Traditional Dances

Hello Everyone,

On Wednesday I was invited to a special presentation at my friend Jimena´s high school. Every semester, as part of their grade for physical education, the students learn one of the traditional dances of Bolivia, of which there are many. I like seeing the dances and the fantastical costumes, so I was excited to go.

Jimena´s class was performing the dance called "tobas," which, as you can see, has pretty amazing costumes. The shaking noise that maybe you can pick up from the video comes from the shakers that are around all the dancers' legs. The dance requires a lot of energy, because it's full of jumping, and it's really beautiful.

I'll post a bunch of different posts over the next few days, with more videos of the different dances. Bolivia is so culturally rich! Every "department" (like a province or state) has its own dances, traditional dress, dishes, music... I mean, really, what would you say if someone asked you the traditional dance of British Columbia?? I get faced with this kind of question pretty regularly.

Love to all,
Rachael