living and learning: Marinera

Currently in Trujillo, the Marinera Festival is going on. It started about a week ago, and it will continue this week with an international competition in the Plaza de Toros. The marinera is one of Peru's traditional dances (called the "National Dance of Peru") and, although it has different styles that hail from distinct cities and regions, this coastal dance is particularly characteristic of Trujillo. The two go together like Idaho and potatoes, D.C. and the White House, Texas and the two-step. When you say "Trujillo," you think "marinera."

All this week, they've had rehearsals (ensayos) open to the public at a nearby club. Not wanting to miss this typically Trujillan tradition, I decided to take advantage of the last night of rehearsals last night. It was great. Other observers packed the small stands surrounding a gym-like space, and couples filled the floor practicing their paces to the tunes of the Trujillo municipal band. In typical marinera, the man is dressed in "chalan" clothing, or a sort of formal, old-fashioned rancher costume, complete with a wide-brimmed straw hat. The women dance barefoot and wear traditional dress from their region, including a flowy skirt ideal for catching up and swishing dramatically. Both partners carry a white handkerchief, which they wave and twirl with a flourish. The participants for the rehearsal weren't dressed in their costumes, but they all had their handkerchiefs, and lots of the men and boys used their hats. The dance is bien coqueto (pretty flirty), as it's meant to reenact the different steps of a courtship ritual.

I love watching people dance, and you could tell that everyone on that floor - from the elderly to the teenagers to the 5-year-old couples striding sharply and flirtatiously - was enjoying what they were doing. That was the best part. A caller announced which type of marinera would be played, and then the floor was a sea of twirling handerchiefs, swirling skirts, spinning steps, sharp taps, and quick flicks of wrists and skips of feet. Enjoy these pictures and videos to give a little taste of Trujillo's marinera.