Wood crate, tithing box, jawbone instruments hearken back to Africans’ days in Peru
A wooden crate, a tithing box and a donkey jaw may not be typical musical instruments, but they were among the only musicmaking objects available to Peruvian slaves from Africa. The crate, which evolved from farm crates used to collect fruit, is a wooden box straddled by a player who bends down to beat the box by hand. The tithing box, a cajita, is a small, lidded box used for collections in Catholic churches. It’s played by clapping the lid open and closed and beating the side of the box with a stick. The sound of the quijada de burro, the side of a dried-out donkey jawbone, is created by beating the jawbone with the palm of the hand.
In the early part of the 16th century, Africans were taken to Peru as slaves. By 1550, there were close to 3,000 slaves in the country, with half of them living in Lima. It was during the reign of Ramón Castilla y Marquesado in the middle of the 19th century that slavery was officially abolished. Today, there are approximately 2 million people of African descent out of a total population of 23 million.
When Ronaldo Campos de la Colina founded Perú Negro Dance Company more than 30 years ago as an ensemble of 12 family members, it was with the intention of rejuvenating the music and dance traditions practiced for generations by African slaves in Peru. The Lima-based company, which is now directed by de la Colina’s son Ronny Campos, performs at the Lensic Performing Arts Center tonight.
Perú Negro’s dances range from the soulful and solemn to the joyful and exuberant. The dance “Toro Mata” mocks the minuets and waltzes that slaves observed while serving the parties of slave masters who danced in colonial ruffles. A few of the group’s 10 dancers also sing. Ten musicians provide vocals and instrumental support on a wide variety of instruments.
“Traditionally, men have played the percussion instruments,” said Juan Morillo, the company’s artistic director and producer, by phone from Los Angeles. “But in our show, we have a few numbers where women play instruments.”
Costumes are an important part of the performance. Morillo says their simple yet colorful outfits are designed to reflect the dance that is presented. “We’ve relied on memories of older people, like the mother of our group’s founder, and photos to come up with costume designs for the show,” he added.
Since most of the performers are young and have been with the company for five years or less, part of Morillo’s job is to educate them about the history and culture of Peru’s African community.
“For the audience, the experience is mostly visual,” he said. “The music and dance speak for themselves and do not require explanations.”
If you go
WHAT: Perú Negro Dance Company
WHEN: 7:30 tonight
WHERE: Lensic Performing Arts Center, 211 W. San Francisco St.
COST: $30 to $75
CONTACT: (505) 988-1234
