|
 Cascada de
Flores (translated as Waterfall
of flowers) presented a humble
"sprinkle" of dance and song
from the beautiful P'urhepecha area in the
state of Michoacán, for the San Jose performances of People Like Me 2000. Their medley consisted of a song (pirekua)
and two dances: La Danza de Los Viejitos (Dance of the old men),
which
was also danced with masks, and Los
Sembradores (those who sow seeds).
"La Danza de
los Viejitos" is an ancient tradition of the P'urepecha.
It is "the dance
of the little old men" that was done even before the
Spanish arrived to
México. There are hundreds of regional variations
of this dance! It is
usually performed by the youth, who imitate older
people with very humorous
movements and masks, dancing heavy, fairly
difficult footwork while bending
over, using a cane. Of course, as
dancers, they are not making fun of older
people, but honoring them.
In México, elders are the center of the
community; people go
to them when they have difficulties, and appreciate
them for their
wisdom and experience. This dance is a way for the youth to
show their
respect.
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