The typical dances and dances of Oaxaca have their roots in indigenous traditions prior to the arrival of the Spanish. To these were added European elements, Catholicism and blacks who participated in the historical events of the region.
Oaxaca is one of the 32 states that make up Mexico. It is the state with the greatest ethnic and linguistic diversity. More than sixteen ethnic groups coexist, among them Mixtecas, Zapotecs and Afro-Mexicans.
This multicultural composition makes music and dance closely linked to the state's folk heritage.
Some of the most important typical dances in the area are the dance of the feather, the dance of the masks, the dance of the tejorones, the dance of the devils and the Chilean women.
You may also be interested in the customs and traditions of Oaxaca.
The 5 main typical dances of Oaxaca
one-
It is the best known of the Mexican conquest dances thanks to its vitality, diffusion and characteristic choreography.
The dancers jump to the rhythm of the music. Thanks to the feathers they wear on their clothing, they visually resemble birds with beautiful plumage. The choreographic steps are similar to other indigenous dances in Oaxaca.
On the one hand, a group of dancers represents the indigenous people, led by Moctezuma.
The dress is a loose shirt, white breeches with several stripes of different colors, a cape with embroidered drawings and brightly colored feathers on the head.
They hold a wooden scepter and rattles with which they synchronize the rhythm of the music and the movement of the steps.
On the other hand, there is the side of the Spanish soldiers, led by Hernán Cortés.
The dress is dark blue jacket and pants, with swords at the waist. Cortés wears a band on his chest and a crucifix in his hand.
Currently the intervention of this group is purely decorative. By giving more importance to pure dance, dialogue tends to be suppressed. The development of the function is usually completed in two or three days.
two-
This dance comprises choreographies of at least eight pairs of men and women, and the performance is performed with masks.
The man wears a jacket and a machete, and the woman wears a shawl. During the dance the main pair executes their movements around the others.
The peculiarity is that originally all the characters were played only by males.
The dance is set to music with various instruments such as the violin, harmonica, banjo, guitar, drums, saxophone, trombone and trumpet.
It is usually performed at carnival festivals and in the traditional and patron saint festivities of Santa María Huazolotitlán.
3-
In this dance the dancers cover themselves with masks and dresses made with sheets of brass that imitate gold.
They face other characters, generally the tiger, the cow, the dog and María, the woman of the tejorones. They dress in worn clothes and rooster feathers on their heads.
The Tejorones dancers are arriving at the center of the town while the public makes a circle around them.
The dancers make jokes and comments to the public, which in turn responds and encourages the game even more.
The hawks carry rattles, shotguns, machetes, pistols and lasso. This dance is represented mainly in carnival time.
4-
The dance of the devils arises in colonial times, when the labor of black slaves was used.
This dance was a ritual dedicated to the black god Ruja, in which the dancers asked him to help them free themselves from the harsh working conditions.
Today the dance venerates the dead, which is why it is danced on November 1 and 2, the days of all the saints and the faithful departed.
The dancers dress as devils and are accompanied by their chief and the minga (street woman).
They wear worn and torn clothes, and wooden masks with horsehair hair and a ponytail that simulates a beard.
The dance is fast and violent. Sometimes the dancers crouch, then suddenly stop and crouch again. Twists are made and stomping to the beat of the music.
5-
This dance genre differs from other dances as it has great influences from the black and indigenous groups of the region. It is a mestizo dance.
The style of music changes considerably from town to town. As for dancing, each place has its local characteristic.
Some dance with a scarf and others do not; Some turn to one side, while others turn to the other; there are dancers who stomp hard and others softly.
The dance is accompanied by Chilean music performed with violin, guitar, cajon and harp.
References
- Stanford, T. (1963, March). Data on the music and dances of Jamiltepec, Oaxaca. In Annals of the National Institute of Anthropology and History (Vol. 6, No. 15, pp. 187-200).
- Oseguera, A. (2001). Myth and dance among the Huaves and the Chontales of Oaxaca. The fight between the lightning and the serpent. Anthropological Dimension, 21, 85-111.
- Oleszkiewicz, M. (1997). The dance of the feather and the cultural syncretism in Mexico. Journal of Latin American Literary Criticism, 23 (46), 105-114.
- Martín, DEB (1991). A Mexican family of dances of the conquest. Gazeta de Antropología, 8.
Gómez, Ó. G. Sexogenic identities, worldview and communality in the "dance of the mascaritas" of Santa María Huazolotitlán, Oaxaca, Mexico. Interstices of politics and culture. Latin American Interventions, 5 (10), 209-233.