Dancing at the Prison

2.11.10

Today was quite the experience. We got up this morning, put on our Peruvian carnival costumes (see pictures below), and headed to the prison. A passport check, three checkpoints, and a security pat-down later, we were in the courtyard where the female prisoners spend the majority of their days. When they saw us, they all started chuckling, calling us “las Humanginas gringitas” (little white Ayacuchen women), and immediately wanted their picture taken with us. We were a hit.

Some of the prison women in costume.

The prison Carnaval festival itself took place in a bigger courtyard, and both men and women were present (they’re normally separated). We were essentially the “guests” of the festival, and were just dancing for fun. The rest of the groups, though, were competing for a grand prize of 500 soles (about $160). Most of them were from villages around the city of Ayacucho, and each had their distinct traditional costumes. The common theme, though, was color, color, color.

To our horror, we were the first group to dance. Imagine being surrounded by nearly 1,000 criminals (some innocent, others not), wearing multiple layers of clothing in the beating sun, and then proceeding to dance a routine that you have only practiced once before. It was interesting to say the least, and also really fun. I don’t think we embarrassed ourselves too much… I hope.

After we danced, the real competition started, and in general each group’s routine consisted of a singer, flute player, a leader who dictated by whistle, and a group of dancers, ranging from 5-70 years old. They all started with a (semi) coordinated dance, and then moved on to some sort of theatrical display. One group threw prickly pears at each other and the crowd, another did a kind of wrestling match, and another literally whipped each other’s legs with what looked like horse whips made of straw. Marisol (one of the CCS staff) explained that the whipping was a way of empathizing and appreciating the pain that Jesus endured for them; and as Carnaval is—ironically—a religious festival, that made sense. Still doesn’t change the fact that the whips make a terrifying cracking noise that I would steer clear of at all costs.

Getting ready to crack the whip... scary.

Later Laura, Natalie, and I went to Santa Elena Health Clinic to practice our dance moves for Saturday; they told us that since we were now employees of the clinic we had to dance with them on Saturday. Bring it on.