Danza de tijeras
Encyclopedia
The Danza de las tijeras (scissors dance) is an original dance from the south of the Andes
, in Peru
, in which two or more dancers (danzak)dance, followed by their respective orchestras of a violin
and a harp
. The dancers dance in turns, doing explicit moves and challenging steps, such as dancing with just one foot.
The scissors dance, also called Galas (laijas) has demonstrated their skillful dance from one of the deepest Peruvian highland region- Huancavelica, being one of the few dances from Peru to reach most parts of the world.
The scissor dancers are identified with ritual skill and challenge from the outsider’s point of view. Basically, the scissors dance is an impressive manifestation of physic art and skills, but to the Andean man it represents a complex ritual. A series of mysteries stalk around the dancers (the ones who do the ritual) who, in a surge of force and elasticity, test their skills with the gymnastics-like jump at the sound of a harp and a violin, while they cut the air with their scissors (one in each hand)
According to the priests of the colony, its magical side obeys to an assumption pact with the devil, due to surprising moves or tests that they execute in the dance. This tests denominate Atipanacuy. The central instrument of the dance is the elaborated scissors of two independent metal plates of approximately 25 cm, and when the two plates are fused, they make a shape of a blunt-end scissor. The places with most influence of this dance are: Huancavelica, Ayacucho, Huancayo, Apurimac and Lima.
Andes
The Andes is the world's longest continental mountain range. It is a continual range of highlands along the western coast of South America. This range is about long, about to wide , and of an average height of about .Along its length, the Andes is split into several ranges, which are separated...
, in Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
, in which two or more dancers (danzak)dance, followed by their respective orchestras of a violin
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
and a harp
Harp
The harp is a multi-stringed instrument which has the plane of its strings positioned perpendicularly to the soundboard. Organologically, it is in the general category of chordophones and has its own sub category . All harps have a neck, resonator and strings...
. The dancers dance in turns, doing explicit moves and challenging steps, such as dancing with just one foot.
The scissors dance, also called Galas (laijas) has demonstrated their skillful dance from one of the deepest Peruvian highland region- Huancavelica, being one of the few dances from Peru to reach most parts of the world.
The scissor dancers are identified with ritual skill and challenge from the outsider’s point of view. Basically, the scissors dance is an impressive manifestation of physic art and skills, but to the Andean man it represents a complex ritual. A series of mysteries stalk around the dancers (the ones who do the ritual) who, in a surge of force and elasticity, test their skills with the gymnastics-like jump at the sound of a harp and a violin, while they cut the air with their scissors (one in each hand)
According to the priests of the colony, its magical side obeys to an assumption pact with the devil, due to surprising moves or tests that they execute in the dance. This tests denominate Atipanacuy. The central instrument of the dance is the elaborated scissors of two independent metal plates of approximately 25 cm, and when the two plates are fused, they make a shape of a blunt-end scissor. The places with most influence of this dance are: Huancavelica, Ayacucho, Huancayo, Apurimac and Lima.