On our first Sunday in Mérida we found out the main city's square turns into an arts and crafts fair so we decided to stay in town for it. We also found out that twice during the day the Ballet Folklórico of Mérida presents its SUNDAYS OF VAQUERÍAS series.
According to the host, Merida has three different ballet folklórico levels. Juvenil (teenagers), Titular (Adults), and Professional (State Ballet). The first two are the ones that do the free presentations every day in Merida while the professional ballet is the one that represents the state nationally and internationally. The photos you see here are from the "Titular Ballet" (Adults).
To be part of the ballet companies, you must have some basic knowledge of folklore dancing both regional and national and also meet certain requirements. For example, to be part of the Titular Ballet (Adults), you have to
Be single
Be skinny
Be at least 5.3 (female)
Be at least 5.7 (male)
Be between 18 and 23 yrs old.
Have a "good complexion" (meaning attractive)
Be in good health
Be able to practice M-F from 8pm to 10 pm.
NO EXCEPTIONS. Y
Or you can start from the very bottom: be part of the teen ballet and move up.
The dances presented by the Ballet Folklorico de Merida tell the stories of the people of Yucatán and their traditions. For example, this particular presentation we saw was about a Maya wedding and the dances that take place as part of the ceremony.
According to the host, a Maya wedding can only be performed by a Maya Priest. And the ceremony starts and ends with different dances. The presentation of the parents, then groom, then the bride, then the witnesses... each of those are dances, and then, the dances after the wedding. Once all the ceremonial dances are done, the big "party dance" takes place.
There are two very popular dances within the repertoire: 1: Las mujeres que se pintan (the women who put on makeup) and 2: EL Torito (The bull). The first dance celebrates women's beauty with or without makeup while the second dance is about courting. The interesting thing about the bull dance is that the bull is the woman and by the end she gets to accept or reject the male's invitation to become a couple. It is a very physical dance and one that also is funny.
The image above is from the dance Las mujeres que se pintan.
The image above is from the dance El torito.
My favorite dance, however, is the one where both women and men place a trade with glasses full of water on their heads and at some point they spin so fast that the water starts to come out of the glasses creating rain. This dance is called "El Ferrocarril" (The Train). Unfortunately, I was so into watching the dance that I did not take any pictures. Fortunately, I did take video of the dance:
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