Ketzal Coatlicue

Director of KetzalCoatlicue, Susana de León, speaks to the audience about the group's traditional dress.

First we heard the jingling of the shells on their ankles, then we saw their headdresses adorned with colorful feathers, and shortly after that the Aztec dance group appeared from behind the curtains dancing to the steady beat of the sacred drum.

This past Friday I had the opportunity to attend the dance performance of an Aztec group from Minneapolis called KetzalCoatlicue.  The group was featured during a series of events during Latin American Studies Week on the UWEC campus.  The group’s director, Susana de León, and her troupe of six young dancers began the ceremony with an offering dance and went on to demonstrate various Aztec dances that have been passed on through oral tradition since their ancestors inhabited Mexico.  León explained that each dance had a ceremonial purpose and that each of the dancers’ outfits were handmade by the dancers themselves.  Each outfit is made of leather and embellished with feathers, shells and images related to stories passed on through oral tradition, and they are quite elaborate!  The volunteer members of KetzalCoatlicue travel around the country to perform for audiences and to keep the tradition of dance alive and educate people about the Aztec culture.

About halfway through the performance, León invited audience members to join the group onstage and proceeded to teach them a short dance.  As with the other dances, this dance included many quick steps and repeated series of steps, and she even tossed a few turns in there to spice it up a bit.  Afterwards the group finished up their dances and ended the evening the same way they started, with an offering dance.  Then the headdresses disappeared behind the curtains and the sound of the shells on their ankles subsided, leaving the audience in awe.  The performance was full of youthful energy, and I suggest if you ever get the chance to see KetzalCoatlicue perform, you should definitely go.  If you would like to read more about the group, visit their website at http://www.vfvaldez.com/kal/index.html.

Besos!

Megan

Have you ever attended a unique cultural performance?  Share your individual experience in the Comments section below!

A Irmandade da Boa Morte

This week is really exciting for Spanish and Latin American Studies students, as UWEC is celebrating Latin American Studies Week.  We have the chance to hear alumni, faculty, and guest speakers present various topics within the Latin American community, watch films, listen to panel discussions about important topics in Latin America, or observe an Aztec dance.    I decided to go to the opening day reception on Monday, and I’m really glad that I did.  The keynote speaker, Dr. Melissa Eden Gormley, is from the University of Wisconsin- Platteville.  Her presentation, “A Irmandade da Boa Morte (The Sisterhood of the Good Death): Women, Religion and Contested Identities in Brazil”  informed listeners about this very small and unique Afro-Catholic religious group in Bahia, Brazil.  I had never heard of the sisterhood, and so I was completely clueless going in!  I learned a lot about the only known sisterhood in the Catholic church…

A Irmandade da Boa Morte was founded nearly two centuries ago. Their unique culture is a mix of  Islamic, Catholic and African roots (specifically in Candomble). In the past, members of  the group helped enslaved Africans  purchase their freedom, as this was possible in Bahia.  By purchasing their freedom, they could also ensure a proper burial, or “good death.”   Gormley says that within the coexistence of African and Catholic beliefs, there was a need to die a good death in order to become a good ancestor.  In August, people come from around the world to Cachoeira (an inland town in Bahia) for the Feast of the Good Death, which celebrates the Virgin Mary’s death and ascension to Heaven.

The total number of women in the group has fluctuated, but today there are about 30 members, most of which are between the ages of 50 and 90.  Descendants of African slaves, these women have challenged the lack of open discussion about racial difference in Brazil.  They also address other social issues that affect the community.

While Brazil and Peru are two completely different countries, I want to immerse myself in as much South American culture and history as I can before my first time there.  I look forward to reading more about la cultura de Peru!

Abrazos!

Lacey