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The Suri
Sicuri emerged from andine communities like the Mollos, Aymaras and
Lipis. In the region of La Paz it was performed in the provinces of
Camacho, Ingavi and Pacajes in order to celebrate a wedding or the
construction of a new house.
Its roots
date back to pre-columbine times. The name of the dance refers to the
hunt of the suri or ņandu (American ostrich) and to the musicians
accompanying the dance by playing the andine pan flute, called sicu. The
sicu-players themselves are called sicuris.
In the
dance the ostrich is portrayed twice: on the one hand the dancers
represent the movement of the animal and on the other hand they also
evoque some of the birdīs aparicion by wearing enormous headdresses up
to two meters wide and made of the suriīs feathers. The male dancers
also wear a chest cover originally made of a tigerīs skin and black
trousers while the female dancers use brightly coloured skirts.
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