Caporales

The Caporales is a Bolivian folk dance. Caporales were created and presented to the public for the first time in 1969 by the Estrada Pacheco brothers in Bolivia, who were inspired in the character of the 'Caporal' who is the overseer of the black slaves and was usually mixed race, wore boots and held a whip, a dance that belongs to the region of the Yungas, Bolivia. The dance, however, has a prominent religious aspect. One supposedly dances for the Virgin of Socavón (patroness of miners) and promises to dance for three years of one's life. Caporal or caporales today is a folklore dance very popular in the festivities of not only Bolivia, but also Argentina, Chile, Peru, Spain and the United States. In June 2011, through a Supreme Decree, Caporales along with other dances were declared Cultural and Intangible Heritage of the Plurinational State of Bolivia; according to the government entity, this measure was taken to curb the attempts of appropriation by neighboring countries. There are many groups founded in US that participate and spread the culture, such as F.F.C.C. Universitarios de San Simón, Alma Boliviana, Renacer Boliviano, Sangre Boliviana, Centralistas San Miguel Virginia, Orgullo Boliviano, San Simon Universitartios Virginia, Fraternidad Folklorica Cultural Ruphay VA, Kantuta Ballet Folklorico de Bolivia and much more. A male caporal dress depicts an old Spanish military guard (overseer of slaves). Wearing heeled boots bearing large bells known as "cascabeles", a male dancer carries a hat in his left hand and a whip in his right (sometimes). Even some girls will dance in a male role, as girls used to be relegated to wearing extremely short skirts and do less impressive steps; some may refer to them as "chinas" (literally: indigenous American women) or "machas" (literally: women). A female caporal dress consists of a...