Encuentro Ritual: Dances of the Huacana - DVD

Scissors dancers act as the intermediaries between the people of the Peruvian Andes and the gods of the mountains. Attributed supernatural powers, they are surrounded by a halo of mystery. The dance itself requires a long physical and spiritual preparation. Our "ethnographic" documentary shows the "dansaq" or dancers impersonating the "Alacrán", the "Halcn" and the "Paqary" who dance during the Quechua Water Festivity that coincides with the Catholic festival honoring Saint Isidore, the Farmer. The documentary shows the festival that took place in the district of Huacana, in the Province of Sucre in Ayacucho, in July 1997. During the festival, the scissors dancers play a crucial role in reenacting the symbolic universe of a culture that struggles to survive.