Danza Folklorico

Dancing is one of my greatest passions and one of the things I miss most about the states. So, to help fulfill my desire to dance again I decided to join a local danza folklorico group in Santa Barbara. Danza folklorico (Folkloric Dance) is traditional Honduran folk dancing. There are about 80 different songs (think ranchero type music) with assigned choreographies to each one. The dances are generally danced in groups with partners and represent the dances that Hondurans traditionally danced. I joined the dance group Guayabal about 3 months ago and practice with them every weekend. The age range of the group varies from 14-50 years old, and most of them have years of dancing experience. The steps are all very simple and easy to pick up, for me it’s just a matter of memorizing the choreographies (so far I know about 5). Although I still miss the salsa and samba I danced in the states, I have really enjoyed dancing with Guayabal. It is a great way to meet people from my community, both within the group and when we do performances. Also, it is interesting to learn the dances themselves and indirectly learn about Honduran culture and history.

I did my first performance with the group on October 27th in a neighboring town for some type of cultural night. I wasn’t nervous at all because we dance in groups and with a partner so it takes the pressure off the individual. I only danced two of the dances, one of them I learned the night before, but it was fine because my partner knew what he was doing. My favorite part is the skirts and how they flare out when we spin (although they weigh a ton!)