Blog Post #7 - The Ecuadorian Ballet

One surprising thing I learned about Ecuadorian culture from the folkloric ballet is, at least in what appeared to be the cultures of the native/indigenous peoples of Ecuador, how openly sex and reproduction are talked about. I do not mean this to say that I was coming in with the ethnocentric view that sex and reproduction should not be talked about as is the general societal assumption in the United States. I personally have no reservations when it comes to openly talking about sex. It was refreshing to see how openly communication, verbal or nonverbal, about sex is expressed in native Ecuadorian tribes. From the ballet specifically, I learned how important nature is to Ecuadorian culture. Dances representing flower celebrations and the order of life as it applies to sex, birth, life, and death were all performed. The earth is very important to the indigenous cultures of Ecuador. They believe that Mother Earth gives and takes and that she will supply her children with any protection or resources they need. 

Dance serves as a form of nonverbal communication because it relays important messages that may sometimes be difficult to describe with words. Or perhaps to describe it with words would be less comfortable than using nonverbal forms of communication, like sex is treated in the United States, for example. But stories of the histories of different peoples and locations can be expressed through the bright and lively form of dance.