#InTheLoop | Ecuadorian Troupe Presents Dances in Queens in June
The Andes Mountains are coming…and they’re bringing the Amazon and South America’s Pacific Coast.
Ayazamana — a dance-and-music troupe that’s part to the Ecuadorian American Cultural Center — will present free shows around the borough this month.
Wearing ponchos, shawls, sombreros, and braids that date back to the Incan Empire, several dozen artists will take audiences on imaginary jaunts through Ecuador via traditional dances and celebrations. They might swashbuckle around the stage with machetes or chant and stomp. And they’ll definitely whirl and balance bottles on their heads.
The first EACC show will unfold on 34th Avenue between 93rd and 94th streets in Jackson Heights on Saturday, June 12, at 2 pm.
The group takes over Suffolk Street between Rivington and Delancey streets in Manhattan on Saturday, June 19, at 2 pm.
Then the ensemble hits 43rd Avenue between 51st Street and Roosevelt Avenue in Woodside on Saturday, June 26, at 2 pm.
And as a bonus, DJ Andres Pinguil and other groups will offer a tribute to Ecuadorian music on 77th Street and 34th Avenue in Jackson Heights on Sunday, June 13, at 2 pm.
The troupe will present some of the country’s most popular and historic dances. Ecuador’s current population consists mostly of descendants of Spanish settlers, African slaves, and indigenous groups such as the Quechua and Shuar. The South American country’s music and dance reflect these demographics.
Audiences can expect to see Bomba, a music and dance from Valle de la Chota in Imbabura province, home to one of the country’s largest African-Ecuadorian groups. A mix of African and Indigenous sounds, Bomba was made popular by Banda Mocha, whose members made instruments by hand from natural materials. For example, goat hide was used for the bomba drum. Pine tree branches, bamboo sticks, pumpkins, gourds, and even leaves from citrus trees were used to create such percussion instruments as bombo, redoblante, and güiro. Inspired by beauty, love, nature, and/or food, the lyrics often recall daily life, but some Bombas are for special events.
In the Baile de la Botella, women move and groove to music while balancing bottles on their heads. They won’t fall even when the women knock against their partners.
Audiences will also marvel at music from Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas, an indigenous community in the north known for “Los Colorados” or men who dye their hair red with a liquid made from the achiote plant.
Images: EACC
