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Black-Influenced cultural dances of Panama
Within the Palanques, in Panama the Congos dance with abandon and merriment, celebrating the freedom of the Cimarrones (runaway slaves). The basic design of the dance is a tomborito-spontaneous, and inhibited —in which one couple dances at a time. Four drums and a female chorus accompany the dances. The women stand behind the drums, and in high-pitched, strained voices they sing in antiphonal style, alternating between a soloist and chorus. The lyrics of the songs are related to everyday life, and are often fatalistic or cynical of the white men.
The dance style is highly improvisional. Although certain steps patterns and body postures characterize the choreography, there is no fixed or predictable sequence. Couples respond intuitively to each other, composing as they dance; yet resulting movements are perfectly synchronized and the unplanned gestures and subtle interactions occur with astonishing speed and coordination. The female-male love games are open, frank, erotic and laced with a spirit of play and exaggeration. The lady dances aloof and serene, as if in a trance. As the small earthbound steps carry her smoothly in front of the drums, her shoulders, arms and head remain almost motionless. Only the forward and backward motion of her hips, clearly seen beneath the folds of her skirt, invites the advances of her partner. If he accepts the challenge and darts directly toward her, she suddenly withdraws, turns and proceeds in another direction. A dance of beauty!
Her long full skirt is an indispensable part of the dance. She spreads it fully to the sides to entice and tease. She wraps it around her body as a protective shield to the sudden lunges of her partner. She taunts him and flips the skirt in his face when he does not retreat.
With agile and fluid motions the male weaves and dodges around the lady, waiting for an unguarded moment to lunge close to her face and body. He is not bound by conventional rules. He responds freely and naturally to the rhythm of the drums with acrobatic squats, percussive turns and sinuous gestures. His movement is swift and staccato, or sometimes slow and sustained as he waits to see where his partner will move. The dance continues all night and Congos never weary or lose their enthusiasm. One by one couples take their turn dancing before the drums, and each time they create an endless variety of movements and patterns.
Around the outskirts of the Palanques, aside from the dancing, there is always a certain amount of fun and games among the male participants during Carnival season. The degree of burlesque and satire varies with each group and depends upon the control maintained by the King and Queen. Each character acts out his role in an exaggerated slapstick manner. Some Congos roam from house to house collecting food, cooking utensils and whatever items they think the Congos will need for their final feast on Ash Wednesday.
The dance style is highly improvisional. Although certain steps patterns and body postures characterize the choreography, there is no fixed or predictable sequence. Couples respond intuitively to each other, composing as they dance; yet resulting movements are perfectly synchronized and the unplanned gestures and subtle interactions occur with astonishing speed and coordination. The female-male love games are open, frank, erotic and laced with a spirit of play and exaggeration. The lady dances aloof and serene, as if in a trance. As the small earthbound steps carry her smoothly in front of the drums, her shoulders, arms and head remain almost motionless. Only the forward and backward motion of her hips, clearly seen beneath the folds of her skirt, invites the advances of her partner. If he accepts the challenge and darts directly toward her, she suddenly withdraws, turns and proceeds in another direction. A dance of beauty!
Her long full skirt is an indispensable part of the dance. She spreads it fully to the sides to entice and tease. She wraps it around her body as a protective shield to the sudden lunges of her partner. She taunts him and flips the skirt in his face when he does not retreat.
With agile and fluid motions the male weaves and dodges around the lady, waiting for an unguarded moment to lunge close to her face and body. He is not bound by conventional rules. He responds freely and naturally to the rhythm of the drums with acrobatic squats, percussive turns and sinuous gestures. His movement is swift and staccato, or sometimes slow and sustained as he waits to see where his partner will move. The dance continues all night and Congos never weary or lose their enthusiasm. One by one couples take their turn dancing before the drums, and each time they create an endless variety of movements and patterns.
Around the outskirts of the Palanques, aside from the dancing, there is always a certain amount of fun and games among the male participants during Carnival season. The degree of burlesque and satire varies with each group and depends upon the control maintained by the King and Queen. Each character acts out his role in an exaggerated slapstick manner. Some Congos roam from house to house collecting food, cooking utensils and whatever items they think the Congos will need for their final feast on Ash Wednesday.
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The tamborito is the highest expression of Panamanian folk art, combining dance, music, lyrics, and native costume. It is said to have originated in the dances of Negro slaves (Congos) who gathered in the yards of their quarters on plantations or near gold mines, and found solace and release in dancing to the beat of the drums. Homesick for Africa, they acted out tribal wars and the courtship of the ostrich (some still see vestiges of these patterns in the step of the tamborito). They also mimicked the behavior of their masters.
As to the Creole (Criollos) group (in strict usage, Mestizos, Creole (being Isthmian born) aroused from the casual union of Spanish conquerors with Indians and Negro slaves, the dance was modified combining Spanish, Indian and African legends, rhythms, and philosophy. The Mestizos sang lyrics lampooning the Spaniards who considered themselves so high and mighty, and kept the Isthmus-born Creoles in a subordinate position. The Spaniards were still dancing the minuet in their ballrooms, but a few of the more daring young aristocrats ventured into Creole patios at fiesta and carnival time. There they saw the tamborito and introduced it to their own homes.
The gay and gracious tamborito is usually performed by one couple at a time within a circle of singers who clap in time to the music and await their turn. Three drums beat the rhythm. A female soloist sings the verses, which are of infinite variety. Most often they deal with love, but politics, social events, places, and personalities are also subjects of her barbs. The other dancers'' flirtatious movements are accompanied by the flutter and sway of their voluminous costume. Her partner, also in costume, dances the livelier steps in a mock courtship of advancing and retreating figures.
Like the Tamborito, the Pollera originated with the slave class and worked its way up through all strata of society to become a national symbol. At first it was part of the servant’s livery; each family had a different pattern. Colonial matrons vied with one another to dress their children’s nursemaids in elaborately embroidered polleras, and rewarded them in gold jewelry for bringing each child safely through infancy. The name and general pattern of the costume are Andalusian; its voluminous ruffles were modified to better suit the climate by dropping the neckline low and abbreviating the sleeves. Scissors were scarce in colonial days, and only straight lines which could be produce by tearing were used; ruffles and gathers gave the dress an air of grace. The gold chains, medallions, and coins, and the elaborate combs, hair ornaments and earrings were the product of craftsmen working with native pearls and gold.
For decades the Pollera was a plebeian garment. In the 1880s country women and lower-class city dwellers wore a simple version of the dress for everyday and an embroidered, lace-trimmed one on fiesta occasions and formal celebrations.
Upper-class Panamanians became conscious of the beauty of the Pollera when foreign visitors found it picturesque and charming. Now they vie with one another to wear the most elaborate and authentic one possible. Particularly around Carnival time, the newspapers and magazines would publish numerous articles elaborating on the intricate and authentic details and speculating on the origin of the costume.
Today the Pollera de Fiesta, to be genuine, must be made of white lawn of handkerchief linen, embroidered or appliquéd in fruit or flower designs all in one color, and edged with lace. The flounces are joined with handmade lace through which runs a diamond pattern in a color that matches the embroidery. A contrasting shade of woolen yarn is run through the neck of the blouse and ends in a pompom front and back. Heelless, flat velvet slippers are worn without socks and match the yarn in color. Petticoats are appliquéd in white lawn and edged with lace. Hair is parted down the center, worn in buns and studded with numerous glittering tembleques, airy trifles of beads, fish scales and gilt wire, which tremble with every coquettish toss of the wearer's head. About her neck hang all the gold chains which are the campesino’s chief form of conspicuous consumption and the urban collector’s pride. The art of Pollera-making is still practiced in the interior villages, especially around Las Tablas. A complete costume of the finest materials costs hundreds of dollars.
Country cousin of the Pollera is the Montuna. The blouse is identical with that of the Pollera de Fiesta, but the long, gathered skirt is fashioned of bright cotton print. A black-and-white Panama hat is worn over braided hair, and perhaps a flower is tucked behind the ear. A fiber bag dangles at the waist. Campesinos still wear the Montuna, particularly around Ocú. At fiesta time, the town dwellers that cannot afford an authentic Pollera de Fiesta and refuse to wear cheap imitations appear in the Montuna.
The male costume is the Montuno. Some see in it a modification of the ceremonial tunic worn by pre-Columbian Indians; others consider it an adaptation of Spanish armor. A long, straight blouse of homespun cotton hides the knee-length trousers. Fringes and painted or embroidered figures decorate the blouse. A Panama hat, a chacára (woven fiber bag) slung over one shoulder, and sandals without socks complete the costume. While some campesinos, especially around Ocú and Chitré, still wear the undecorated version as their everyday costume, most appear in Montunos only at fiesta time.
Rural Panamanians also are fond of the Cúmbia, notably African in rhythm, danced in a circle around the musicians, and the lively punto.
As to the Creole (Criollos) group (in strict usage, Mestizos, Creole (being Isthmian born) aroused from the casual union of Spanish conquerors with Indians and Negro slaves, the dance was modified combining Spanish, Indian and African legends, rhythms, and philosophy. The Mestizos sang lyrics lampooning the Spaniards who considered themselves so high and mighty, and kept the Isthmus-born Creoles in a subordinate position. The Spaniards were still dancing the minuet in their ballrooms, but a few of the more daring young aristocrats ventured into Creole patios at fiesta and carnival time. There they saw the tamborito and introduced it to their own homes.
The gay and gracious tamborito is usually performed by one couple at a time within a circle of singers who clap in time to the music and await their turn. Three drums beat the rhythm. A female soloist sings the verses, which are of infinite variety. Most often they deal with love, but politics, social events, places, and personalities are also subjects of her barbs. The other dancers'' flirtatious movements are accompanied by the flutter and sway of their voluminous costume. Her partner, also in costume, dances the livelier steps in a mock courtship of advancing and retreating figures.
Like the Tamborito, the Pollera originated with the slave class and worked its way up through all strata of society to become a national symbol. At first it was part of the servant’s livery; each family had a different pattern. Colonial matrons vied with one another to dress their children’s nursemaids in elaborately embroidered polleras, and rewarded them in gold jewelry for bringing each child safely through infancy. The name and general pattern of the costume are Andalusian; its voluminous ruffles were modified to better suit the climate by dropping the neckline low and abbreviating the sleeves. Scissors were scarce in colonial days, and only straight lines which could be produce by tearing were used; ruffles and gathers gave the dress an air of grace. The gold chains, medallions, and coins, and the elaborate combs, hair ornaments and earrings were the product of craftsmen working with native pearls and gold.
For decades the Pollera was a plebeian garment. In the 1880s country women and lower-class city dwellers wore a simple version of the dress for everyday and an embroidered, lace-trimmed one on fiesta occasions and formal celebrations.
Upper-class Panamanians became conscious of the beauty of the Pollera when foreign visitors found it picturesque and charming. Now they vie with one another to wear the most elaborate and authentic one possible. Particularly around Carnival time, the newspapers and magazines would publish numerous articles elaborating on the intricate and authentic details and speculating on the origin of the costume.
Today the Pollera de Fiesta, to be genuine, must be made of white lawn of handkerchief linen, embroidered or appliquéd in fruit or flower designs all in one color, and edged with lace. The flounces are joined with handmade lace through which runs a diamond pattern in a color that matches the embroidery. A contrasting shade of woolen yarn is run through the neck of the blouse and ends in a pompom front and back. Heelless, flat velvet slippers are worn without socks and match the yarn in color. Petticoats are appliquéd in white lawn and edged with lace. Hair is parted down the center, worn in buns and studded with numerous glittering tembleques, airy trifles of beads, fish scales and gilt wire, which tremble with every coquettish toss of the wearer's head. About her neck hang all the gold chains which are the campesino’s chief form of conspicuous consumption and the urban collector’s pride. The art of Pollera-making is still practiced in the interior villages, especially around Las Tablas. A complete costume of the finest materials costs hundreds of dollars.
Country cousin of the Pollera is the Montuna. The blouse is identical with that of the Pollera de Fiesta, but the long, gathered skirt is fashioned of bright cotton print. A black-and-white Panama hat is worn over braided hair, and perhaps a flower is tucked behind the ear. A fiber bag dangles at the waist. Campesinos still wear the Montuna, particularly around Ocú. At fiesta time, the town dwellers that cannot afford an authentic Pollera de Fiesta and refuse to wear cheap imitations appear in the Montuna.
The male costume is the Montuno. Some see in it a modification of the ceremonial tunic worn by pre-Columbian Indians; others consider it an adaptation of Spanish armor. A long, straight blouse of homespun cotton hides the knee-length trousers. Fringes and painted or embroidered figures decorate the blouse. A Panama hat, a chacára (woven fiber bag) slung over one shoulder, and sandals without socks complete the costume. While some campesinos, especially around Ocú and Chitré, still wear the undecorated version as their everyday costume, most appear in Montunos only at fiesta time.
Rural Panamanians also are fond of the Cúmbia, notably African in rhythm, danced in a circle around the musicians, and the lively punto.
