Jacchigua

Jacchigua ballet - Casa de la cultura, Quito - Ecuador

We were invited to attend this traditional ballet in Quito, a folklore summary of some of the cultures and traditions of the people of the highlands of Ecuador. It's great to see young people involved in this, as most of the country has lost many of its old values. I tried to capture the colourful and energetic performance by using a slow shutter speed whilst trying to keep the guys in the middle sharp. The dancers holding the colourful strips followed a very well choreographed routine that lead up to all the colour strips braided around the post.

The house band was good, performing on traditional instruments such as the Charango (10 string mini guitar), Rondador (panpipes) and handmade drums and instruments that were introduced later on by the Spaniards like the guitar. It really shows what a melting pot the region is for very different cultures.



Quito - Ecuador
October 2008