marinera

The tradition & historical record

Marinera is a partner dance that originated along the coastal regions of Peru, using handkerchiefs as props. The dance is a re-enactment of an ancient Mochic dance, modernised with a mix of Spanish contradanza and Andean zamacueca, and is a stylized reenactment of a courtship, showing a blend of the different cultures of Peru. The dance has gained recognition throughout South America and is known as the most prominent traditional dance of Peru. The city of Trujillo has been recognized as the national birthplace of the marinera since 1986. The Marinera Festival, a cultural event dedicated to marinera held in Trujillo, although as of 2023 the festival has been held in the city of Lima. These annual competitions of the dance have taken place since 1960. In 2012, the Congress of Peru observed nationally October 7 as a commemorative day for the marinera. The dance is traditionally accompanied by several instruments: cajón, clarinets, guitars, drums, and bugles. ¹

The origins of the dance can be traced to Spanish, Moorish, Andean, and Romani people rhythmic influences. Although the dance had informally been around in Peru since the colonial era, it was formally recognized as "Marinera" in honor of the Navy of Peru, or the Marina de Guerra del Peru in 1879 during the War of the Pacific. According to the Peruvian historian Rómulo Cúneo y Vidal, the Zamacueca was itself a dance of rest during the era of the Inca Empire. Thus, coming from such a far natively Peruvian background, the dance is itself simply a derivation of an ancient Peruvian dance. Ancient pottery dating from the Pre-Columbian era called huacos depicted people resting in Zamacueca positions. The first Marinera to be written in musical notation was La Concheperla composed by Abelardo Gamarra Rondó and José Alvarado, by Rosa Mercedes Ayarza de Morales in 1894... ¹

Peru claims that the dance is exclusively Peruvian. According to Peruvian historian Rómulo Cúneo y Vidal, the zamacueca was itself a dance of rest during the times of the Inca Empire and pre-Inca cultures, supporting the proposal that Marinera is native to Peru as a derivation of traditional dance, as depicted in some ancient huacos of people resting in Zamacueca positions. ¹

Ballroom dances of Europe's Viceroyalty are also a proposed origin for many Latin American dances, including the Marinera. The Hispanic proposal also suggests that European ballroom dances such as "Fandango" and "Cashuas" led to the creation of the Chilean Sajuriana, the Venezuelan Zambo, the Argentine Cielo Gaucho, the Mexican Tas-be, the Colombian Bambuco, the Ecuadorian Amor Fino, and the Peruvian Toro Mata. ¹

Different schools and dancing styles of the Marinera exist, based on location. There are Marinera dance academies all over Peru, and competitions are frequently held. The most important competition is the National Competition of the Marinera (Concurso Nacional de Marinera) held during the National Festival of the Marinera (Festival Nacional de Marinera), held in Trujillo, every January. The three main variations are the Marinera Limeña, the Marinera Norteña, and the Marinera Serrana. Sometimes the Marinera is danced with her partner mounted on a Peruvian Paso (the horse dancing, and the chálan directing it). ¹

This Marinera is elegant and a little slow-paced in comparison to other variations. The dance can be interpreted in low or high tones. The Marinera of contrapunto or "canto de jarana" usually consists of three Marineras, Resbalosa (Slippery), and a succession of "fugas" (Escapes). Nowadays, the Marinera Limeña seems to be becoming overshadowed by the Marinera Norteña, because of its popular qualities. Nevertheless, the dance still has a small number of fans that dance it during October fests or during the anniversary of Lima. ¹

The text above is adapted from the Wikipedia article “Marinera”, available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 licence. ¹

marinera is national dance and music genre of Perú, according to the structured record cited below. This entry was generated automatically from that record and has not yet been reviewed by a person familiar with the tradition. ²

The source record links this tradition to 11 external registers, which can be verified through the citation. ²