Chilean Dance

Cueca is the national dance of Chile. In order to dance the cueca, there must be two people each with a handkerchief. Originally, this dance was performed as a celebratory dance between a man and woman, but changed to a form of protest during the Pinochet regime. There is another version of the cueca called the cueca sola, which is where a woman dances alone in order to represent that a loved one(s) have died or are missing. Another way they would represent the loss of their loved one would be to have a picture of the lost person somewhere on them during the dance, whether it was hung around their neck or pinned onto their outfit.

I really hope we get the opportunity to see this dance in person. I think not only will it be a great cultural experience, but it also gives us the experience of a visual representation of all that we have learned about it!