Estampas Folkloricas Peru kicked off their 2014 season this past weekend with a performance at the Hicksville Public Library. The nonprofit organization delighted the packed community room with numerous traditional dances from several regions of Peru.
Estampas Folkloricas Peru (EFP) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting Peruvian culture and folklore. The group was started by Luis Mostacero, a Lima, Peru native who came to the United States in 2000. He had a background in performing and dancing in Peru and wanted to start a dance group with the intention of “preserving, promoting, and diffusing Peruvian folklore and cultural manifestations through traditional music and dance.”
“With the support of my family, I was able to start it. It started small, but now there are about 18 members,” Mostacero says. In the 14 years since its creation, EFP has taken part in numerous festivals and celebrations honoring Peruvian culture, in communities across the Tri-state area as well as in Pennsylvania and Washington D.C.
Within the organization itself lays tremendous diversity, as members hail from all different regions of Peru. This makes each dance they perform its own unique experience, encompassing the varying traditions and costumes of the Peruvian coast, mountains and jungle. Sunday afternoon’s performance included dances from several regions of Peru, which illustrated the importance of agriculture and romance to the Peruvian people.
The performance included the Wititi dance as well as the Marinera, the national dance of Peru ,which was performed by nine-year-olds, Ariana Padilla and Bryan Rodriguez. The Marinera is an elegant and spontaneous dance, in which the man attempts to conquer the women, who remains ever so playful. Using handkerchiefs as props, the pair court each other, until the woman ultimately accepts the man’s proposal.
As the dancers transitioned between costumes and dances, the large audience was entertained by Peruvian music played by Walter Rojas. Rojas played a variety of pan flutes, and his rendition of “My Heart Will Go On,” was a crowd favorite. He also played the charango, a five double stringed instrument, belonging to the lute family.
At the end of the performance, the members of EFP invited audience members to join them on stage, teaching attendees of all ages basic Peruvian dance moves. Learn more about Estampas Folkloricas Peru at www.estampasny.com.
