DANCE ORIGIN: Peru GENRE: Marinera ARTISTIC DIRECTOR: Nestor Ruiz First Appearance in SF EDF: 1999 Email:nestormarinera06@yahoo.com
El Tunante, the first dance academy
of marinera norteña in Northern California, was formed in Peru thirty years ago
to promote the Peruvian marinera nationally and internationally. The group has
been in the US since 1998. Artistic Director Nestor Ruiz, four-time national
champion and renowned Peruvian dancer and teacher, danced professionally in
Peru for many years, and has been named one of the best marinera dancers of all
time. He is responsible for what many call “The Marinera Movement” in the US.
The company produces quality dancers that compete at an international level and
Ruiz dedicates his time to teach and mentor professional dancers.
2015 PERFORMANCE
TITLE:Marinera Norteña: A
Visual History CHOREOGRAPHER: Nestor Ruiz ARTISTIC
ADVICE AND SUPPORT: Gabriela Shiroma and De Rompe y
Raja Cultural Association DANCERS: Jasslie Altamirano, Henry Dugarte, Melissa Feik, Luciana
Fernandini, Daniella Magán, Diego Magán, Jose Miralles,
Diego Oliva, Samantha Payne, Ashley Peña, Chistopher Peña, Marjorie Quispe, Saya Quiroz,
Jacky Rivera, Nestor Ruiz, Rubi Sarmiento, Nicholás Tuccio, Sebastian Tuccio MUSICIANS: Marina Marchena (lead vocals), Peta Robles Izquierdo (lead
cajón), Vladimir Vucanovich (guitar)
Peruvian-born Nestor Ruiz is known
as one of the best marinera dancers of all time. In this performance, he brings
us eighteen dancers, presenting his choreography of Marinera Norteña.
Within a tight sequence of sweet
coquettish dancing, partners enact a romantic game of cat and mouse. The men move close and
the women move closer. The partners never touch, and never take their eyes off
one another. The dance is intense and formal, with fluttering handkerchiefs to
reveal what happens in the heart. Male dancers sometimes perform the marinera
on the back of a dancing horse, and in the men’s cepillado and zapateo
footwork, high steps mimic the prancing of a horse. The women dance barefoot,
with especially expressive footwork.
The Marinera derived from the
zamacueca, a dance form born around 1800 during Peru’s struggle for
independence from Spain. The zamacueca originated in crowded colonial ports,
merging stylized Spanish court dance, lively African rhythms and footwork, and
indigenous Peruvian forms. The zamacueca spread throughout Latin America during
the wars of independence and returned to Peru as a dance form called chilena. In
the late 1870s, amid political tensions between Peru and
Chile, journalist and songwriter Abelardo Gamarra proposed the name change from
chilena to marinera, as a way to honor the Marina de Guerra del Perú, the
Peruvian Navy, for its efforts in the war against Chile. Today, the marinera is
considered Peru’s national dance.
The colonial style of this dance was
restrained, with women’s bare feet adding to the simplicity, and the dance gradually evolved its
quick expressiveness. Various provinces in Peru have also interpreted the form
over the years with unique regional styles.The Marinera Norteña is from the
northern city of Trujillo, and it’s an especially lively form of the dance.
The men wear traditional wide-brimmed hats and
ponchos. The women’s dresses are from cities of northern Peru‚ adorned with
indigenous Moche lace that is famed for its fragile elegance.
The music, influenced by African
rhythms, is played in 6/8, accompanied by Spanish guitars and the Afro-Peruvian cajón box
drum. For this performance, the traditional group consists of a singer, guitar player, and the national
female champion Peta Robles Izquierdo on cajón.
2013 PERFORMANCE
DANCE ORIGIN: North Peru GENRE: Marinera TITLE: Marinera Norteña ARTISTIC DIRECTOR/CHOREOGRAPHER: Néstor Ruiz DANCERS: Magally M. Cespeda, Daniel; Choy, Farah Concha,
Luciana Fernandini, Daniella Magan, Diego Magan, Renato Manay, Renzo Manay,
Marjorie Quispe, Néstor Ruiz, Stephan Sester, Sissy Soria, Ashlie Vera, Junior
Vilcherrez MUSICIANS: Marina Marchena (vocals), Pedro Rosales
(percussion),Vladimir Vucanovich (percussion)
Champion Peruvian dancer Nestor Ruiz presents the classy
couple’s dance, La Marinera Norteña. The marinera is the Peruvian National
Dance, a form with three distinct styles. In Lima, DANCERS perform the marinera
Limena: on the coast, the style is marinera costena; and this performance of
marinera nortena comes from northern Peru— from Trujillo. Like many dance and
music forms in Peru, marinera nortena draws from Peru’s culturally-diverse
communities, especially port towns where Spanish, African, and indigenous
dancersshared traditional styles and rhythms. In 1893, during a concert with
the dancer Rosa de Morales, Abelardo Gamarra—also known as “El
Tunante”—formally dubbed the dance la marinera, in homage to the Admiral of the
Peruvian Navy.
This elegant performance is like a seductive, stylized
courtship with tightly synchronized sequences. In Peru, this dance is sometimes
performed outside, with El Chalan—the male dancer—on horseback. Peruvian Paso
horses are trained in subtle dance steps, and their male riders lean gracefully
towards their partners, women dancing barefoot in the dirt. In staged
choreography, the men’s high steps imitate the horse and the women draw
pictures on the floor with their expressive bare feet. Watch also for the very
close partner dancing known as coqueteo, and the championship level footwork of
cepillado and zapateo.
2012 PERFORMANCE
TITLE: Marinera Norteña ARTISTIC DIRECTOR: Nestor Ruiz MUSICAL DIRECTOR: Alberto Morales DANCERS: Alejandra Chumbe, Cesilia Fey, Renato Manay,
Renzo Manay, MargorieQuisbe, Nestor Ruiz CHILDREN DANCERS: Luciano Fernandini, David Ferreira, Diego Hagan, Daisy Polanio MUSICIANS: Banda Peru: Ryan Black (euphonium), Mike Garcia (tuba),
Hermann Lara (tenor saxophone),Alberto Morales (trombone), Augusto Sandoval
(drums), Edward Sandoval(cymbals), Percy Sandoval (bass drum), Daniel Ventura
(trumpet)
The marinera is the Peruvian National Dance, one of the most elegant
dances in Peru. In Lima, it’s marinera Limeña; on the coast, it’s
marinera costeña; and in Trujillo and the North, it’s the lively
marinera norteña, the form presented. The men wear traditional
wide-brimmed hats and ponchos. The women’s dresses are from cities of
northern Peru‚ including Moche, the source of elegant lace, and
Trujillo, the marinera capital.
The dance begins with the men
demonstrating marinera norteña choreography. This version includes steps
that imitate the Peruvian Paso horse, and the music directs the gait.
Next the women dance, their expressive bare feet drawing images on the
ground, their skirts swishing like ocean waves. To complete the set, the
couples unite. Their steps include the coqueteo, with partners dancing
very closely, and the skillful cepillado brushing footwork. El Tunante describes the dance: She,
with her gathered skirt seems to leave her agile feet free sweeping the
ground with the fury and the passion of her joy. He, with his desire
contained, expresses with the force of his dance the passion of his
conquest.
Marinera dancers are typically accompanied by
Spanish guitars, an Afro-Peruvian cajón box drum, spoons that substitute
for Spanish castanets, and palmadas or handclaps. This presentation
featured the lively Banda Peru, including musicians on tuba, trumpet, trombone, drums, and cymbals.
2011 PERFORMANCE
TITLE:Marinera Peruana MUSICAL DIRECTOR: Alberto Morales DANCERS:Alejandra Chumbes, Cesilia Fey, Renato Manay, Renzo Manay, Sonia Porras de Niño de Guzmán, Nestor Ruiz MUSICIANS:
Jose Castillo (euphonium), Pedro Castillo (trumpet), James Cuba (tuba), Hernan Lara (alto sax), Alberto Morales (trombone), Augusto Sandoval (drum), Edward Sandoval (cymbal), Percy Sandoval (drum)
The marinera is the Peruvian National Dance, one of the most elegant dances in Peru. In Lima, it’s marinera Limeña; on the coast, it’s marinera costeña; and in Trujillo and the North, it’s the lively marinera norteña, the form presented. The men wear traditional wide-brimmed hats and ponchos. The women’s dresses are from cities of northern Peru‚ including Moche, the source of elegant lace, and Trujillo, the marinera capital.
The dance begins with the men demonstrating marinera norteña choreography. This version includes steps that imitate the Peruvian Paso horse, and the music directs the gait. Next the women dance, their expressive bare feet drawing images on the ground, their skirts swishing like ocean waves. To complete the set, the couples unite. Their steps include the coqueteo, with partners dancing very closely, and the skillful cepillado brushing footwork.
El Tunante describes the dance: She, with her gathered skirt seems to leave her agile feet free sweeping the ground with the fury and the passion of her joy. He, with his desire contained, expresses with the force of his dance the passion of his conquest.
Marinera dancers are typically accompanied by Spanish guitars, an Afro-Peruvian cajón box drum, spoons that substitute for Spanish castanets, and palmadas or handclaps. This presentation featured a traditional marching band.
2010 PERFORMANCE
Title: La Marinera Norteña Dancers: Luisa Lopez Saavedra, Zarella Mazzini, Nestor Ruiz, Jorge Ventemillia Musicians:Banda Peru - David Carr
(baritone saxophone), Pedro Castillo (trumpet), James Cuba (tuba), Andrea
Fennern (trombone), Santiago Israel (trombone), Hernan Lara (saxophone), Joao
Martins (trumpet), Nathan Mck Griff (saxophone), Alberto Morales (Director),
Nick Rous (saxophone), Luis Sandoval (cymbal), Percy Sandoval (drum), Daniel
Ventura (trumpet) For fifty years, regional and national competitions have
challenged dancers to add a personal touch as they perfect the marinera and contribute
to its evolution. El Tunante presented award-winning performers from the
national contest in Trujillo, showcasing the highest achievement in La Marinera Norteña. The first dance showed the colonial
style: a restrained style in which the women's bare feet simplify the eloquence. The second
piece showed the contemporary form. It combineed the quick pace of the tondero of
Piura and the expressive characteristics of the marinera Limeña.
For this performance, Nestor performed alongside Peruvian
national marinera champions Zarella Mazzini, Luisa Lopez Saavedra, and
Jorge Ventemillia.
The live band of thirteen musicians, Banda Peru,
performs accompaniment on the trumpet, saxophone,
baritone saxophone, trombone, tuba, marching drum, cymbal, and drum.
2009 PERFORMANCE
Title: Marinera Norteña Dancers: Erica Clancy, Sonia Porras Niño de Guzman,
Nestor Ruiz, Stephan Sester Musicians: Oscar
Abanto (guitar), Marina Marchena (vocals), Javier Muton (cajón), Vladimir
Vucanovich (guitar)
The music starts. A man and a woman look into each
other’s eyes. The challenge begins. She raises her handkerchief and smiles,
offering enchantment. He greets her, hat in hand, and announces with elegant
and decided steps that he is a great connoisseur of this game. They dance around each other, testing that sweetness of moving close. Feet pound the floor in
zapateo rhythms. Barefoot, she whirls her skirt, escaping his advances. The
would-be-conqueror is conquered, his handkerchief playing in his fingers like a
dove…
2007 PERFORMANCE
TITLE:La Marinera GENRE: Marinera Norteña ARTISTIC DIRECTOR/ CHOREOGRAPHER: Nestor Ruiz Gil DANCERS: Sara Arrescurenaga, Cesilia Fey, Erica Flores, Shanty Gupta, Christopher Leon, Oscar Leon, Carlos Robles, Marimar Robles, Nestor Ruiz, Stephan Sester, Junior Vilcherrez MUSICIANS: Marina Marchena, Pedro Rosales, Vladimir Vucanovich
With its spiraling choreography and suave footwork, the marinera is called “the lovers’ dance,” as couples are said to fall in love when dancing it. Joyous and flirtatious, it is danced either in couples or groups of couples. A playful courtship ritual between a man and a woman is enacted. With eye-to-eye contact, the woman teases the man with her coquettish feminine wiles and provocative tosses of her handkerchief. The man, with elegant comportment and self-assured steps, is a connoisseur of the game. Using his hat to court her, he moves closer to circle her and, employing cunning charm and agile feet, they whirl around each other without making physical contact.
2006 PERFORMANCE
TITLE OF PIECE:
La Marinera GENRE: Marinera Nortena ARTISTIC DIRECTOR/ CHOREOGRAPHER: Nestor Ruiz DANCERS & MUSICIANS: Sarita
Arrescurinaga,
Vladimir Bukanovitch, Shanty Gupta, Sonia Manay, Marina Marchena,
Nestor Ruiz,
Stephan Sester, Sissi Sorio, Jose Terrones, Lalo
Izquierda
With its spiraling choreography and suave footwork, the marinera is often referred to as “the
lovers’
dance” as couples are believed to fall in love when dancing it. Joyous
and
flirtatious, it is danced in couples or groups of couples. Contained within
the group
dances is a playful courtship ritual between a man and a woman. The
dance starts with
a greeting and ends with a fugue to drum rhythms. With
eye-to-eye contact, the woman
teases the man with coquettish feminine wiles and
provocative tosses of her
handkerchief. The man, with elegant comportment and
self-assured steps, is a
connoisseur of the game. Using his hat to court her,
he moves closer to circle her
and, employing cunning charm and agile feet, they
whirl around each other without
making physical contact.
The song is an ode to love describing
a man singing to a
woman, petitioning her to come out and dance to his sweet tunes
and rhythms of
the drums. It is typically performed with the Spanish guitar and cajón, a wooden box drum originating
from African
slaves.
2005 PERFORMANCE
TITLE OF PIECE:MARINERADIRECTOR/ CHOREOGRAPHER:
Nestor Ruiz DANCERS: Sarita
Arrescurrinaga, Limena Egoavil, Shanti
Gupta, Magaly Marchena, Renato
Nanay, Renzo Nanay, Eduardo Pastor,
Cesar Quiroz, Nestor Ruiz, Jorge
Sebastiani, Sonia Sester, Stephan
Sester, Anna Gil Vasquez, Flor
Ventura MUSICIANS: Maria Marchena, Javier
Nunton, Pedro Rosales, Vladimir Vikanovich
With its spiraling choreography
and suave footwork, the Marinera
is often referred to as "the lovers dance"
because it is
believed that couples fall in love when they dance it. Joyous
and flirtatious,
it is danced in couples or groups of couples. Contained
within the
group dances is a playful courtship ritual between a man and a
woman.
With eye-to-eye contact, the woman teases the man with her
coquettish
feminine wiles and provocative tosses of her handkerchief. The
man,
with elegant comportment and self-assured steps is a connoisseur
of
the game. Using his hat to court her, he is ready to conquer as he
moves closer to circle her. Employing their cunning charm and agile
feet, they whirl around each other without making physical contact.
The scarf symbolizes beauty and purity. The song is an ode to love
describing a man singing to a woman petitioning her to come out and
dance
to his tunes. It is typically performed with the guitar and cajon,
a wooden box drum.
TITLE:
DANCE ORIGIN:
The marinera is the Peruvian National Dance, one of the most elegant
dances in Peru. In Lima, it’s marinera Limeña; on the coast, it’s
marinera costeña; and in Trujillo and the North, it’s the lively
marinera norteña, the form presented. The men wear traditional
wide-brimmed hats and ponchos. The women’s dresses are from cities of
northern Peru‚ including Moche, the source of elegant lace, and
Trujillo, the marinera capital. 
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