Marinera

Marinera is a partner dance that originated along the coastal regions of Peru, using handkerchiefs as props. The dance is a mix of Spanish contradanza and Andean zamacueca, and is a stylized reenactment of a courtship, showing a blend of the different cultures of Peru. The dance has gained recognition throughout South America and is known as the most prominent traditional dance of Peru. The city of Trujillo has been recognized as the national birthplace of the marinera since 1986. The Marinera Festival, a cultural event dedicated to marinera held in Trujillo, has held annual competitions of the dance since 1960. In 2012, the Congress of Peru observed nationally October 7 as a commemorative day for the marinera. The dance is traditionally accompanied by several instruments: cajón, clarinets, guitars, drums, and bugles. The origins of the dance can be traced to Spanish, Moorish, Andean, and Gypsy rhythmic influences. Although the dance had informally been around in Peru since the colonial era, it was formally recognized as "Marinera" in honor of the Navy of Peru, or the Marina de Guerra del Peru in 1879 during the War of the Pacific. According to the Peruvian historian Romulo Cuneo Vidal, the Zamacueca was itself a dance of rest during the era of the Inca Empire. Thus, coming from such a far natively Peruvian background, the dance is itself simply a derivation of an ancient Peruvian dance. Ancient pottery dating from the Pre-Columbian era called huacos depicted people resting in Zamacueca positions. The first Marinera to be written in musical notation was La Concheperla composed by Abelardo Gamarra Rondó and José Alvarado, by Rosa Mercedes Ayarza de Morales in 1894... Peru claims that is that the dance is exclusively Peruvian. According to Peruvian historian Rómulo Cúneo Vidal, the zamacueca was itself a dance of rest during the times of the Inca Empire and pre-Inca cultures, supporting the proposal that Marinera is native to Peru as a derivation of traditional dance, as depicted in some ancient huacos of people resting in Zamacueca positions.