Dances 3

DANCE OF THE ACATLAXQUES

This otomi dance comes from an old prehispanic ritual. Its most distinctive accessory is an object reminiscent of the giant reed flute that belonged to the God Pan. The dancers begin by making an arch with reed and at the end they make a kind of dome with this material. This dance originally comes from Pahuatlan, where it takes place under a pole called palo volador. It is performed on December 12 in the Villa de Guadalupe as well.

This dance is about warlike prehispanic traditions. The dancers represent the lanceros from the nahuas armies, who used sharp pieces made of otate as effective lances. A bundle of sticks is tied to each one of the performers, and during the dance, these sticks are thrown to the air, making beautiful arches. The arrows themselves represent those who died during the battles and whose journey to the distant solar regions has begun.


DANCE OF THE CONCHEROS

This is one of the fews dances in which women are allowed to participate. Its name comes from one of the instruments that are used for its performance. This instrument is similar to a mandolin, but it is made of the body of an armadillo. The Concheros is one of the dances that have preserved some of their most distinctive prehispanic details. It is performed basically in some towns that are near Mexico’s capital. All year long, people yearn to see this dance and the performers must get ready well in advance. They devote lots of time to rehearsal and they use all their economic means to have their outfits fixed or changed.

However, like most of the other traditional dances in Mexico, the Dance of the Concheros, known as Mitote in the past, is very different from its original version. Some of the changes were due to the fact that, in 1555, the first Mexican Provincial Council decided that “celebrations should aim at honouring God and the Saints.” According to the experts, this has made it difficult to interpret the symbols and to find any reference on “the mystery of their religion”. They explain that symbols have been substituted by the chants that are sung nowadays in the temple; this has created a mixture of confused expressions that could make us believe that these dances try to hide the pagan worship and feign the catholic worship.

Anyway, this dance requires a long learning process, which is achieved by means of the good organization of its members. Performers are subject to a severe discipline imposed by a chief dancer called Captain of the Conquest, who is under the command of the General Captain. The General Captain controls certain territories and is known by all the groups. Then, there are two sergeants and the dancers, which are classified in first on the right, first on the left, and so on, according to their abilities. The last degree corresponds to the second lieutenant, who is in charge of carrying the standard in which the religious images are captured.

After greeting the venerated saints in the temple, the Concheros walk in two lines towards the atrium or square. They are preceded by the Second Lieutenant and they must walk at the same speed as he does. The high category dancers occupy the center of the atrium and are surrounded by the Concheros. At the beginning, they form a circle divided into 4 sections, which are separated by a second lieutenant carrying his standard. Second lieutenants walk to the right and they stop to occupy the place of the next lieutenant. Later, all of them walk in the opposite direction until the second lieutenant reaches its original place. Then, they make two round walks, first to the right and then to the left. Rhythm and tone, accompanied by the huehuetl and the teponaztli, go from deep and slow to high and fast.

At the next stage of the dance, each of the second lieutenants, followed by his section, walks towards the center. They enter through a radius of the circle, forming a cross and several concentric circles. Each circle of concheros turns on its orbit, respecting the line of its section, and this makes the concheros from the external circle go faster. In the meantime, the captains at the center don’t move.

In the third part of the dance, where rhythm gets faster, a conchero moves forward from the place he occupies and dances around the circle. He wears a bright and colorful outfit which has been enriched with new ornaments. The concheros outfits are not the same for all the groups performing this dance; in some regions, they are made of chamois leather and show some poker -work or oil- painted ornaments; other groups wear shirts and white trousers embroidered with flowers or geometrical figures; others wear broad-brimmed low-top palm hats or feathered plumes.

One by one, all the concheros have the opportunity to dance individually and to show off their outfits and abilities. At this point, their expression gets somehow softer; they are no longer executing a religious ritual, but they are artists who want to be recognized because of their graceful dance. At the center of the circle, the general captain, along with the other captains and second lieutenants, performs the steps the concheros from the external circle have been performing. This small group’s dance is more spectacular than the rest, since the captain is usually a very good dancer and he avails himself of the opportunity to show off his skills.

Nowadays, on the side atrium of Mexico City’s cathedral, several groups of Concheros perform this dance, wearing the traditional outfit combined with commercial fabrics and clothing (denim, in most of the cases). This dance usually lasts for hours and anyone can take part on it, either by occupying a place in the external circle, or by making a new one. This is a live demonstration of syncretism, since foreigners can participate in this Main Square’s dance by following the steps of the second lieutenant or those of the captains. This has become a tourist attraction and, at the same time, it represents a serious attempt to preserve mexican traditions.


DANCE OF THE APACHES OR CONCHEROS CHICHIMECAS

Apaches is another name for the dance of the concheros, and it originally comes from the region of Salinas, in the State of San Luis Potosi. It is usually performed on the first days of March, during the celebrations for Señor San Jose. It is also performed in the churche's atrium and it may last for hours as a sign of penance to the patron saints.

The apaches wear trousers and a bright-coloured shirt, as well as a vest and a velvet-like nahuilla which is decorated with sequins, worsted and chaquira. They also wear a crown or plume decorated with colorful feathers and mirrors. Another part of their outfit consists of their calfskin-soled sandals. In their left hand, they carry a wooden arch which is used in some songs and in their right hand, they carry a bottle gourd rattle.


DANCE OF THE ARCHES

This dance, which is performed in several celebrations in the states of Hidalgo, Mexico and Puebla, is full of difficult steps and amazing turns, executed by several pairs of men who dance in line and carry the ends of some arches decorated with paper flowers. They are dressed in white and wear scarves on their chest.


DANCE OF THE CUADRILLAS OR RIGODONES

This is a ball dance whose origin is french. During the French Invasion to Mexico in 19th century, many of the invaders were established in Bagres, a community belonging to the municipality of Tepehuanes in the state of Durango. It was in this place where the first Rigodon dance took place. The name Rigodon comes from its author’s name, Antoine Ragaud, who created it in the french Provence during the 18th century.

At the beginning, only the high class took part on it, but when the people got to know the rigodones, they began making their own performances, stamping their mixed-blood style on the dances.

This dance is performed in quadrilles, therefore, any number of dancers is allowed; although the enormous ballrooms have been forgotten, the dances are intended for spacious places. Between one quadrille and the other, several musical pieces are played, toasts are made and poems are read. The women who are invited to make a toast must accept. Then, the music stops and a young man has to say a poem to one of the girls, and she must repply in the same way. After a game consisting of poems and toasts, the next quadrille comes in.

The most commonly used instruments in these dances are the violin, the guitar, the drum, the accordion and the harp.

The traditional men’s outfit consists of walking boots, horseman pants, a loose lightweight shirt and a scarf; women wear satin boots with patent leather toe, a flounced skirt, a low-cut neck blouse, a shawl and they must do their hair up in a bun leaving some curls in the front.


DANCE OF THE CUERUDOS

This dance is dedicated to the old cattle drivers of San Carlos Yautepec, in the chontal region of the state of Oaxaca. Only three people perform this dance: two dancers and a third character which pretends to be a bull. The cuerudos wear a giant mask with exaggerated gestures, a horseman hat known as panza de burro and a kind of sandals called pata de gallo.

In the past, this dance was accompanied by band music and it consisted of 8 songs, each of which was different in melody and steps; however, in the present, only 4 songs are played when this dance is not performed in the Rosario celebration.


DANCE OF THE LITTLE HORSES

This dance takes place on December 12, during the celebrations to honour the Virgin of Guadeloupe and on October 4th, during the celebrations of Saint Francis of Asis. It is a completely religious dance in which 26 dancers participate: thirteen men, thirteen little horses, plus a little bull, a mule, the Malinche, played by a girl dressed in white and the old man of the dance, who amuses the kids with his mask, his whip and his inseparable doll.

The thirteen male dancers come in first, carrying a rattle in their hands. They wear black trousers, white shirt, a red scarf tied to their waist and on their head, they wear a crown decorated with flowers and mirrors. Later, the little horses come in, wearing a giant reed frame which is covered with a piece of cloth and decorated with star-shaped mirrors, paper strips, embroidered cushion covers, bottle gourd and little brushes made of ixtle. The most beautiful part of this dance’s outfit are the little horse´s heads, which are carved in tree strawberry wood or in quiote wood, and they are decorated according to each dancer’s likings.

After the horses, the mule and the bull appear with thier corresponding captain. These indicate the steps (pisadas), turns, trot and the time to cross. The horses use a rope to tie the old man when he approaches to “steal” their burden. The most interesting moment in this dance is when all the horses join their hands, holding a machete, and by their turning they simulate a stockyard where the bull is shut up, but the bull attacks them and tries to escape.

The music consists on several songs with a lively, danceable beat, which include the combination of violin and drum or violin and guitar.


DANCE OF THE DWARVES

This is a curious dance in which the performers tie a clay dish to their back and cover themselves with a piece of cloth, in order to dance squatting as little ghosts. Although the musical piece is the one Guillermo Prieto composed to criticize the conservatives, called the dwarves, the choreographical context refers to the Tlaloques, alushes or chaneques, who helped Tlaloc, the God of Rain. Tlaloc asked them to walk on the clouds and pour the liquid contained in the dishes into the sown fields. Sometimes they broke the dishes, causing thunderclaps.

It is performed in Magdalena Yancuitlalpan, a community near the Popocatepetl Volcano. Franciscans observed the characteristics of Tlazolteotl, Goddess of fertility who was originally worshiped by the locals, and they adapted the doctrine dedicated to Santa Maria Magdalena because they thought this saint had similar characteristics to those of the pre-Columbian goddess.


DANCE OF THE SHEPHERDESSES

These dances, where the girls dress themselves up in shepherdess dresses and make figures with floral arches, were performed during the old pastorelas or dramas. In these dramas, the modest shepherdesses were usually fooled by the devil to prevent them from going to Belen on Christmas Eve. As time went by, the only thing that remained were those dances, which are performed in the celebrations of the Virgin Maria.


DANCE OF THE HOG'S HEAD

This is a traditional dance from the Yucatan peninsula and it is performed when someone is given a hog as a gift. Several processions involving dances and music are made around the hog, and they culminate in a parade where the head of the animal is carried as a standard.

Women usually decorate this head with flowers, colorful rolls of paper, bottles, birds made of paper or cotton and rag dolls. The name of the person who is given the gift is put in the hog's snout, and the head is placed on a big tray with hanging ribbons. Women hold the ribbons in one hand and bowls of corn in the other. During the parade, they make gestures to show how delicious the animal is.