Danzas Peruanas

Danzas Peruanas was founded in 2002 by a group of Peruvians in the Greater Hartford area who loved to dance, as a way to preserve and present Peru’s rich multicultural heritage of ethnic and folkloric music to audiences in Connecticut. The group started out by performing mostly for Peruvian community events, but has broadened its repertoire and now performs for many organizations and activities throughout the state, such as the Bushnell Park Cultural Awareness Day, the taste of Latin America festival in West Haven, and the Latino Expo in Hartford. In 2003 Danzas Peruanas was selected to participate in the Southern New England Traditional Arts Apprenticeship Program under which they worked with master Peruvian dance teacher Gloria Martenson from Boston to learn new dances. The group also collected authentic costumes for the new dances, and has begun to collaborate with other musical groups, such as Amark and Negrura Peruana, to enhance its performances.