THE 5 MOST POPULAR UCAYALI TYPICAL DANCES - CULTURE VOCABULARY - 2025

The typical dances of Ucayali in Peru are mestizo, but with great native influence. The aborigines of this area were not contaminated by European culture, so they preserve their typical dances and rituals with great authenticity.

The dances have a mythical and magical religious character. They are related to the social and traditional activities of the different ethnic groups in the region.

They have autochthonous names such as Ani pista, Besteti sheati, Jishiritachro, Non ashee patati, Sitarakuy, de la Izana, Cazador de Umahuaca.

The dances are performed during the festivities that take place in June and February, or on other employer-type dates.

The most popular dances of Ucayali are:

1- Ani Sheati dance

This dance is a faithful representative of the environment that saw it arise, the Amazon jungle, rich in foliage and humidity, sounds of wild animals and the action of nature.

Its name means "dance of the macanas". It is one of the most important rites of the social and spiritual life of the culture of the Shipibos-Conibos ethnic group.

Formerly it was used together with other instruments for the initiation rite to puberty of girls. All the neighboring communities were invited to be received with songs, dances and banquets.

The dance has two parts; the march or entry of the woman to be baptized, and the moved. The instruments used are the bass drum, drum, pentaphonic quena and maracas.

2- Io Patati dance

Warrior ritual dance of the Shipibo-Conibos and Shetebos communities. This dance represents both ethnic groups in search of food on the banks of the river, fishing or hunting.

Sometimes when food was scarce, hunters from both sides would fight each other to hoard as much food as possible for their party.

Sometimes, there was the death of one of its members, for which they invoked the god Patati to bring peace.

The typical clothing of the ethnic groups is used: embroidered crowns, seed necklaces, bows and arrows, clubs or spears. The women wear feather crowns, skirts with typical embroidery.

It is accompanied by the sound of the bass drum, snare drum, quena and maracas.

3- Dance of the Sitaracuy

The Sitaracuy dance originates from the name of an ant, the sitaraco, a wild ant from the area.

The characteristic of this dance is that the dancing couple must pinch each other, simulating the aggressive attitude of the ants. They must also simulate pain as if they had been bitten by the insect. It is danced in pairs, intertwined by the arm.

The rhythm is strong, it jumps, the hands are shaken, the body leans up and down. When the rhythm increases, the pinches begin that the dancer must try to avoid.

4- The Izana

Originally from the Peruvian jungle, it is considered a worship dance. It is carried out in tribute to the Cañabrava flower.

This plant is used in the construction of houses, fences and other constructions. The adoration of said flower is represented with the native yagua dress that consists of a short skirt and blouse at the waist. With a crown and ritual paintings on the body, and without shoes.

5- Ritual of the boa

The dance of the boa is a typically ritual dance of the natives of the Upper and Lower Ucayali. The inhabitants of this region pay homage to the boa, so that their yucca, banana and coffee crops are fruitful.

Live snakes are used in the ritual. The music is a typical Amazonian movido, a ritual rhythm that is danced accompanied by the drum, the quenilla, the bass drum, the manguare and the maracas.

Men and women, with their bodies ritually painted, manipulate the snakes to the rhythm of the instruments.

References

1. Prof. Walter Jesus Alvarado Vilchez (2017) Dance of Ucayali. 11/21/2017. www.yachachic.com
2. Lic. Mario Achata Salas (2017) Io Patati, Dance of Ucayali. 11/21/2017. www.yachachic.com
3. Editor (2017) Sitaracuy. 11/21/2017. www.enperu.org
4. Peru Festivals. 11/21/2017 Machu Picchu. www.machupicchu.org
5. Raúl Romero (1995) Music, dances and masks of the Andes. 11/21/2017. Lima, Pontificia Universidad Catolica del Peru. www.jstor.org