Waching daily Feb 28 2018

Here we are today with Enrique

from Merida.

He has been dancing some traditional dances

from the Yucatan Peninsula for the last ...

15 years I have been dancing that.

How did it start?

The passion for a dance so full of joy?

Well, I saw how in the center of the city

there were people dancing

and I saw that they were really young.

And then I got into the Secuni

which is the Cultural Center of a Yucatecan Child

And I started my training there

and from then on I started to grab every time more

affection for the dance and more and more love for dancing.

How old were you then?

I was 8 years old.

And it was not your parents' idea ...

Oh We are going to subscribe our child

to all courses that we were not able to take

When we were little.

No. It was your choice.

Correct.

And what's the name of this dance ...

It's the jarana.

Tell us a bit of the history of jarana.

Well, the Mestizos come from the combination of the Mayans with the Spanish.

- Mestizos? (combination of European and Amerindian descent) - That's right.

Since the Spaniards brought their dances

and everything regional from Spain

the Mestizos began to copy that part

giving it a focus

of the Mayan religion. And from all that and from what the Spaniards brought

then all the dances started to come out

that are danced right now.

The style that can be compared a lot

with the Spanish one, is when we dance with our hands up.

Which is very similar to flamenco that is danced that way

with the castanets.

Aha. Right.

That's where it comes from.

What is the rhythm of jarana?

Three quarter compass

That's what it's called. These are the slow jaranas.

And those of six eighths.

they are faster and practically

show the agility of the jaranero.

Do you think it's difficult to dance it?

- Well, no... - After 15 years you can tell us

"oh no no.. So easy. What you do is this and that.¨, right?

I think that because of the fact, that I was born in Mérida

it is easy for us.

You see it, you hear it.

There are several dances within the jarana.

What would be the hardest to learn?

The one with the bottle, right?

Everything depends on the rhythm more than anything.

If they play slow jarana

then you could have more balance with the bottle

and the difficult thing is ... when you dance a luck

this is what it is called

because you put it on your head

and see if it stays there, or it falls.

If you get a fast jarana

It is harder to maintain the bottle.

and worse if it is with the whole tray

which is the tray with four glasses. - Is the tray more difficult?

- Yes.

I thought it was easier.

Because I thought that

as it is bigger, well... that it balances more ...

It has more balance ... But since we are moving

from side to side... The tray moves.

Then you have to control that movement.

Oyoyoyoy

How many bottles did you drop?

- Hueh! (Laugh) I have already lost the count!

I've seen it the other day and I say:

nooo, this is glued...

But no, it's not glued ...

How long did it take you to learn that

so that they don't fall down every time?

It took me quite a while ... - 2 years?

Like a month.

(laughing of surprise)

A month and a half or so ...

And that with 8 years?

I was already 10.

But one month is nothing!

I was going to practice. 3 times a week.

there and in my house.

I'm glad

that there are people like you,

who have the passion for dance

and to keep the regional culture alive.

It was a pleasure, Enrique. Many thanks!