Dancing with the Panamanians

By Rebecca Park, Contributor

Members of Panamanian folklore group in traditional costumes (courtesy of Grufopalwa).

Panama, Latin America’s strategic isthmus, is so much more than a canal. But last Thursday, August 6, local organization Grufolpawa (Grupo Folklórico de Panamá en Washington, D.C.), performing at the Reynolds Center for American Art and Portraiture’s Kogod Courtyard, opened up the audience’s eyes, filling the light-soaked space with the vibrant sights and sounds of Panamanian folk traditions.

Part-concert, part-staged performance, part-interactive demonstration, the show touched on many aspects of Panamanian culture, ranging from dance to music to costumes, all artfully explained by lively emcee Jorge Valles. While the Courtyard with its sweeping expanse of glass and light offered a bright, festive atmosphere for the performers, all that empty openness did leave a bit more to be desired. The venue, centrally located between the Smithsonian American Art Museum and the National Portrait Gallery, was welcoming for an interested public, but also a bit too cozy for the loud foot traffic coming from the two museums. And while the dancers were certainly talented, the non-professionals didn’t quite have the forceful charismatic presence to fill the voids left by a low and open stage and compete with the Courtyard distractions.

But scenic disadvantages aside, Grufolpawa rose to the occasion and succeeded in engaging their public. At the heart of the performance was audience participation. Demonstrating the steps to traditional folk dances, inviting audience members to get up and join the dancers, punctuating the three-hour program with open dance—all led by the charmingly earnest Valles—translated what could have been a staid, shallow show into an energetic reaffirmation of the continued vibrancy of folk traditions.

The band Jairo y sus Muchachos provided full musical accompaniment, somehow fighting the possibly acoustically overwhelming effects of the echo-friendly atrium with simple, warm melodies from their two drums and accordion. And a flirtatious dance duet between Anaxinabila Barán Gonzalez and William Castrellón proved how two talented people can easily silence the restless murmurings of tired tourist children and their families.

So maybe last Thursday night at the Kogod Courtyard wasn’t so much about celebrating grand artistic achievements. Instead, it was about participating in the processes where those achievements get their start: the crafts and traditions of the people, a world open to whoever may be interested. And who said the little people can’t make great art?

Return to Main Menu