The dancers below are high school aged girls, volunteering to learn with Grup Yuyachkani.
greeting folks! I am settling into this blog, and want to find a way to bring my time in Perú into your living room. What aré the first things things that come to mind when thinking of Peru? Macchu Picchu? Alpaca wool? Ceviche? The Inka Trail? Let me suggest a few other things…how about the great eating in Lima? Geographic diversity rivaled in my experience only by California? One of the most diverse places in the world in terms of colors of people, and one of the most Catholic places anywhere? How about Grupo Yuyachkani, the longest running professional theatre in South America (ok, arguable, but read Diana Taylor!)? Or the wool of the vicuña? Or the delicacy of the Andes known as “cuy?” And which we call the pet “Guinea pig?” From the soaring heights of the Andes, and the highest altitude for any lake in the world (Titicaca, I went to Puno in 2013), to the vast desert of the south coast where live the mysterious Nazca Lines, to the vast metropolis of Lima, the jungles of the Amazon..there is no one thing that is Peru. Except maybe it’s history of Pre Inca, Inca, and conquering cultures of the 16th and 17th century. I will post frequently, and I am sure photos will be the thing visitors to this sight will most eagerly await. I am staying in the community called ” barranco” and it is without argument the center for contemporary arts, nightlife culture, tourists who are of the boho class (como yo) and I just love it here–it is very noisy at night, but it is the noise of people being together, buses and streetcars, jazz, laughter, dogs, and singing. I have ZERO problems with that and sleep just fine in the hubbub. Harder is the humidity, but I can sweat with the best of ’em and nobody smells good anyway, especially not those teenage girls who think that More is Better when it comes to perfume.
Finque On the Theatre Road 