Video: The Wititi Dance of the Colca Valley
A look at Peru's Wititi Dance, a celebration in which both men and women dress and dance in flowing skirts.
Several times a year in the Colca Valley of Peru, members of all genders come together to celebrate the joys of dancing in a skirt. The Wititi dance is a folk courtship dance, usually practiced by young couples for public festivals. For the dance, women wear their normal formal attire. Men, on the other hand, don military jackets, fringed hats, and their own full-length, flaring skirts.
According to tradition, this custom began when men of the region first donned traditional women’s clothing, either as a strategy to defend their village from invaders or as a subtle ploy to get close to their sweethearts. Either way, the Wititi dance was born and is here to stay.
This video, courtesy of UNESCO, shows the Wititi dance and its significance to the communities who pass it on from one generation to the next. The dance is a celebration of love and a light-hearted opportunity for families to come together. What could be better?
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