An ancestral dance

As is customary every year in the town of La Victoria, the colorful cultural dance of La Llora is celebrated on November 2. At the school where I work it took place this Friday, November 4. With much excitement among the students, they were able to represent the dance that dates back to the time of slavery and consists of several dance pieces performed in a circle where a banana plant is placed in the center. The first piece is "la sambainina" which begins with a soft waltz, followed by "la vaca" where the woman hits the man with her head and the couple makes passes with a red handkerchief. Then comes "el oso" (the bear) where the dancers simulate the slow movements of the animal.

"La chispa'': the man appears to be under the influence of alcohol, staggering, stumbling and is helped by his partner.

"The San Juan and the Magdalena" here the men place their hands above the head of the woman with a hat, while she puts her hands together advancing as if she were a virgin.

"El palito" to finish imitates a war between the male dancers tripping each other while still dancing with their partner.

This year was different for me because I decided to support my students by also wearing the appropriate dress for the dance which consists of a white blouse "llanera" style and a flowered skirt with sandals for the women. This dance the first time I had the opportunity to see it did not seem impressive to me; however, when I learned that the background of the dance and its songs was a kind of protest against the mistreatment of slaves of the time left me with a lot of admiration for this custom of celebrating "La Llora".