SUN VALLEY - The Trailing of the Sheep Festival, taking place October 6-10 in the Wood River Valley of Idaho, is proud to present Peruvian Ballet Folklorica, performed by the Utah Hispanic Dance Alliance and Chaskis Peruvian Musicians. The special performance will take place on Saturday, October 9th at 8:00 p.m. at the Argyros Performing Arts Center in Ketchum.
The Utah Hispanic Dance Alliance is made up of folk dancers from throughout Utah who share the desire to preserve the ethnic dance traditions of Latin America and promote community inclusion while showcasing the excellence of Hispanic Culture through dance. The Alliance has been invited to perform for audiences from Europe to South America. For this performance, they will be focusing on Andean Music and Dance.
The Peruvian Ballet Folklorica performance is part of a lineup of special events to celebrate the Festival’s 25th anniversary year.
“We are excited to showcase this talented group of dancers and musicians for an extraordinary evening of cultural entertainment,” shared Laura Musbach Drake, Festival Executive Director. “There are many Peruvian sheepherders in the western US, and this performance will showcase their rich cultural heritage through music and dance.”
The Peruvian Ballet Folklorica performance will feature the most typical of the traditional folk dances from the majestic culture of Peru. This Andean country borders the Pacific Ocean on its West, Ecuador and Colombia to the north, Chile to its south, and Bolivia and Brazil to the east. The performance will take the audience on a cultural tour of Peru by way of its dance and music by exploring the dances of the coastal region, the traditions of the Aymara and Quechua who lived in the mountains, deep valleys and canyons which run through the entire country of Peru and which we know today as the Andes Range. In addition, the presentation will also explore the culture of the Peruvian Jungle which makes up the largest of Peru’s geographic regions. This tropical vegetation and snakelike rivers compromise more than 50% of Peru’s national territory. Some of the traditional Peruvian Dances will include VALICHA, MARINERA, FESTEJO, HUAYLAS, CRIOLLE WALTZ and SELVA. The talented musical group, Chasquis, will provide accompaniment for the dancers, which will also include dancers from Expresion Andina from the Andes Cultural Arts organization in Utah.