FOLK & CARNIVAL DANCING

[These classes will be available when Camp Toucan starts operating.]

There are several folk dancing groups in Bacalar, some for teens and others for adults. They practice and perform several types of folk dances that are traditional in Yucatan and other parts of Mexico.

There are also comparsas, which are large dance teams, drawn from the community, that start practicing each year in October (and making their own elaborate costumes), in preparation for the annual five-night Bacalar Carnival in February (which is similar to Mardi Gras in New Orleans, and Carnival in Brazil). (In Spanish and Portuguese it’s spelled Carnaval.)

Camp Toucan dance classes include both types of dancing, taught by dancers from the folk dancing groups and the carnival dance teams (the comparsas). The instructors walk through the steps with you, then add the music. They also use videos to show you these same dances being performed by the local groups and dance teams, so you can get a better feel for how it all fits together.

Later in the week they outfit you with accessories such as hats, Carnival headdresses, capes, shawls, and fans, so you can dance in partial costume (while the instructors take photos and videos if you want).

During rest breaks in the classes, the instructors talk briefly about the origins of the different types of music, in the different parts of Mexico, and the folk dances that go with them. Each region of Mexico has its own style of folk dancing, costumes, and music. The costumes typically reflect the natural surroundings and cultural values of the region. Some dances are based on spiritual ceremonies from pre-Hispanic millennia. For example, in northern Mexico the Danza del Venado is popular, involving a hunter and a deer in a dance of eventual death, in brown and green colors. It is also danced in Bacalar, but as an interesting dance from another region. Here on the Yucatan Peninsula, the local dances reflect the vibrant colors and patterns of the tropics, and Caribbean rhythms. 

WEEKLY SCHEDULE:

The dance classes are held Monday through Friday, starting at 9 am. (Please note the different starting times for different Camp Toucan activities, due to the different activities involved.) During the morning there are breaks for drinks, small snacks, and instructor explanations. 

The Monday class is a little easier, while the classes later in the week gradually get more advanced, so if you are relatively new to folk dancing, it is best to start with the Monday class.

The classes earlier in the week take more time doing traditional folk dances from several regions, while the classes later in the week take more time doing Caribbean and Carnival dancing.

During your stay you can go to one dance class or several, as you choose. 

Lunch is included at about 1 pm, together with people from the Camp Toucan Spanish classes and Seminars. During and after lunch, there is live music, then sing-alongs in Spanish, using song sheets made for that purpose.

After lunch and music, we go for a walk around town, led by the Spanish teachers, going to places with interesting and colorful objects, to make it easier to remember the Spanish words for those things. 

The walk ends by the lake, where you can swim with some of the others, discussing objects and actions in Spanish if you want, or relax in the shade nearby. Connecting new Spanish words in your mind to actual things, characteristics, and actions makes it much easier to remember those words.

Later we head to the plaza for Social Hour, to share thoughts with our fellow travelers and explorers, over a drink and an appetizer (included with your dance class).