A Dance Away From Home
Every immigrant group has some key cultural tradition that keeps it connected to the homeland.
But sometimes, one tradition seems to outshine just about everything else.
That’s the way it is for dance among Bolivians now living in the United States. While Bolivian-Americans typically like to surround themselves with the culture of their homeland, one of the most popular activities entails joining a Bolivian folk dance group.
According to the 2010 federal census, there are now about 100,000 Bolivians living in the United States. Many Bolivians live in areas like Los Angeles, Providence in Rhode Island, and the borough of Queens in New York, but an overwhelming majority — 38 percent — live in the metropolitan area around Washington, D.C. Not coincidentally, that area is also the center for many Bolivian folk dance groups.
Bolivia has hundreds of indigenous dances, but the most popular dances are caporales, tinkus, tobas, and the morenada. Because the dances are so varied, Bolivians of all ages can take part in them.
“I love dancing because it keeps me connected to my culture,” says one young dancer, 11-year-old Emily.
In the United States, the linchpin for Bolivian folk dance is Comite Pro Bolivia, a non-profit group that promotes and serves Bolivian culture. As part of its mission, the group, which is based in Arlington, Va., helps keep Bolivian dance groups organized, and also runs the many events that typically take place between March and December, the traditional dancing season. When Comite Pro Bolivia was founded in 1987 it represented only a half-dozen folk groups but now has more than two dozen members.
The non-profit sponsors a number of events throughout the year. One of them is a woman’s beauty pageant where each dance group crowns their own “reina” or queen, who then competes for the title Miss Pro Bolivia. In 2013 the winner, Azize Hazou, won the title for her group, San Simon USA. Hazou then helped start the first Mister Pro Bolivia competition where she crowned Tony Gonzales, the man with whom she now has a long-standing relationship.
Comite Pro Bolivia also sponsors two key dance competitions, El Concurso de Saya and El Concurso de Tinkus. Bolivian dance groups typically practice for the competitions at least three to five months in advance, orchestrating
elaborate routines with couples of five or six. The groups usually take the stage for five minutes and by the end of the night a winner is chosen.
Still, Bolivian dance groups do more than just dance; often they participate in various parades, festivals, and museum events in both the Washington D.C. metro area, and increasingly, in parades in both New Jersey and New York City. One of most famous Bolivian groups, Alma Boliviana, has for many years participated in the Hispanic Heritage Parade that is held in New York during Columbus Day weekend.
Alma Boliviana was founded in Virginia in 1991, and its dancers often perform caporales, a traditional Bolivian folk dance. To get to the Hispanic Heritage Parades, dancers typically endure a rough four to five hour bus ride
Dancer Yesenia Iriarte remembers one such trip vividly.
“We woke up at 3:45am to get our luggage in the car that we had already packed the night before,” she said.
The costumes that come with these kinds of performances are not only elaborate but also handmade. Each jewel is carefully sewn into place, each heel is made from scratch, and each costume is fitted to the dancer making them as expensive as they are beautiful.
Ana-Paola Solis, a mother and a former dancer with San Simon USA, acknowledges that the expenses can add up.
“The first year I put myself and my daughter Abbie to dance the costumes were about $300 with a $50 fee for delivery, totaling $700,” she said, adding that seeing her daughter’s face made the price worth it.
Brithany Bustillos, a 15-year-old dancer with Alma Boliviana, said her costume cost about $200, but that didn’t “even include the earrings, the underwear, the tights, or the eye-shadow they sometimes ask us to buy.”
The biggest event Bolivian dancers prepare for is the Bolivian Festival held every year on the Sunday before Labor Day. Dance groups typically spend all summer preparing for the event, which is held in Manassas, Virginia in an open track field. At the festival, dancers complete a full circle around the track, which takes 45 minutes, and the area is filled with family and friends. There are also Bolivian dishes, treats, desserts, drinks, as well as lots of merchandise for purchase
With an event taking place every few months, dancing is clearly what keeps Bolivians in the U.S. close-knit, constantly running into old friends, making new ones, and keeping family members together with multiple practices every week.
