By: Joseph Rios
Growing up in La Paz, Bolivia, Rodrigo Fernandez has been surrounded by Bolivian culture throughout his life — particularly Bolivian folk dance. His mother, Gladys Fernandez, performs Bolivian folk dance and was one of the founders of the Sambos Caporales fraternity in Bolivia. Her love for Bolivian folklore was instilled in Fernandez and the rest of his family.
That’s why today, Fernandez serves as a coordinator for Sambos Illimani Colorado — a Bolivian folklore cultural dance group that is focused on promoting and performing Bolivian folklore dance. And chances are, you’ve seen them perform if you’ve attended major events in recent years like Denver’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade or the Parade of Lights that takes place each holiday season. Outside of parades, Sambos Illimani
Colorado has also participated in Bolivian dance advocacy events like the World Caporales Event that took place in 2010.
“I want (people) to think hey, I got to see Bolivian folklore, I want to get involved. It may look harder than it is, but I’ve been doing it, and my family has been doing it for 40 plus years,” said Fernandez. “It’s just one of those things that’s here to stay.”
Fernandez said that when people watch Sambos Illimani Colorado perform, he hopes that they get to see something they’ve never seen before. “Not only because of the dances itself, but the concept and music too. Half the time, people don’t know where the dancing is from,” said Fernandez.
Fernandez compared Bolivian folklore dance to break dancing and said it has the same health benefits as other popular activities like Zumba. “It’s very healthy and can compete with any artistic style. Anybody can do it,” said Fernandez.
In Bolivia, many festivals are a form of religious celebration that expresses paganism and Catholicism. For each folkloric dance and piece of music, performers have unique costumes, instruments and rhythms. Some celebrations last from the morning to late at night.
Dances like the Caporales (the Dance of the Foremen), the folkloric dance La Morenada, and La Diablada (the Dance of Devils) are particularly popular in Bolivia. Those dances are part of large festivals like El Gran Poder, Carnival and Urkupina.
As of 2019, there were 93,442 Bolivian emigrants living in the United States. The highest number of Bolivians live in the Washington D.C. metropolitan area, particularly in Virginia which is home to the largest Bolivian-born population in the country.
To get in contact with Sambos Illimani Colorado and to learn more about upcoming performances or participation in Bolivian folkloric dance classes, you can visit their Facebook page at https://facebook.com/Sambosillimanicoloradousa or by calling or texting 303-946-5259.
