Dance and National Identity in Latin America

Résumé du document

Dance and music represent a major part of the Latin American culture. The continent is indeed quite famous all over the world for the diverse dances it created such as tango, salsa or samba. Nowadays, events like the Carnival of Rio appeal people from very far countries in Brazil during one week. However, the features of the local culture are not new. They are a result of gradual historical processes and evolutions. They combine elements from European, African, Native Indian cultures to create an original movement.

Extraits

[...] Samba or Danzon represented important vectors of the national sentiment. The authorities or the political forces sometimes understood how they could take advantage and use these vectors to strengthen the state and the national identity. [...]

[...] For Cuban middle-class people, adopting local cultural behaviours and practicing dances like danzon was a way to distinguish themselves from the Spaniards. They could thus be authentically This situation explains why danzon involved the middle class sooner than samba in Brazil. The social spaces where those dances were performed largely shaped them. In Cuba, danzon was mainly practiced during private parties and balls whereas the Brazilian samba was mostly danced in the streets. Many people were only observers. Whereas the Carnival of Rio was a big popular event, carnivals in Cuba did not appeal many people. [...]

[...] Carnivals and street processions threatened the authority and these events seem to have scared Havana's elites at the end of the century. It is interesting to see that in 1895, an important rebellion against the government and the carnival began simultaneously. Dance and music are still in South America essential aspects of the national identities. The original interaction between European, African and Native American traditions achieved to create an original culture that contributed to the apparition of a national community. [...]

[...] According to John Charles Chasteen, 1913 observer decried the physical closeness among young people of both sexes, right in the street, immodest, shameless, in the most scandalous contacts, without distinction of race, color or education.”[1] Concerning the gender issue, it is quite interesting to see that dancers sometimes switched roles. Chasteen argues that, during the carnival in Brazil, dancing women on the streets were sometimes men. He asserts that this situation was not exceptional. In Cuba, the situation was a bit different since danzon generally involved both men and women in the parties where it was performed. Dancing could also represent a way to break racial barriers. In Rio, street dancers were generally from African descent and did not belong to the highest social classes. [...]

[...] Dance and National Identity in Latin America Dance and music represent a major part of Latin American culture. The continent is indeed quite famous all over the world for the diverse dances it created such as tango, salsa or samba. Nowadays, some events like the Carnival of Rio appeal people from very far countries in Brazil during one week. However, those features of the local culture are not recent. They are the result of gradual historical processes and evolutions. Their origins are multiple: they combine elements from European, African, Native Indian cultures in order to create a very original movement. [...]