The Dance of the Concheros

The article assigned for Tuesdays class (written by Rostas) discusses the dance of the Concheros and the history behind it. The concheros dance tradition has been around for a rather long time, and places a special emphasis on pre-Hispanic Mexico. The instruments that are used are also pre-Hispanic in origin and consist of the concha, drums, flutes, rattles and seeds worn around the dancers ankles. Rather than having the melody be in the forefront, the concheros pay particular attention to creating complex rhythmic structures. As I mentioned earlier, Rostas takes the time to describe the history behind the dance, however, she also includes a section on the concheros traditions today. Mainly, she states that these groups dance for religious purposes although there are often outsiders that will stand by and watch the group during their ritual. She continues to say that the group members are encouraged to ignore the people and not to let them interfere in their ritual dance.

I found a video of a group of individuals performing one of the dances of the concheros online. What I found particularly interesting was not the actual dance that was being shown, but rather the setting in which this dance was taking place. The dancers were dressed in the traditional costumes and were using the instruments described in the article, however, they were on a stage in front of a large group of people. Rather than doing the dance as a form of ritual, this group of people put on a performance. These dancers belong to the Mexican Dance Ensemble in Chicago. I'm curious as to how individuals who actually participate in this ritual and place a special value on it would feel about their dance being done by a company on stage.

Here is the video that I mentioned: http://mdechicago.org/wordpress/?p=658