A Peruvian Dance Show

Since we got in early and did the tombs visit, we decide that the first night we should see a Peruvian show.

Nice outing in Puno and great place to be on first row for a dance show.

Puno is a city in southeastern Peru, located on the shore of Lake Titicaca. It is the capital city of the Puno Region and the Puno Provincewith a population of approximately 100,000. The city was established in 1668 by viceroy Pedro Antonio Fernández de Castro as capital of the province of Paucarcolla with the name San Juan Bautista de Puno. The name was later changed to San Carlos de Puno, in honor of king Charles II of Spain. Puno has several churches dating back from the colonial period; they were built to service the Spanish population and evangelize the natives.

Puno is situated between the shores of Lake Titicaca and the mountains surrounding the city. There is less than 2 miles of flat land between the shores and the foothills, which has caused the growing city to continue to expand upwards onto the hillsides. As a result, the town's less developed and poorest areas, which are high on the hillsides, often have very steep streets, which are generally not paved and cannot be accessed by automobile.

Up one of these streets is the Kuntur Wasi viewpoint, which has a huge metal sculpture of a condor. There are some 700 steps to climb to reach the sculpture but the view across the city and Lake Titicaca beyond is breathtaking.

Puno is known as the "Capital folklórica del Perú" (folkloric capital of Peru) due to its wealth of artistic and cultural expressions, particularly dance. They are most notable during the celebrations of the Feast of the "Virgen de la Candelaria" and the Regional Competition of Autochthonous Dances. Puno's access to Lake Titicaca is surrounded by 41 floating islands. To this day, the Uros people maintain and live on these man-made islands, depending on the lake for their survival, and are a large tourist destination. Dragon Boat racing, an old tradition in Puno, is a very popular activity amongst tourists.

Puno is the first major hub in the constant migration of indigenous peoples of the Andes to the larger cities of Peru. It is the largest city in the Southern Altiplano and is the recipient of new residents from surrounding smaller agricultural communities of poorer class of people seeking better opportunities for education and employment. As such, Puno is served by several small Institutes of Technology, Education and other technical or junior college-type facilities. Additionally it is home to what is commonly referred to as the "UNA" or the Universidad Nacional del Altiplano, which was founded in 1856.

Ancash is a dance performed in Piscobamba (Ancash), on the occasion of the feast of the Virgin of Mercy, on the 25th, 26th and 27th of September.

La Danza de tijeras (Scissor dance) is an indigenous dance native to the region of Ayacucho, no relation to the highlands, whose musical framework provided by violin and harp, and was subsequently diffused regions Huancavelica and Apurimac.

Diablada is a dance characterized by the mask and devil suit worn by the performers. Traditional in the Peruvian Puno department, the dance is a mixture of religious theatrical presentations brought from Spain and Andean religious ceremonies such as the Llama llama dance in honour of the Uru god Tiw (protector of mines, lakes, and rivers), and the Aymaran miner's ritual to Anchanchu (a demon spirit of caves and other isolated places in Perú).

Huaylas is a dance that is more lively and cheerful from the Central Sierra Mantaro Valley of Peru. It is defined as couples dance troupe, whose origin had a mythical religious ritual.

Pukllay is a carnival dance that is more widespread among Peruvian Quechua roots. Also called Pujhllay, Puqllay, Phujllay, Puqhllay, pucllay, Pugllay, etc.., With different variants according to the region. The Pujllay also danced by some Quechua populations in Argentina, Bolivia and Ecuador.

Tarkada is a dance performed during the carnival festival in Tacna region in Peru.

Huaconada (Wanka) is a ritual dance that is represented in the town of Mito, province of Concepción, Junín region, located in the Central Andes of Peru.

Karabotas is one of the most representative of Puno folkclore born in the Aymara part of this department. In this dance the dancer depicts a brave rider, dominating their partner, and makes compliments, whip in hand, and the beat of the music. He is happy, and the dancers wear broad-brimmed hat, with earflaps chullo, scarf, poncho vicuña or alpaca, typical of the region, dagger in the calf, boots and spurs snorers. It is assumed that it dates back to the time of the rebellion of Tupac Amaru, in which yanaconas and commoners, baptized Karabotas, imitated fine boots of Spanish.

Tondero also known as sailor's Alto Piura, Piura yunga or (Morropón). It predates the zamacueca, and very gypsy influence in its beat, singing tragic and repetitive guitar tundete, or black African influence in its choir (choir) and rhythmic (the use of Czech, instrument made of dried gourd) and Andean in its shrill or whiny.

Tinku is a dance that is performed in a crouching stance, bending at the waist. Arms are thrown out and there are various kicks, while the performers move in circles following the beat of the drum. In the language of Quechua, the word “tinku” means encounter.

El Vals Criollo (Vals peruano) is a subgenre and musical adaptation of the original European waltz, originated in Peru or also called a genre of Afro-Peruvian Creole music.

Wititi is a native Peruvian folk dance Tapay district, Province of Caylloma, Arequipa region in southern Peru. This dance has now spread and danced in the festivities of many villages the Colca Canyon. Witi Witi in Quechua means "making love"

Zamacueca is an ancient colonial dance and music that originated in the Viceroyalty of Peru, taking its roots from African, Spanish, and Andean rhythms.

There are some Chiringuano dances that have Aymara origin; the Chatripuli that satirizes the Spanish Realist soldiers, and the Kenakenas that is about the Chilean soldiers who occupied Peru during the War of the Pacific (1879). There are also Carnival Dances. A Carnival is a western holiday in the Peruvian Andes. It is celebrated simultaneously with harvest time. Many rural communities celebrate the youths' initiation during these holidays with ancestral rites and crossbred dances. New couples might be established.

The most internationally known dance in Peru is the Marinera Norteña. This dance represents a man's courting of a young woman. There are local variants of this dance in Lima and the other regions of the country.