Today’s A Journey
through Aesthetic Realms
will be presented
in Spanish,
with subtitles in Arabic,
Aulacese (Vietnamese),
Chinese, English,
French, German,
Hungarian, Indonesian,
Japanese, Korean,
Persian, Portuguese,
Russian, Thai
and Spanish.
Greetings,
cheerful viewers, and
welcome to A Journey
through Aesthetic Realms
on Supreme Master
Television.
Today, we will follow
the notes of vibrant music
to the picturesque country
of Colombia
to discover one of her
most celebrated cultural
traditions, folk dance.
The Republic of Colombia
is located
at the northernmost tip
of South America,
bordering Panama,
Venezuela, Brazil,
Peru and Ecuador.
It is home to 45 million
citizens and the world’s
third largest Spanish-
speaking population.
Part of Colombia’s diverse
geography includes
the majestic presence of
the Andes mountain range.
Each region of Colombia
has its distinct combinations
of cultural inputs
from Native American,
Spanish, African,
Caribbean, as well as
other European and
Latin American origins.
This is especially evident
in its beautiful
ethnic dances.
The Foundation for
Folk Traditions
of Colombia
is an organization which
was created to preserve
the beautiful culture
of Colombia through
its folk traditions.
It has participated
in numerous events and
folk festivals to showcase
the country’s music
and dances as well as
the artists’ talents.
The Foundation has
won several accolades,
including a prize for
best costumes as well as
the folk dances award
for seniors in the capital
district of Bogotá over
two consecutive years.
We are honored
to have with us today
Ms. Mariela Silva Torres,
co-founder and director
of the Foundation
for Folk Traditions
of Colombia to share
about her organization
and the country’s
colorful folk dances.
How did the Foundation
for Folk Traditions
of Colombia start?
Our group was created
in May 2005.
It is a group mostly
for seniors, however,
we wanted to be linked
to young people because
we want to share through
the youth the legacy
of our ancestors.
Could you tell us
what is the main objective
of the Foundation?
The main objective
of the Foundation
is to promote and develop
the richness and the
legacies of our ancestors
through the generations
so that they don’t forget
we have cultural roots
that have made us great
and have made us known
in other parts of the world
for our rich culture.
Mr. Franklin Castillo
is the co-founder of
the Foundation for Folk
Traditions of Colombia.
He explains why this
wonderful organization
pays particular attention
to recruiting
the older generation.
We are the ones who
have the cultural roots,
the culture.
We have the legacy
of what we have seen
from our culture.
We also want to form,
to make a group
of older adults to set
an example for the youth,
for the children who come
so that they realize
that seniors can dance
all kinds of dances.
Among Colombia’s
many geographically
defined areas, each
has its own unique music
and dance forms that are
the pride of the people.
Ms. Torres
first introduces to us
a dance genre
from the Pacific region.
The Bullerengue
is a ritual dance.
The women’s costumes are
completely white because
that symbolizes purity.
In their hair, on the head,
they wear a “pepa”
headdress that is
the hairstyle of women
from the Caribbean
and Pacific regions.
It is of African origin.
The dress is white
as I said before, with a
very loose-fitting blouse,
tight in the waist
with bolero, a lot of lace,
the skirt is very wide
because it’s typical from
this region of Colombia
and they dance barefoot.
The men’s costume
is also white, and
has a white loose shirt,
white pants just rolled up
above the ankle.
They are barefoot,
wearing a red scarf
tied round the neck.
And their typical
rounded hat.
To accompany
the colorful costumes
and rhythmic dances,
the lively music is played
on traditional instruments.
Let us now enjoy
an enthralling performance
of Bullarengue by
the Foundation for Folk
Traditions of Colombia.
Stay with her, stay with her
Shine during the night
and stay with her
There is the beautiful moon
And the morning star
with her
The stars surround her
To make her
look more beautiful
Stay with her, stay with her
Shining in the night
and stay with her
Stay with her, stay with her
Shine in the night
and stay with her
I look
to the light of the moon
The stars
and the shining star
Walking on the beach
They light my path
Stay with her, stay with her
Shine in the night
and stay with her
Stay with her, stay with her
Shine in the night
and stay with her
My pretty house of palm
What a lovely frame
Stay with her, stay with her
Where sweet birds sing
And the nightingale
is heard
Stay with her, stay with her
Shine in the night
and stay with her
Stay with her, stay with her
Shine in the night
and stay with her
Indeed there are many
kinds of folk dances
in Colombia.
Among them, Cumbia,
along with Vallenato,
are considered
the national musical
and folk dance style.
Originating from the
country’s Caribbean coast,
Cumbia began
as a courtship dance
but has now come
to symbolize freedom.
Ms. Torres
explains further about
the Gaita dance style.
The Gaita is a variation
of the Cumbia;
it is performed in
the Magadalena region
and this choreography
represents the rice harvest
from the beginning,
starting with the seeds
until it ends
with the harvest.
The women’s costumes
are composed
of a loose skirt, adorned
with lace and boleros.
It is a costume
of bright colors.
Her earrings are very long.
She always wears
a headdress.
A headdress, and also
wears as accessories
the balai tool, which
is part of the harvest.
She matches with the man
during the choreography.
The man’s costume
has a ‘guayabera’
or loose shirt
usually in bright colors.
It’s very loose-fitting.
A scarf tied round the neck,
a brimmed hat,
the wicker basket
that you see on his waist,
called ‘catabro.’
There he puts the rice seeds,
and from there the seeds
are sown, are scattered.
He also wears a machete
that he uses
at the time of harvest.
Please enjoy this festive
Gaita dance performed by
the Foundation for Folk
Traditions of Colombia.
The drum sounds so nice
Keeping time
with the Gaita
The drum resounds so nice
Keeping time
with the Gaita
And so Totó shouts out
I’m going to the party
at the square
And so Totó shouts out
I’m going to the party
at the square
I’m going to the party
at the square
I’m going to the party
at the square
I’m going to the party
at the square
I’m going to the party
at the square
The drum sounds so nice
And the Gaita
spreads delight
The drum sounds so nice
And the Gaita
spreads delight
And so Totó shouts out
For Patricia
to dance along
And so Totó shouts out
For Patricia
to dance along
For Patricia
to dance along
For Patricia
to dance along
For Patricia
to dance along
For Patricia
to dance along
The drum sounds so nice
And the Gaita so charming
The drum sounds so nice
And the Gaita so charming
And so Totó shouts out
I’m going
to the land of Falco
And so Totó shouts out
I’m going
to the land of Falco
I’m going
to the land of Falco
I’m going
to the land of Falco
I’m going
to the land of Falco
I’m going
to the land of Falco
What a fantastic performance!
What a fantastic performance!
These spirited dances
truly reveal the beautiful
hearts of the simple and
contented Colombians.
We will continue
with part 2 of our show
next Tuesday with more
varieties of dances from
other areas of Colombia.
For more information
on the Foundation for
Folk Traditions Colombia,
please visit:
Happy viewers, thank you
for being with us today
for A Journey through
Aesthetic Realms
on Supreme Master
Television.
Up next is
Vegetarianism:
The Noble Way of Living,
after Noteworthy News.
May your soul dance
with the eternal melody
of the inner music.
Happy viewers, thank you
for being with us today
for A Journey through
Aesthetic Realms
on Supreme Master
Television.
Up next is
Vegetarianism:
The Noble Way of Living,
after Noteworthy News.
May your soul dance
with the eternal melody
of the inner music.
On this Lunar New Year of the Tiger,
I’d like to send my respectful wishes
to Supreme Master Ching Hai.
May Supreme Master Ching Hai
have bountiful health to continue
with her spiritual teaching.
As well, I’d like to wish
Supreme Master Television viewers
abundant health in a new year
full of love and happiness.
May 2010 herald kindness and hope
for us and coming generations.
Together let us build
a greener universe everyday.
Please try to
be veg, go green, save the planet.
Be veg, go green, and save the planet.
Today’s A Journey
through Aesthetic Realms
will be presented
in Spanish,
with subtitles in Arabic,
Aulacese (Vietnamese), Aulacese (Vietnamese),
Chinese, English,
French, German,
Hungarian, Indonesian, Hungarian, Indonesian,
Japanese, Korean,
Persian, Portuguese, Persian, Portuguese,
Russian, Thai
and Spanish.
Greetings graceful viewers,
and welcome to
A Journey through
Aesthetic Realms
on Supreme Master
Television.
Today, we will continue
with part 2
of our two part program
on traditional
Colombian folk dances.
Each region of Colombia
has its distinct combinations
of cultural inputs
from Native American,
Spanish, African,
Caribbean, as well as
other European and
Latin American origins.
This is especially evident
in its beautiful
ethnic dances.
The expressive
dance styles accompanied
by lively local music
make dancing one
of the most popular forms
artistic expressions
and entertainment
for Colombians.
The Foundation for
Folk Traditions
of Colombia
is an organization which
was created to preserve
the beautiful culture
of Colombia through
its folk traditions.
It has participated
in numerous events and
folk festivals to showcase
the country’s music
and dances as well as
the artists’ talents.
The Foundation has
won several accolades,
including a prize for
best costumes as well as
the folk dances award
for seniors in the capital
district of Bogotá over
two consecutive years.
We are honored
to have with us today
Mr. Miller Flores,
artistic director
of the Foundation
for Folk Traditions
of Colombia to share
about the country’s
colorful folk dances.
We have
many Colombian dances.
Many of these dances
are choreographies
that the teacher creates.
They do research and
motivate other people
to participate
and different groups.
From the Antioquia Region,
we have the Ventarron,
we have the Redoba.
The typical costume
of this region for the man
is a poncho, handkerchief.
The satchel, the machete,
the straw hat,
the white sandals that
are typical of Antioquia.
The costume of the woman
is colorful
and uses flowery lace,
it has much embroidery
and is very striking
for the appearance
of the dance itself.
The Ventarron,
is a dance that derives
from peasants who
came to the mountains,
where it was very windy,
and they wanted to
represent that
movement of the wind,
represent it in the dance.
From there comes
the Ventarron dance.
We see
how they lift up their feet
to avoid the plants,
to avoid the wind,
to help themselves walk.
The Redoba is a dance of
strength, of foot tapping,
which has to mark the
rhythm of the dance so that
it coincides to the music.
Located in the
Andean region, Tolima is
one of the 32 departments
of Colombia.
Ibagué is its capital
and is renowned as the
“musical city of Colombia.”
With this
musical background,
it is natural that the dances
of the local people
are lively and colorful.
The music genre
of this region is Bambuco
and is characterized
by its folk element
that lends itself
to the dance style
that bears the same name.
We continue now with
the dance from Tolima,
the Bambuco.
Here is a couple
with the costumes that
belongs to this region.
The man has a Tolima hat,
red scarf, green shirt,
white pants,
and for this dance
they can dance barefoot
or with sandals.
Women have ornaments
in their hair.
We can see hers.
The color doesn’t matter,
it can vary, as long as
it is very colorful.
The shirt has decorations,
the skirt is loose fitting
for the movements.
Also, she can dance
barefoot or with sandals.
Now, let’s enjoy
a typical Bambuco dance
performed by
the Foundation for Folk
Traditions of Colombia.
Our show
on the rich traditions
of Colombian folk dance
will continue after
these brief messages.
Please stay tuned
to Supreme Master
Television.
Vibrant viewers,
welcome back to
A Journey through
Aesthetic Realms
on Supreme Master
Television, as
we continue our show on
Colombian folk dances.
The feeling of freedom
is a typical characteristic
of Colombian dances.
The dancers
are often absorbed
in the rhythms of music,
leaving the audience awed
at the seamless flow of
a rainbow of colors from
their vibrant costumes.
Mr. Miller Flores,
artistic director of
the Foundation for Folk
Traditions of Colombia
explains the unique
dance form found
in the eastern plains
of the country.
This dance, the Joropo, is
very representative here
in Colombia and abroad.
We have here the typical
costumes of women.
A dance of flowers,
white background,
and colorful lace.
It has to be very attractive
and the flowers
are like the leaves
that fall in the spring.
She also wears
an ornament on her hair,
on her head, this is an
ornament of flowers and
the dance is with sandals.
The costumes of the men,
wearing his veguero hat,
he has a shirt or liqui-liqui,
a pair of pants,
a sandal of fake leather
and with neoli sole.
There is a very nice story
about this costume.
Currently people use
a very fancy liqui liqui,
very nice. Very elegant.
Looks like
a formal costume and yes,
the dance is like that
because for a long time,
dance researchers have
realized that the peasants
from the plains region
used this rope
I have here at the back
which is called ‘vegueta.’
That’s why they are called
‘veguero peasants,’
because they were
using the hat like that.
This ponytail
that we see here is made
from the fique plant.
This is an ornament
for the dance.
It was slightly shorter
and that was
the typical costume.
We invite you to enjoy
the following
presentation of
a Joropo dance by
the Foundation for Folk
Traditions of Colombia.
To conclude today’s show,
we would like to share
Mr. Flores’ message
about the importance
of preserving
cultural traditions.
I want to thank
Supreme Master TV.
With great pleasure,
we did an assortment
of dances, and we hope
you have enjoyed it.
I would like to
send a message to all the
viewers of this channel.
We all support
folk traditions
not only of our country
but from other countries
on our planet,
which is very rich
in folk traditions,
which every country has,
we have to promote it.
We have to leave
something to the people,
to the public,
so that they don’t forget
their roots, they don’t
forget their customs,
where we come from,
where we are from
and that is
very important for us.
Our heartfelt appreciation
to the Foundation
for Folk Traditions of
Colombia and all involved
for your dedication to
fostering the preservation
of the unique
artistic expressions
of your country
and introducing us
to the amazing varieties
of Colombian folk dances.
May your beautiful work
be graced
with continued success.
For more information
on the Foundation for
Folk Traditions of Colombia,
please visit:
Confident viewers,
thank you for joining us
for today’s episode of
A Journey through
Aesthetic Realms.
Up next
on Supreme Master
Television
is Vegetarianism:
The Noble Way of Living,
right after
Noteworthy News.
Praised be the inner
splendor and divinity
that resides in all beings.