage gets lost on a regular basis. A good alternative, also in terms of cheap airline tickets, may be to fly to Santa Cruz via São Paulo [Brazil].
The cheapest – but time consuming – way to travel in Bolivia is by bus, and this is far from the safest option. Bus accidents happen frequently. Even when you have ample time to travel you may want to consider taking a domestic flight. Bolivia's major cities – where you'll often find the festivals – all have airports, such as Cochabamba, Oruro and Potosí. Note that it may be wise to make hotel reservations in case of large celebrations.
Karin-Marijke Vis - Karin-Marijke Vis is a bilingual writer (Dutch-English) who has been traveling in Asia and South America since 2003.
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