We took a 2-day field trip to a small community of Afro-Peruvians, descendants of the slave trade that had existed in Peru, just as it had in the U.S. A four-hour ride south of Lima, in the small community of El Carmen, we were warmly hosted by the well-known Ballumbrosio family. When the slave masters took away the slaves’ drums, they had invented new musical outlets, including zapateo (like tap dancing) and the cajón, a wooden box one sits on while ‘drumming,’ and we got to experience both cultural traditions during our visit.
Our first stop in town was the central park, where a visitor can inevitably find a group of kids waiting to show their zapateo skills. Later all the students got rhythm lessons using a cajón, a conga drum, their hands, and their feet. After dinner we got to see how the music and rhythms are truly supposed to come together, as demonstrated by members of the extended Ballumbrosio family. The night ended with dancing around a bonfire and, from our musical tradition, a song we sang for our hosts.
Clara and Maddy enjoy picarones — Peruvian donuts made from sweet potato, squash, anise, and cinnamon — while Hans and Caleb are happy just to photo-bomb.In the El Carmen central park kids demonstrated “zapateo,” a type of tap-dancing performed in the Afro-Peruvian communities.A “cajon” provided accompaniment.In 3 trips to El Carmen this year there have always been kids in the park, …… each time a different group, although each has been eager to zapateo for visitors. Even in flip-flops.Miguel Ballumbrosio explains the basics of the cajon to us.Some students played cajones while others played conga drums.He taught a few basic rhythms that students then combined.Later he had students add clapping rhythms …… and also zapateo steps.Then we tried to put it all together, although we weren’t always perfect.Finally, he taught separate dance moves for the men and women.The conga line.All our meals were Afro-Peruvian dishes, also at Ballumbrosio home.After dinner entertainment included a few of the dozens of dances performed in the community.And then the family led the students in dancing around a bonfire.Before the fire died out the family asked the students to sing, and they responded with “Walking in the Light.”Finally, they had each person (SST leaders included) demonstrate a dance move for the group.
