- Origin and history
- Clothing
- Women
- mens
- Trastrasera song
- Instruments
- Guitar
- Drum
- Chilota box
- Rabel
- Accordion
- Cambucha or cajeta
- References
The trastrasera is a very popular typical Chilean dance from the island of Chiloé, located in southern Chile, which consists of a dance performed as a couple or in a group. It begins with the dancers entering the floor holding hands, before the music begins to play. The man walks forward and the woman backwards with some shyness.
The pairs face each other in two columns. She takes her outstretched skirt with both hands as he waves his arms to the beat of the music. The dance begins with a very simple step from where the couple occupies. The dance consists of a rhythmic trot executed in three beats, and upon reaching the fourth, both dancers raise their knees.
Then again the couples jog again for another three times and on the fourth they raise the other knee again. Choreographic uniformity in each movement is very important to give the dance more shine and enhancement. The pattern of the three quick steps with the knee lift to the fourth is repeated throughout the dance.
As the music plays, the dancers execute the figures and movements indicated by the lyrics of the song in a fun game of mimicry. The figures and movements are performed while the dancers remain in the same place, although they can also advance a little or turn.
Origin and history
The trastrasera is a fairly old dance whose origin is not clear. It is believed that it could have been brought from Argentina, because in that country there is a similar dance called Firmness. Both dances have a great similarity, from the choreographic and textual point of view.
One hypothesis is that it was brought to Chile by groups of peasant farmers and wanderers, who used to cross the Andes mountain range from the south; in this way it became popular on the Island of Chiloé. This island is one of the places that historically has received the most native and foreign cultural influences.
On the other hand, in Burgos and in other regions of Spain there is a dance similar to the trastrasera called the jargon. It is a 16th century dance, very similar in terms of the mimic game and the character of the song that accompanies the dance.
Curiously, in Chile there is no other dance that is choreographically similar to the trastrasera. The documentation and compilation of this dance along with other Chilean folk dances has been the work of researcher and singer-songwriter Gabriela Pizarro.
Clothing
The typical clothing used in the back is very traditional and representative of the Chiloé archipelago, a region with a cold and rainy climate.
Women
The women wear a dark mid-length skirt adorned with ribbons in the shape of geometric figures. It is accompanied by a colored jacket or blouse.
They wear closed shoes and thick dark woolen socks. On the shoulders or crossed they wear a shawl made of wool. On the head they wear a colored shawl.
mens
The typical wardrobe for men consists of dark pants, a white or striped shirt and a vest. They wear leather shoes with thick white socks that are folded over their pants. They can also wear typical Chilote espadrilles and usually wear the colorful Chiloe wool hat or beret, typical of this region.
Sometimes men wear a poncho, to give more attractiveness and uniqueness to their typical wardrobe, as well as a solid color sash or belt to highlight their figure.
Trastrasera song
When the music is performed live with a musical ensemble, a singer performs the characteristic song of the dance. The singer invites the dancers to dance and indicates the figures and movements that they must perform. Part of the lyrics of the song goes like this:
"After after on the back, also on the front, after after on one side, also on the other side."
Instruments
The trastrasera dance is accompanied by typical instruments from the south of Chile, such as the guitar, the bass drum, the violin and the accordion.
Guitar
The Chiloé guitar is similar to the rest of the Spanish guitars. However, it should be noted that this instrument was manufactured on the island of Chiloé for a long time.
Historians or musicologists refer that the island of Chiloé has a rich artisan tradition in the manufacture of this and other instruments. The strings were made from dried and stretched lambskin.
Drum
The chilote bass drum is a drum made of wood and leather about 30 centimeters high and one meter in diameter.
To give it greater resistance and sound, it is covered with a double leather patch or membrane, which is stretched around the wooden body. It is played with two drumsticks or any other wooden stick.
Chilota box
This is another percussion instrument from this area of Chile. Despite its similarity in design and construction, it is smaller than the Chilote hype. The difference is that the membrane or lower leather patch has a taut leather cord. It is also played with two drumsticks.
Rabel
This musical instrument is actually an autochthonous adaptation of the violin, which is made with wood from the island of Chiloé.
Its dimensions are larger than a normal violin. Both the neck and the soundboard are larger. Likewise, instead of having four strings like a traditional violin, the rabel consists of only three strings.
Accordion
It is similar to the one used in other regions of Chile. The accordion is a wind instrument that is made up of several parts: a bellows, the fingerboard and a pair of wooden harmonic boxes. Each of these boxes closes the bellows at both ends.
In the part where the right hand goes, the accordion has a fingerboard with keys similar to those of a piano, or round keys or buttons (chromatic accordion).
Cambucha or cajeta
It is a wind instrument (popularly called tin whistle) that is made of metal bent in half and has a hole in the center. This kind of flute is played with the lips, producing a high and soft sound through the air outlet hole.
References
- Folkloric songs and dances of Chile (PDF) Consulted on May 17, 2018 from bcn.cl
- Chiloé dances. Consulted of icarito.cl
- Gastón Soublette: The Chilote Songbook. Recovered from estetica.uc.cl
- La Trastrasera. Consumed chilesorprendente.blogspot.com
- Chiloé guitar. Consulted from sites.google.com
- Rear. Consulted of educarchile.cl
- La Trastrasera. Consulted of cseverino.galeon.com