Tobas (dance)

Last updated

The folkloric dance of the Tobas speaks of the ancient past of Bolivia. It has roots in a time when the Incas were the predominant force in the Andean highlands region. Tobas is an athletic dance comprising agile steps accentuated with many jumps and bounds.

Contents

History

The Tobas were a tribe of warriors who lived in the Chaco region of Bolivia. The Incas admired the Tobas dance and they were taken from their Amazonian homeland by the Emperor Tupac Yupanqui. The dance and music of the Tobas have been reinterpreted by subsequent people of Bolivia.

Today, Tobas is a prominent part of the annual carnivals (like the Carnaval de Oruro or the Bolivian Festiva [lower-alpha 1] in Virginia).

Dance

The Tobas dance is a special representation of energy - a singular dance with impressive jumps performed by the dancers to impress the audience. This unique dance is performed during religious and other festivities as well as the Oruro Carnival. Not only do you need good physique, but a lot of stamina and energy. [1]

The dance steps have special names: Bolivar (quick with regular jumps); camba (very agile, one meter high jumps); chucu-chucu (with a faster rhythm that amuse the audience, in the foot tips, almost in the knees); and the cullahui jump.

Costume

Typical Tobas costume Tobas Danseur dans une Tobas, danse traditionnelle aymara de Bolivie.jpg
Typical Tobas costume Tobas

The typical Tobas costume [lower-alpha 2] is headwear entirely made of feathers, decorated with jewels, a skirt and top decorated made with colorful fabrics, with beads and fringes on the bottom, with cows feet sewed onto fabric to tie around the ankle, spear or hatchet, bracelet of feathers, and an anklet of feathers.

Notes and references

  1. "Tobas- Oruro Carnival Dance". BoliviaTravelSite.com. Retrieved 27 October 2021.


Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Supay</span>

In the Quechua, Aymara, and Inca mythologies, Supay was both the god of death and ruler of the Ukhu Pacha, the Incan underworld, as well as a race of demons. Supay is associated with miners' rituals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oruro</span> City in Oruro Department, Bolivia

Oruro or Uru Uru is a city in Bolivia with a population of 264,683, about halfway between La Paz and Sucre in the Altiplano, approximately 3,709 meters (12,169 ft) above sea level.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andean music</span>

Andean music is a group of styles of music from the Andes region in South America.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Latin dance</span> Wide range of dances originating in Latin America, Cuba and Puerto Rico

Latin dance is a general label, and a term in partner dance competition jargon. It refers to types of ballroom dance and folk dance that mainly originated in Latin America.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Culture of Bolivia</span>

Bolivia is a country in South America, bordered by Brazil to the north and east, Paraguay and Argentina to the south, Chile to the west, and Peru to the west.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oruro Department</span> Place in Oruro, Bolivia

Oruro is a department of Bolivia, with an area of 53,588 km2 (20,690 sq mi). Its capital is the city of Oruro. According to the 2012 census, the Oruro department had a population of 494,178.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brazilian Carnival</span> Annual festival in Brazil

The Carnival of Brazil is an annual Brazilian festival held the Friday afternoon before Ash Wednesday at noon, which marks the beginning of Lent, the forty-day period before Easter. During Lent, Roman Catholics and some other Christians traditionally abstained from the consumption of meat and poultry, hence the term "carnival", from carnelevare, "to remove meat."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bumba Meu Boi</span>

Bumba Meu Boi is an interactive play celebrated in Brazil. It originated in the 18th century. It is a form of social criticism. Lower class Brazilians mock and criticize those of higher social status through a comedic Folklore story told in song and dance. Though not as well known internationally as Carnival and other Brazilian festivals, it is older and deeply rooted in the culture of Brazil. The tale can vary depending on the region and social setting at which it is practiced. However, its essential theme remains the same, with a focus on the death and resurrection of an ox.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Quechua people</span> Ethnic group indigenous to Peru

Quechua people or Quichua people, may refer to any of the aboriginal people of South America who speak the Quechua languages, which originated among the Indigenous people of Peru. Although most Quechua speakers are native to Peru, there are some significant populations in Ecuador, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, and Argentina.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Caporales</span>

The Caporales is a traditional Andean dance originated in Los Yungas of La Paz. Caporales were created and presented to the public for the first time in 1969 by the Estrada Pacheco brothers, who were inspired in the character of the 'Caporal' who is the overseer of the black slaves and was usually mixed race, wore boots and held a whip, a dance that belongs to the region of the Yungas, Bolivia The dance, however, has a prominent religious aspect. One supposedly dances for the Virgin of Socavón and promises to dance for three years of one's life. Caporal or caporales today is a folklore dance very popular in the festivities of not only Bolivia, but also Argentina, Chile, Peru, Spain and the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pollera</span> Long, full skirt of Spanish origin, worn throughout Latin America as part of folk dress

A pollera is a Spanish term for a big one-piece skirt used mostly in traditional festivities and folklore throughout Spanish-speaking Latin America. Polleras are made from different materials, such as cotton or wool and tend to have colorful decorations. Most of the decorations are embroidered, flowers and regional animals are among the most common designs found in polleras.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carnaval de Oruro</span>

The Carnival of Oruro is a religious and cultural festival in Oruro, Bolivia. It has been celebrated since the 18th century. Originally an indigenous festival, the celebration later was transformed to incorporate a Christian ritual around the Virgin of Candelaria . The carnival is one of UNESCO's Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kullawada</span>

The Kullawada, kullahuada, cullaguada or kullawa is a dance practiced in Bolivia and Peru and there is controversy about the origin of the dance between Bolivia and Peru. The name of the dance derives from the word kullawa, in reference to its dancers. In Bolivia, kullawada is danced mainly in the Carnaval de Oruro, the Fiesta del Gran Poder, the Festividad de la Virgen de Urkupiña and the Festividad de Chutillos. In Peru the dance is represented in the Fiesta de la Candelaria.

The Morenada is an Andean folk dance whose origins are still under debate. This dance is practiced mainly in Bolivia as well as in Peru and in recent years with Bolivian immigration in Chile, Argentina and other countries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carnival of Santa Cruz de Tenerife</span> Annual carnival in the Canary Islands

The Carnival of Santa Cruz de Tenerife is held each February in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, the capital of the largest island of the Canary Islands, Spain and attracts people from all over the world.

The Briar Street Theatre is a theatre located in Chicago, Illinois, and is home to the long-running Blue Man Group. Originally the carriage house for the Marshall Field and Company horses, the space was purchased by Walter Topel and reconstructed into a theater. The Briar Street Theatre is most notably associated with the Blue Man Group act, which began performing at the Briar Street Theatre in 1997 and, as of March 20, 2022, is still performing there.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Diablada</span>

The Diablada, also known as the Danza de los Diablos, characterized by performers wearing masks and costumes representing the devil and other characters from pre-Columbian theology and mythology. combined with Spanish and Christian elements added during the colonial era. Many scholars have concluded that the dance is descended from the Llama llama dance in honor of the Uru god Tiw, and the Aymaran ritual to the demon Anchanchu, both originating in pre-Columbian Bolivia, though there are competing theories on the dance's origins.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carnival of Las Palmas</span>

The Carnival of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria is one of the most famous carnivals of Spain. The event is celebrated every year in the month of February in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bolivians</span> People identified with the country of Bolivia

Bolivians are people identified with the country of Bolivia. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Bolivians, several of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being Bolivian.

Paria, Bolivia was an important administrative center of the Inca Empire in the late 15th and 16th centuries CE and was the first Spanish settlement in Bolivia, founded in 1535. The ruins of "Old Paria" are located 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) east of the present day hamlet of Paria, which had a population of 106 people in 2012. Paria is 27 kilometres (17 mi) northeast of the city of Oruro. It is situated in a cultivated valley at an altitude of 3,767 metres (12,359 ft).