I mentioned in my last post that Sucre was also colonized by the Spanish and that was definitely apparent as we wandered through the streets! The ASUR museum is located at the top of one of the many hills in Sucre which gave us a beautiful view of the city and the surrounding landscapes! After the museum we walked back down to the hotel para descansar (to rest) before our evening with Los Masis!!
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| Catholic Church in the Plaza |
LOS MASIS is a musical group started by Robert Sahonero and his brothers. While studying at the university in Sucre they decided to start a small art and music center called Centro Cultural Los Masis. We actually got to meet and talk to Robert and his pride in the music and what it brings to the world is very apparent! He talked about music with such passion it is no wonder that his group and their center boast such a large following. When they started it was just the brothers and they barely had a place to practice. Today the center offers hundreds of school children the chance to learn and play traditional Andean music and Los Masis themselves continue to be one of the favorite traditional Andean groups in Bolivia! They have also had the chance to travel the world to share the music and culture of Bolivia and have performed at the Smithsonian in Washington DC countless times! Robert spoke about the center, how they teach the children and ways of promoting indigenous ideals through music and dance. And if that weren't enough we were treated to a performance of some of his students! They ranged in age from about 12 - 18 and every single one of them were dressed in traditional Tarabuco dress! --Although we had to wait a little as it started POURING and they were to perform in an open area while we watched from above... After they played Los Masis themselves performed for us and we were able to dance and join in the making of music! It was a wonderful night and one I definitely wouldn't mind reliving. I think it also helped that I quite miss my piano and singing with the Women's Choral Ensemble! I didn't realize how much I missed music! It is such a large part of my life and getting to sing along to some of the songs (or mumble is probably more accurate) made my week! My cheeks hurt so much that night I was smiling so much! Maybe I'll go back to Sucre for my independent study project to study the different forms of music in Bolivia... who knows! All I know is that Sucre has definitely been one of my favorite cities thus far! :)
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| Robert Sahonero introducing his students (and hiding from the rain!) |
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| The Students Performing in Traditional Dress |
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| Los Masis |
Unfortunately the videos are taking too long to load... but here are some youtube videos of Los Masis!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0K0LHPH3Hgo -- Tinku (it's old, but this is a traditional Bolivian dance which is a form of ritual fighting. As you dance, you sort of fight with your partner, it's quite fun!)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kEz_px6XV-U&list=UUPkK5zN3XjK0s3FRPT5D3LA -- This is more recent, with the members we saw and you get to see some dancing!
To the power of music,
Carly
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