Music and Dance in Guatemala

Salsa and Merengue

-In salsa dancing, the man guides the woman by giving her "claves" (signals), which are little tugs, pushes, or checks at the right time t0 the momentum of the dance that lets the woman know her cues on when to turn and dip

-With less complex movements, Merengue is easier to learn than salsa, it allows more freedom (and hip-swaying) movements. It's a fast-paced dance where steps simulate marching in place

Music and Dance in Guatemala

Marimba

The marimba shares many African, Spanish, and indigenous influences. It has a long history and diverse roots from all over the world.

Instruments

Marimba- Started out as a simple instrument with a diatonic row of wood bars played with mallets, with gourd resonators, placed on a wooden a stand

-Modern day marimba bands include a marimba for 3-4 players, a drum kit, a bass and sometimes saxophones

Chirimia-The spanish term for an oboe, used in many musical genres across the country

Paco Perez created one of the most famous Guatemalan songs, Luna de Xelaju, which is known as an unofficial national anthem and features the national instrument.

Garifuna Drum-Made out of hollowed wood such as mahogany, played while sitting

Sentences

• As soon as I see the movie I will tell you what happened.
• The show will be shorter in order to please the fans.
• As soon as the actress arrives we will start recording.
• We will listen to this music even though we hate it.
• You have to wait until the director arrives to go on the stage.
• He will have a lot of emotion before they perform.

Rock Bands and Music

-Dozens of rock bands have emerged in the last two decades

-Rock is very popular among young people

Razones de Cambio

La Gran Calabaza

Background In Guatemalan

Music and Dance

-The music of Guatemala is very diverse, it is played all over, even in remote corners of the country

-Guatemala also has an almost five-century-old tradition of art music, spanning from the first liturgical chant and polyphony introduced in 1524 to contemporary art music

-Cumbia from Columbia is very popular among lower classes

-Towns also have wind and percussion bands that play during the lent and Easter-week processions and other holidays

Art Music

-Some of the music composed in Guatemala from the 16th century to the 19th century has only recently been unearthed by scholars and is being revived by performers

Traditional Guatemalan Welcome Dance

Garifuna Music

Punta

-The Garifuna people of Afro-Caribbean descent, who are spread thinly on the northeastern Caribbean coast

-Garifuna's most famous form is punta

-Its an associated musical style, where the dancers move their hips from right to left in a circular motion.

-An evolved form of traditional music, still usually played using traditional instruments, punta has seen some modernization

-They have their own distinct styles of popular and traditional folk music