History of Marinera

The music starts and they watch one to the other to the eyes, through the distance that measures the assumed challenge. She, the always secure female, always provocative, always first, raises her handkerchief and she waves it with grace smiling to the love and to the life. She knows, in its brief and slowed down stroll, all the enchantment that the man wishes to conquer. From a distant spot he greets her hat in hand and he announces to her, with his elegant and decided steps, that he does not know of negatives, and that, great connoisseur of the game, dies of impatience to win...

The game begins and the players are already impatient themselves. He is approaching her almost with fear, greeting himself in the short encounter. The brief separation does not make another thing than to ignite the desire. Now, both look for the new contact, more intimate, to be able to enjoy a little bit more the sweetness that brings their mutual proximity. For that reason the retirement is brief, ephemeral, because music announces how much is close the moment waited for, wished for, almost begging with the smile in the lips, and the handkerchief, being played in the fingers like a dove that flies graceful to the encounter of his beloved...

Finally... The pair approaches themselves happily, between the challenge and the truce, between the desire and the fear. A twisted feeling, a return to become one again. The agile feet closely together take the iniciative, but always allowing some distance between the both of them. Because it is not prudent to give everything without so soon. And while they watch at the eyes, he surrounds her covering with his arm and its hat, like inviting her to be his, only his. And she, with her graceful movements gets closer to him, offering herself to him as something reachable.

Satisfaction and joy. Those that at the beginning were distant dancers, moved by a natural desire stoked with a little curiosity and passion, are now a happy pair. A pair of intrepid lovers who enjoy the license that music grants, to seduce themselves and to captivate each other... With the smile, the glance, the arms that long to be entangled. She, holding the feminine skirt. He, shining its manly bearing, of conquered conqueror. The movement of the legs becomes more strong, more energetic, because the blood rushes through their veins, and its accelerated rate nobody can stop it.

To dance now it has been said! Euphoria, joy, the unexplainable pleasure of the shared joy, the happiness felt of two as unison. Their chests rebound of enthusiasm, and their faces full of happiness and emotion, now face to face, smiling happily, say it without words. She, with her gathered skirt seems to leave the agile feet free "sweeping" the ground with the fury and the passion of her joy. He, with the desire contained, expresses with the force of his dance the passion of his conquest. It is already a fact, no longer are more truces, and the music, with its resounding end, accompanies to the pair in its deeper union. He, carrying the uplifted handkerchief, and the connected glances to the total surrender...

Time is the infallible judge of the human evolution, and its verdict says to us that there are changes that last because they are born of the heart of the towns, whereas the uses of small groups or based on fleeting fashions have little permanence in the collective memory.

The Marinera, is because an old legacy that is born of our accepted roots, Hispanic, Indian and Black. Cultural roots that have given each one a little bit of their blood transformed into rhythm and flavor.

Thus, the life of our towns with their always unpredictable swings, and the hand of the man with their energetic participation, although limited in the time and the space, continues forming the feeling of a dance that, like our history, is a synthesis that has begun, but that is not yet concluded.

Taken from the book: " The Triumph of Two ", Luz Maria Perez Cisneros, Trujillo - 1996

Types of Marineras

At the moment three types of Marineras can be distinguished. They are national dances which constitutes the maximum expression of the Peruvian feeling called "Criollismo".

Marinera Limeña, (Lima) in major tone, cheerful and vivacious, finishes generally with a "resbaloza (slippery) and fuga ", of faster movement.

Marinera Costeña, (North and South, Coastal zones of Perú) whose development starts from the minor tone to a major tone, and soon returns to the minor. This marinera is played with a movement more alive than the Limeñan, and it is always played twice. The saying goes "No hay primera sin segunda - There is not first without second".

Marinera Serrana, (Highland/Mountain) generally in minor tone, and of slower movement. This Marinera also repeats itself, adding to it the "fuga de wayno". The second part is more sentimental than the first one.

Although the Marinera Serrana, logically has Indian influence, in the Marineras Costeñas and Limeña we can find some characteristics of the Spanish influence,. But what makes them so different is also the African-Peruvian influence. To the gracefulness of its music, is added the "make fun" type of lyrics, along with the provocative music and rhythm accompanied by the "cajón" (wooden box). The African-Peruvian influence is noticeable also in the choreography of the dance, in which the man always follows the woman, and the woman provokes and makes herself hard to reach.

The musical accompaniment of the Marineras, is traditionally made of a group of 4 guitars and "cajón". It is also the custom that 2 of the guitar players are the singers. It is also typical to add the claps of the singers and the audience.

The name of "Marinera" started as a patriotic symbolism in 1879,. It was in this year when don Abelardo Gamarra, "El Tunante", baptized this dance as Marinera, in tribute to the Marina de Guerra del Perú (Peruvian Navy).

Taken from: "Panorama de la Música Tradicional del Perú" de Rodolfo Holzmann

	...	A search that becomes a challenge...
	...	An encounter that announces us the triumphant outcry of a conquest...
	...	A book of known ending, that is written in the air, with grace, to tell us simultaneously the same and new history...
	...	A pressure, old like the world, to find the elixir that calms the torments of the body and the spirit in a shared feeling...
	...	A game made of love and fire, provocativeness and respect...
	...	A silver filigree that wants to hide in its fine places a message that is shut up to shouts...

What is Marinera?

Types of Marineras