Peruvian Dance Schools in the US - Escuelas de Danzas Peruanas en EEUU

This is a short list that I've made of Peruvian dance schools in the United States and some other located in Peru. This list is constantly updated, so please send me your information.


Esta es una breve lista que hice de escuelas de danzas peruanas en Estados Unidos y algunas en Lima, Perú. Esta lista estó en constante actualización, asi que mandame tu información para publicarla.

Group Tawantinsuyo del Inca (Arlington, Virginia). 

Photos by Carlos A. Quiroz

Peruvian dance and music schools

• Arlington, VA / Rockville, MD: Ballet Folklorico Ritmos del Peru: El "Ballet Folklórico Ritmos del Perú" es una escuela de danzas peruanas que brinda sus clases a niños, jóvenes y adultos, sin distinción de edades, del área metropolitana de Washington DC, Maryland y Virginia. Es una organización non profit que brinda lo mejor de la enseñanza de las danzas peruanas de Costa, Sierra y Selva a todos sus alumnos y muestra sus progresos al publico en general en las diversas presentaciones a las cuales somos invitados, de lo cual son testigos los diversos escenarios que en suerte nos toco visitar en los diversos Estados de la Unión Americana.

• Grupo Afro Peruano "Mamauca" dicta clases en Maryland, todos los sábados para niños y adultos. Bailes Afro Peruano, Marinera Norteña y Cajón. "Pueden visitarnos en la web a www.studiofiesta.com o puede llamar al 301-318-0343 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting            301-318-0343      end_of_the_skype_highlighting para más información. La dirección es 344 Main st Gaithersburg, MD 20878"

• Vienna, VA: Salsa Fuego - Cecilia Villalobos Afro Peruvian dance: Dancer, choreographer, instructor, and mother Cecilia 'Ceci' Villalobos was born and raised in Lima, Peru. Salsa Fuego Dance Company, founded in 1998 by director-choreographer Cecilia Villalobos, is diversely composed of male and female dancers. Although we specialize in salsa, the director's choreography is inspired by any number of dance styles - from Cuban and Afro Peruvian to mambo, cha-cha, tango and modern jazz.

• Stanford, CA: Lalo Izquierdo Afro Peruvian dance classes: Jose Orlando Izquierdo Fune - or “Lalo” Izquierdo as he was later baptized - had the honor to belong to a great family of musicians. Jose Izquierdo, his father, sang and also played castanuelas. From a young age he was dedicated to the Afro-Peruvian culture. In 1966 Lalo tried out for and then performed with Victoria Santa Cruz's Teatro y Danzas Negras del Perú later representing Peru at the Mexico Olympic Games of 1968. Among others the group was composed of personalities such as Ronaldo Campos, Rodolfo Arteaga and Victor Padilla. With the latter, Lalo founded Peru Negro which had its début on February of 1969. Lalo has since been dedicated to promoting the Afro-Peruvian culture in different parts of the World.

• Seattle, WA: Sonia Porras School: Academy of Peruvian Folk Dances inició sus labores en la ciudad de Seattle, estado de Washington, en el mes de enero de 1994, bajo la dirección de la señora Sonia Porras de Niño de Guzmán, Tetracampeona Nacional de Marinera y Profesora de danzas Peruanas con muchos años de experiencia, trayectoria artística y cultural a nivel mundial.

• San Francisco, CA: De Rompe y Raja Cultural Association: De Rompe y Raja was founded in 1995, as a cultural organization dedicated to preserving and promoting traditions and culture from the coastal region of Peru, where the music and motifs of European, African and Indigenous peoples intersect. Many Icons of the Afro-Peruvian Arts have been part of our organization proyects and recordings such as Master dancer & percussionist Lalo Izquierdo & singer Marina Lavalle (founders of Peru Negro), Santiago Linares (The most influential arranger & musical director in Peru today), singer Pepe Vasquez & Manuel "Manguey" Vasquez (from the Vasquez family legacy), singer Jorge Luis Jasso, the late great singer Giomar Antonio, guitar legend Octavio Ticona (RIP), Singer/percussionist Braulio Barrera, composer & percussionist Freddy "Huevito" Lobaton, guitar player Pascual Obando, Musical Director Felipe Pumarada among others have helped with their extraordinary talents on the development of the group identity.

• San Francisco, CA: Peruvian Dance Company: Peruvian Dance Company is a young San Francisco-based dance company founded by Luis Valverde in 2002 by calling together some of the best Peruvian dancers in the Bay Area. Since then, it has been developing an invaluable cultural work, bringing the universe of the Peruvian music and dance to the American audiences. Considered the most important Peruvian ensemble in Northern California, Peruvian Dance Company cultivates artistic expressions from different regions of Peru including the Andes, the Amazonian and the Coastal region with special emphasis on the traditional music and dance.

• San Francisco, CA: Luis Valverde Dance: Choreographer Luis Valverde is also a musician, dancer and researcher of Andean Art. He has been twice Director of the legendary Conjunto de Zampoñas (panpipe ensemble) of the Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos in Lima where he studied and worked for several years, investigating peruvian folklore as well as visiting remote towns and villages in the Andes, learning different styles of traditional dance and music. He also has been member of the celebrated ensemble Brisas del Titicaca, the Center for Peruvian Music Reasearch (CIDEMP), the Center of Folkore of the Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos (CUF) and participated in important festivals and artistic events.In 2000 he moved to San Francisco as Director of Ballet Antakella in the Tradicion Peruana Cultural Center. In 2002 Valverde founded the Peruvian Dance Company, ensemble considered by specialized critics to be the most prominent peruvian dance troupe of the Bay Area.

• Rosario, Argentina: Danzas peruanas Sipán: Dir. Prof. Patricia Mamani. Pueyrredon 77 bis Rosario - Santa Fe - Argentina - C P 2000 Tel. 0341 4309357 Cel. 0341-153186761-e-mail: balletsipan@hotmail.com

• Paterson, NJ: Ballet Folklórico Perú: Ballet Folklorico Perú was formed in 1991 in New York City by three Peruvian-born dancers – Amparo Soria and Nélida Silva from the Andes, and Luis Iturre from Lima – to bring the rich traditional dances of their homeland to their new home in the Unites States. Today, Ballet is one of most respected and beloved Peruvian folkloric groups in the USA and other countries, with a rich repertoire of authentic dances from the Amazon, the Andes, the Coast and Afro-Peruvian communities. The group has performed at hundreds of theaters, international festivals, parades, universities and schools, delighting Peruvian and new audiences alike!

• New York, NY: Pachamama Peruvian Arts: Pachamama Peruvian Arts was launched in response to a concern that Peruvian Americans born in the US were losing the connection to their cultural heritage and acculturating popular Latin American sounds to the detriment of traditional Peruvian music and dance. Pachamama Peruvian Arts seeks to strengthen the practice of traditional Peruvian music and dance, promote cultural interchange and mutual understanding among Peruvians, Peruvian Americans and the community at large and to empower New York’s Peruvian community with pride through youth education, workshops and collaborative community presentations throughout the New York metropolitan area.

• NYC: 8 dance schools are listed here: Pachamama Peruvian Arts has created this resource list where more than eight Peruvian schools and dance teachers based in the NYC area are listed.

• Miami, FL: Sentimientos de Peru - Alfredo Di Natale: El grupo sentimiento Peruano nace de la iniciativa de Alfredo Di Natale, que luego de haber formado parte del grupo de “Sonia Porras” y que de ahí se conformara allí todo lo aprendido así que con el apoyo de su madre Lili Hernandez y su gran amigo y bailarín Paúl Quiroz decidieron formar el grupo y academia “Sentimiento Peruano” y “Semilla y Tradición Peruana” que ha tenido suerte y honor de ser Campeones Nacionales de Coreografías y de representar muy bien a nuestra hermosa marinera. Alfredo ha llevado desde entonces este mismo nombre a las diferentes ciudades donde el ha viajado dejando la semilla de Sentimiento Peruano en Trujillo, San Francisco, Los Ángeles, Washington DC Y Virginia. Actualmente se encuentra formando el grupo en la ciudad de Miami.

• Los Angeles, CA: Las Danzas de Peru: Over eight years ago a group of young men and women, who had as a goal to spread the Peruvian folklore, created a folk dancing group called Perú: Un sólo pueblo. Amongst them was the professor Fredy Chiara, who subsequently founded along with Mrs. Rossi Linhart the cultural project Las Danzas del Perú in the diverse city of Los Angeles, California.The latter had the purpose of spreading and teach others to value the Peruvian art and folklore in the United States. It was in this manner that through the music and dance of the cast directed by Chiara have strived to reach their mission.

• Berkeley, CA: La Pena Afro Peruvian Dance & Cajon: The La Pena Afro-Peruvian Youth Ensemble will learn and perform traditional Afro-peruvian music by playing the cajon, a percussive instrument, while accompanying traditional songs. A varied repertoire of tradition dances from the coastal region of Peru such as Festejos, Lando, Zapateo, Zamacuecas, Valses and Marineras will also be taught. All levels are welcome.

• Arlington, VA: Chino Terrones Dance School: La Escuela de Danzas "Chino Terrones" dirigida por su fundador y director Sr. José Terrones, Campeón Nacional de Marinera Norteña y Danzas del Perú, está difundiendo el folklore peruano en el Area Metropolitana de Washington D.C. desde julio de 1999. Ofrecemos clases de marinera, festejo, tondero, alcatraz, vals, huayno, huaylash, carnavales y salsaeróbicos.

• Chicago, IL: Peru Profundo Dance School: Peru Profundo is a grassroots non-profit dance company co-founded in Chicago by Carmen A. Mejia and Kathy Sardeña in 2002 when they were awarded an Ethnic Arts Grant from the Illinois Arts Council for Afro-Peruvian dance. Their dances have strong roots in Criollo, Indigenous, African and Andean musical traditions from various regions of Peru.
  

• Lima, Perú: Universidad San Marcos Dance School
• Lima, Perú: Todas Las Sangres
• Lima, Perú: Sissy Soria
• Lima, Perú: Pestalozzi school
• Lima, Perú: Escuela José María Arguedas
• Lima, Perú: 11 dance schools are listed here

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