Regional Office for Culture in Latin America and the Caribbean

Portal of Culture of Latin America and the Caribbean

Peru - Danza de los Negrillos de Andahuaylas (Dance of the little black children of Andahuaylas)

This dance, the danza de los Negrillos de Andahuaylas is a choreography performed exclusively by men, to honour the God Child, and it is celebrated every year during Christmas, and up to the first days of January with the arrival of the Three Kings. The dance owes its name to the dancers who painted themselves in black to represent the landowners or the military, representatives of the local authorities.

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The declaration of this dance as intangible cultural heritage, a document drafted by the Ministry of Culture, is ambiguous in recognizing the African heritage of this expression. It points out that although the costumes or masks of the "black" characters do not make a direct reference to the African population, the form of the dance has a certain relation to other dances of the black population in the rest of the Peruvian mountain ranges, where this association is much more evident.

Accessibility: From Lima to Andahuaylas there is a motorway of 763 km. The journey is made in approximately 13 hours.  
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Dance of the little black children of Andahuaylas. Performance by groupings of Negrillos in the central plaza of Andahuaylas.. Photo: Juan Carlos La Serna
Dance of the little black children of Andahuaylas. Formation of dancers of the Negrillos de Andahuaylas. Photo: Juan Carlos La Serna
Dance of the little black children of Andahuaylas. Formation of dancers of the Negrillos de Andahuaylas. Photo: Juan Carlos La Serna
Dance of the little black children of Andahuaylas. Formation of dancers of the Negrillos de Andahuaylas. Photo: Juan Carlos La Serna

Other data of interest

Peru

Historical name

Danza de los Negrillos de Andahuaylas (Dance of the little black children of Andahuaylas)

Address

Provincia de Andahuaylas, región de Apurímac (Province of Andahuaylas, region of Apurímac)  

Links to social networks


http://administrativos.cultura.gob.pe/intranet/dpcn/anexos/118_1.pdf?786926
 

Classification

Intangible heritage expression

Category

National monument

Function-Testimony

Access level

Free

Property kind

Community

Declarations

  • Patrimonio Nacional en 2012-12-26 0